{"id":2941432,"url":"https://alion.io/job/zeiss-buyer-planner","title":"Buyer Planner","company":{"id":5290,"name":"Zeiss","domain":"zeiss.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/zeiss","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":79,"open_postings":180,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.822,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":36,"computed_at":"2026-10-22T06:10:10Z"}},"role":"Operations","role_family":"Operations","seniority":"middle","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Minneapolis, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":64000,"max":80000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":80000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Copilot","optional":false},{"name":"Microsoft Excel","optional":false},{"name":"Power BI","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-20T17:24:53Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-20","last_verified_at":"2026-10-22T00:40:13Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":2,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":2},"description":"About Us:\nHow many companies can say they’ve been in business for over 180 years?!\nHere at ZEISS, we certainly can! As the pioneers of science, ZEISS handles ever-changing environments in a fast-paced world, meeting it with cutting edge of technologies and continuous advancements. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change. We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. We are a global company with over 46,000 employees and have over 4,000 in the US and Canada alone! Make a difference, come join the team!\nLocation/Region: This position is a hybrid role and is located at our Maple Grove, MN facility.\nWhat’s the role?\nThe Buyer Planner is responsible for ensuring material availability, optimizing inventory levels and supporting operational excellence through data-driven planning and procurement strategies. This role leverages ERP systems, AI-enabled analytics, forecasting tools and supplier collaboration to proactively identify risks, improve service levels, optimize working capital and support business growth.\nThe position partners closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Strategic Purchasing, Customer Care, Sales and Suppliers to maintain material flow, improve supply chain resilience and drive continuous process improvements across the end-to-end supply chain.\nSound Interesting?\nHere’s what you’ll do:\nDemand Planning & Forecast Management\nDevelop and maintain demand forecasts using historical trends, customer demand signals, market intelligence, and AI-assisted forecasting tools.\nSupport monthly S&OP and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes.\nIdentify forecast risks and opportunities and recommend corrective actions.\nCollaborate with Sales, Service, Product Management, and Manufacturing to align supply with demand.\nMonitor forecast accuracy and implement improvements to planning methodologies.\nSupply Planning & Production Readiness\nEnsure material availability to support production schedules and customer delivery commitments.\nIdentify supply constraints and develop mitigation plans to minimize production disruptions.\nManage exception-based planning processes and prioritize critical shortages.\nUtilize digital planning tools and dashboards to monitor supply chain performance.\nSupport production leveling and capacity planning initiatives.\nProcurement & Supplier Management\nManage procurement activities for assigned commodities and suppliers.\nExecute purchase orders, supplier scheduling agreements, and replenishment strategies.\nMonitor supplier delivery performance, lead times, capacity constraints, and risk indicators.\nPartner with Strategic Purchasing to support supplier development and cost optimization initiatives.\nDrive supplier performance improvements through data-driven reviews and corrective action plans.\nInventory & Working Capital Management\nOptimize inventory levels while maintaining required service levels.\nAnalyze excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory and develop disposition plans.\nSupport inventory reduction and working capital improvement initiatives.\nEstablish and maintain inventory policies, safety stocks, reorder points, and planning parameters.\nDigital Supply Chain & AI Enablement\nUtilize AI-enabled planning, forecasting, and analytics tools to improve decision making.\nDevelop and maintain dashboards, KPIs, and automated reporting solutions.\nLeverage predictive analytics to identify supply chain disruptions before they impact operations.\nSupport automation initiatives that reduce manual work and improve data accuracy.\nParticipate in ERP, digital transformation, and supply chain technology projects.\nMaster Data & Process Excellence\nMaintain accurate material master, supplier master, and procurement data within ERP systems.\nSupport Engineering Change Management and lifecycle planning activities.\nIdentify opportunities for process simplification, standardization, and automation.\nEnsure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and audit standards.\nRisk Management & Business Continuity\nIdentify supply chain risks related to suppliers, logistics, inventory, and geopolitical factors.\nDevelop contingency and recovery plans for critical materials and supply disruptions.\nSupport supplier onboarding, dual-sourcing, and resiliency initiatives.\nDrive proactive risk monitoring and escalation processes.\nDo you qualify?\nEducation & Experience\nBachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, or related field.\n3+ years of experience in supply chain planning, procurement, manufacturing, or inventory management.\nExperience working within ERP systems (SAP preferred).\nAPICS/ASCM certification preferred.\nTechnical Skills\nSAP ERP (ECC or S/4HANA)\nMicrosoft Excel (advanced)\nPower BI or equivalent analytics tools\nAI-assisted planning and forecasting platforms\nSupply chain analytics and KPI reporting\nMicrosoft Copilot, Power Platform, or equivalent automation tools\nJaggaer PIP\nCompetencies\nStrategic thinking\nAnalytical decision making\nData storytelling and business insight generation\nSupplier relationship management\nCross-functional collaboration\nContinuous improvement mindset\nChange management\nRisk management\nDigital fluency and AI adoption\nThe annual pay range for this position is $64,000 - $80,000 and is eligible for a performance bonus.\nThe pay offered for this role may be influenced by factors such as job location, scope of role, qualifications, education, experience, & complexity/specialization/scarcity of talent.\nWe have amazing benefits to support you as an employee at ZEISS!\nMedical\nVision\nDental\n401k Matching\nEmployee Assistance Programs\nPaid time off including vacation, personal, and sick days\nThe list goes on!\nThe above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of requirements, duties, or responsibilities. The Company reserves the right to interpret, amend, or otherwise modify, in whole or in part, any job description at any time, at its sole discretion.\nYour ZEISS Recruiting Team:\nKyle LotaZeiss provides Equal Employment Opportunity without unlawful regard to an Applicants race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, citizen status, sexual orientation, pregnancy (includes childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical condition), genetic predisposition, carrier status, gender expression or identity, including transgender identity, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law of the employee (or the people with whom the employee associates, including relatives and friends).","description_format":"text","description_chars":6935,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["401k plan"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Surgical Instruments & Devices","Eyewear","Medical Imaging Systems","Semiconductor Equipment"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-20T17:24:53Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":63,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.632,"p_room":1,"age_days":1,"expected_fill_days":36,"reasons":["conf:5","stale_co","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-22T06:10:10Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":80000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/zeiss-buyer-planner","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/zeiss-buyer-planner.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-22T17:57:54Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":263,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-23T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":5290},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=5290"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fzeiss-buyer-planner"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fzeiss-buyer-planner"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fzeiss-buyer-planner"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/zeiss-buyer-planner\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fzeiss-buyer-planner"}]}