Production Planner/Buyer (Bethlehem, PA)

Production Buyer / Planner

Location: Bethlehem, PA area (100% On-Site | Monday – Friday, Day Shift)

Employment Type: Full-Time, Hourly Non-Exempt. Full Benefits

Why Join Us?

Are you a proactive supply chain professional looking for a role where you can truly take ownership and make an impact? We are a rapidly expanding, state-of-the-art specialty food manufacturer looking for a driven Production Buyer / Planner to lead our material planning operations.

In this role, you won’t just process purchase orders—you’ll establish processes, optimize SOPs, and build the supply chain foundation to support our continued growth.

• Growth & Impact: Key high-visibility role in a scaling facility with direct career advancement potential.
• Work-Life Balance: Standard Monday through Friday day shift (flexible start times around 7:30 AM / 8:00 AM) with virtually no weekend work required.
• Modern Work Environment: Clean, temperature-controlled, state-of-the-art facility prioritized around quality and safety.
• Competitive Compensation & Benefits: Premium pay rate, robust health/dental/vision coverage, matching 401(k), paid time off, and life insurance.

Position Overview

Reporting directly to the Supply Chain Leadership, the Production Buyer / Planner ensures our manufacturing facility maintains an uninterrupted flow of raw materials and packaging. You will drive material availability, manage supplier relationships, monitor international logistics/imports, and balance inventory levels against cold-storage capacity and product shelf-life.

Key Responsibilities

• Material Planning & Purchasing: Calculate material needs using ERP/MRP systems and BOMs; issue and track purchase orders for raw materials and primary/secondary packaging.
• Import & Lead-Time Tracking: Maintain clear line-of-sight on international shipments and ocean freight to mitigate supply risks early.
• Inventory & Capacity Optimization: Manage safety stock, reorder points, and expiration dates while balancing cooler/freezer storage limits.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Production, Warehouse, Quality (FSQA), and Accounting teams to align schedules, assist with cycle counts, and resolve variances.
• Continuous Improvement: Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and streamline purchasing processes to scale with production growth.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 3+ years of purchasing or material planning experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Technical Skills: Hands-on experience using MRP/ERP systems (Sage X3 preferred) and intermediate-to-advanced Excel skills (VLOOKUPs, INDEX/MATCH, Pivot Tables).
• Core Competencies: Strong understanding of Bills of Materials (BOMs), inventory accuracy, and lot traceability.
• Mindset: A self-starter with a process-improvement mindset who takes full ownership of their role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in food manufacturing or perishable goods (understanding cold-chain, short shelf-life, and USDA/FDA environments).
• Experience with ocean freight, international imports, or specialty ingredient sourcing.
• Multilingual abilities (Mandarin, Cantonese, or Spanish) are a strong plus.

APICS / ASCM certification (CPIM or CSCP) or a degree in Supply Chain/Business.