Material Planner

Job Title: Material Planner

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world. 

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our, collaborative, and flexible working environment. Our organizational ambition centers around creating workplaces that foster equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging across all aspects of our business. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

JOB PURPOSE:

As a Material Planner at Unilever, you will be at the heart of our supply chain, ensuring the seamless flow of raw and packaging materials to support our production goals. This role demands a sharp analytical mindset, proactive problem-solving, and the ability to connect the dots across functions to anticipate and resolve issues before they arise. You will be expected to balance service, cost, and inventory objectives while embodying Unilever’s core behaviors.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

Focus on What Counts

• Use exception-based planning within the MRP process to identify and act on critical material signals, ensuring timely and accurate ordering decisions.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for suppliers, managing communication, delivery expectations, and issue resolution to support production continuity.
• Apply critical thinking to develop creative, practical solutions to complex supply and inventory challenges, connecting data points across systems and teams to drive better outcomes.
• Monitor and manage inventory levels to reduce waste and obsolescence while ensuring production continuity.
• Own and maintain master data accuracy to enable system-driven planning optimization.

Stay Three Steps Ahead

• Anticipate material constraints and proactively engage with procurement, suppliers, and production teams to mitigate risks.
• Continuously evaluate and improve planning processes using data-driven insights, root cause analysis, and statistical methods.
• Support innovation launches and new material setups with foresight and precision to ensure flawless execution.

Care Deeply

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Production Managers, Procurement, Quality, R&D, Warehouse, and other planners to align on priorities and drive shared success.
• Champion sustainability by minimizing material waste and supporting responsible sourcing practices.
• Support your team by actively contributing to a collaborative, team-first environment that ensures continuity, shared accountability, and coverage for absences.
• Provide onboarding and ongoing training to peers, fostering a culture of learning and support.

Deliver with Excellence

• Own material portfolio as a key input to the broader planning team, driving improvements, resolving challenges, and escalating material-related risks as needed.
• Drive adherence to inventory strategies defined by CMRP and support continuous improvement in Material Planning KPIs.
• Act as a change leader by implementing best practices and adopting new tools and technologies, including SAP and other planning systems.

What You’ll Need To Succeed

• Bachelor’s degree with focus in an analytical discipline preferred (e.g. Supply Chain Management, computer science, math, statistics, economics, engineering, etc.).
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience in supply chain. At least 2 years in material requirements planning is preferred
• Being able to balance objectives of different teams that are sometimes at tension with each other and influencing a group of practitioners to change behaviors even though you do not have direct authority over them will be critical to success.   
• Understanding of data-mining techniques, root cause analysis and statistical methods 
• Proficiency in PC based software tools, specially MS Excel. Knowledge of SAP ECC a plus
• Ability to work independently and as a team, self-starter

What We Can Offer You

Culture for Growth | Top Notch Employee Health & Well Being Benefits | Every Voice Matters | Global Reach | Life at Unilever | Careers with Purpose | World Class Career Development Programs | Check Out Our Space | Focus On Sustainability

Pay: The pay range for this position is $69,360 to $104,040. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.

Bonus: This position is bonus eligible.

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible.

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents

------------------------------------

Unilever is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. 

For more information about your Federal rights, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination isIllegal and Pay Transparency Non discrimination Provision.

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.