Sr Planning Analyst – Inventory Planning & Stocking Strategy

The Senior Planning Analyst will play a critical role in advancing Banner’s inventory planning capability and stocking program strategy. This role will support and drive the processes, analytics, and cross-functional decision-making needed to improve in-stock levels at Banner and across distributor channels while balancing customer service, working capital, operational constraints, and product lifecycle priorities.

The position will partner closely with Operations, Commercial, Product Management, Supply Chain, and regional teams to translate demand signals, stocking policies, service-level expectations, and product-family strategies into actionable inventory plans. The role will help define which products should be stocked, where inventory should be positioned, how stocking levels should be maintained, and how exceptions should be surfaced for decision-making.

This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys working Collaboratively and Individually, staying on top of tasks, and making a meaningful impact across teams and projects. Below are some key responsibilities of the role. 

• →Support the development and execution of Banner’s stocking program strategy, including P/S/N stocking recommendations, min/max logic, demand segmentation, and service-level targets.
• →Analyze inventory availability, forecast inputs, demand behavior, backlog, open sales orders, lead times, and distributor requirements to identify gaps in in-stock performance.
• →Partner with Product Management and Commercial teams to align stocking decisions with product-family strategy, lifecycle stage, customer promise, distributor expectations, and revenue priorities.
• →Work with Operations and Supply Chain teams to translate stocking strategy into executable replenishment, production, and material plans.
• →Develop reporting and dashboards to monitor in-stock levels, inventory health, service levels, forecast quality, slow-moving inventory, excess exposure, and stocking-policy effectiveness.
• →Identify root causes of stockouts, inventory imbalances, past-due backlog, slow-moving inventory, and unmanaged stocking drift; recommend corrective actions and process improvements.
• →Support monthly forecast and inventory reviews, product-family health reviews, and cross-functional stocking governance forums.
• →Evaluate demand patterns using segmentation methods such as ABC/XYZ, runners/repeaters/strangers, lifecycle stage, customer concentration, and revenue contribution.
• →Recommend stocking policy updates, safety stock assumptions, replenishment parameters, and exception-handling rules based on data, business priorities, and operational feasibility.
• →Coordinate with distributor-facing and regional teams to understand channel inventory needs, availability gaps, lead-time expectations, and communication requirements.
• →Help build standard work, planning tools, and repeatable processes that improve inventory decision quality and reduce reliance on ad hoc analysis.
• →Escalate material stocking risks, service-level tradeoffs, or inventory exposure issues with clear options, financial impact, and recommended next steps.

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily, and regular attendance is required. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to perform this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to support individuals with disabilities.

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Finance, Engineering, Data Analytics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in demand planning, inventory planning, supply planning, operations analytics, commercial operations, or a related manufacturing environment.
• Strong analytical capability with experience translating large datasets into business insights, recommendations, and action plans.
•  Experience with inventory management concepts including safety stock, min/max, service levels, forecast accuracy, lifecycle planning, SKU segmentation, and excess/obsolete inventory.
• Working knowledge of ERP, MRP, forecasting, planning, or inventory optimization systems; experience with Oracle, GAINS, Qlik, Power BI, Excel, or similar tools preferred.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Product Management, Sales, Finance, Customer Care, and regional teams.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain analytical findings, tradeoffs, risks, and recommendations to both technical and business audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to manage ambiguity, structure problems, drive follow-up, and influence decisions without direct authority.
  

• Experience in industrial manufacturing, automation, electronics, or distribution-supported business models.
• Familiarity with make-to-stock, configure-to-order, build-to-order, and engineer-to-order fulfillment models.
• Experience supporting SIOP, product lifecycle management, stocking strategy, distributor inventory programs, or product-family business reviews.
• Advanced Excel, data visualization, SQL, Power BI, Qlik, or similar analytics skills.
• APICS/ASCM CPIM, CSCP, or related supply chain certification preferred.

• Improved in-stock levels for priority and stocked items at Banner and key distributor locations.
• Improved accuracy and discipline of stocking parameters, including P/S/N status, min/max levels, and replenishment assumptions.
• Better visibility to inventory gaps, stockout drivers, slow-moving inventory, and service-level tradeoffs.
• Clearer linkage between product-family strategy, commercial demand signals, and executable supply plans.
• Reduction in unmanaged inventory drift, excess exposure, and recurring planning exceptions.
• Repeatable reporting cadence and governance process for inventory and stocking decisions.

The physical demands described here must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to support individuals with disabilities.

• Sit for up to 8 hours per day.
• Continuous movement, walking, or standing.
• Exposed to a computer screen for extended periods
• May require repetitive motions such as utilize a computer mouse, keyboard, computer, and other standard office equipment.
• Communicate with others frequently.
• Occasionally lift and/or move objects up to 25 pounds.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those you may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job.

• Corporate office environment – indoor and climate-controlled

If you excel in a dynamic, collaborative environment and are looking for meaningful challenges and opportunities to grow, you’ll find a great fit here. Banner Engineering is a premier employer headquartered in MN, offering competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for professional development as we rapidly grow in the Industrial Automation industry.

Banner Engineering is an equal opportunity employer that considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

Affirmative Action (AA)/Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) M/F/D/

This job description reflects management’s assignment of key responsibilities. It does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.