Summary

The Vice President of Supply Planning at Ashley Furniture Industries is a critical leadership role, reporting directly to the Senior Vice President of Supply Chain, Sourcing, and IT. This position oversees the end-to-end supply planning process, ensuring alignment between demand forecasts, operational capabilities, and business strategies. The VP of Supply Planning will manage key functions including distribution center planning, manufacturing planning, sourcing planning, inventory control, and capacity planning across Ashley Furniture’s global operations. This leader will also oversee logistics and supply chain optimization, ensuring seamless integration between supply and demand to support the company’s objectives.

In this role, the VP will drive strategic decisions on network design, balancing the distribution network and optimizing the make-versus-buy strategy to maximize efficiency and cost-effectiveness. They will collaborate closely with global teams across the United States and Asia to align planning efforts with operational realities, ensuring the organization remains agile and responsive to market demands. This role also involves refining inventory control processes, improving capacity planning for manufacturing and distribution centers, and integrating advanced analytics to ensure accurate supply plans that minimize waste and enhance customer satisfaction.

The Vice President of Supply Planning operates within a highly intricate and dynamic environment, requiring a nuanced understanding of global supply chain operations. This role must balance multiple interdependent functions, including manufacturing planning, distribution center capacity, sourcing strategies, inventory control, and logistics, all while navigating fluctuating market demands and resource constraints. The complexity is heightened by the need to manage a geographically dispersed team across the United States and Asia, requiring seamless coordination across time zones, cultures, and operational frameworks. Additionally, this position involves strategic oversight of network design, necessitating critical decisions about the optimal balance between vendor purchasing and in-house production. The VP must also integrate advanced analytics and forecasting into planning processes, ensuring agility and resilience in an ever-changing global market.

Primary Job Functions

• Oversee Supply Planning Strategy: Develop and execute a comprehensive supply planning strategy to align with organizational goals and market demands.
• Manufacturing Planning: Manage planning processes for all manufacturing operations, ensuring optimal resource allocation and production efficiency.
• Distribution Center Planning: Oversee capacity and operational planning for U.S. distribution centers to ensure efficient product flow and inventory management.
• Sourcing Planning: Collaborate with sourcing teams to align procurement strategies with supply chain objectives and vendor capabilities.
• Inventory Control: Establish and monitor inventory control processes to balance availability, reduce waste, and optimize working capital.
• Capacity Planning: Develop and manage capacity plans for both manufacturing and distribution centers to meet current and future demand.
• Logistics Coordination: Direct logistics operations to ensure seamless integration between supply, manufacturing, and distribution functions.
• Network Design: Strategically design and optimize Ashley Furniture’s global supply chain network, including distribution and vendor vs. in-house production decisions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with demand planning, sourcing, manufacturing, and logistics teams to ensure alignment and execution of supply plans.
• Global Team Leadership: Lead and mentor supply planning teams across the United States and Asia, fostering collaboration and accountability.
• Advanced Analytics Integration: Leverage data analytics and forecasting tools to enhance supply chain visibility and decision-making.
• Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks within the supply chain to ensure continuity and resilience.
• Performance Metrics and Reporting : Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of supply planning operations.
• Scenario Planning: Develop and implement contingency plans to address capacity constraints, supply chain disruptions, or shifts in demand.
• Process Optimization: Continuously identify and implement best practices to streamline and enhance supply planning processes.
• Sustainability Initiatives: Align supply planning efforts with corporate sustainability goals, including reducing waste and improving resource utilization.
• Stakeholder Communication: Provide regular updates to senior leadership on supply planning performance, challenges, and opportunities.
• Support Strategic Initiatives: Contribute to broader company goals and projects by aligning supply planning efforts with organizational priorities.

Secondary Job Functions

• Training and Development: Develop and implement training programs to enhance the skills and expertise of the supply planning team.
• Supplier Collaboration: Work closely with suppliers to align on capacity, delivery schedules, and long-term planning needs.
• Technology Evaluation: Assess and recommend new technologies or tools to improve supply planning efficiency and accuracy.
• Cost Optimization: Identify opportunities to reduce costs through improved planning, inventory management, and operational efficiencies.
• Cross-Functional Process Alignment: Support alignment between supply planning processes and other business functions, such as finance and marketing.
• Customer-Centric Solutions: Collaborate with sales and customer service teams to address supply-related customer concerns and ensure satisfaction.
• Industry Benchmarking: Stay informed on industry trends and best practices to maintain a competitive edge in supply planning.
• Compliance Management: Ensure that supply planning operations adhere to all applicable regulatory requirements and company policies.
• Innovation Leadership: Promote a culture of innovation by encouraging the adoption of cutting-edge strategies and tools in supply planning.
• Business Continuity Planning: Support the development of robust business continuity plans to ensure supply chain stability in case of disruptions.

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree (Required): A degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, Data Analytics, Industrial Engineering, or a related
• Master’s Degree (Preferred): An MBA or a Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Research, Data Science, or a related discipline is strongly preferred.

Experience

• Extensive Leadership Experience: A minimum of 10-15 years of progressive experience in supply chain management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing supply planning or similar functions.
• Comprehensive Supply Chain Expertise: Demonstrated success in managing manufacturing planning, distribution center operations, inventory control, logistics, and sourcing planning within a global organization.
• Network Design and Optimization: Proven experience in designing and optimizing supply chain networks, including distribution layouts and make-versus-buy strategies.
• Global Operations Experience: Significant experience leading and collaborating with global teams, particularly across diverse geographies like the United States and Asia.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Strong background in leveraging advanced analytics, forecasting tools, and data-driven strategies to improve supply planning accuracy and efficiency.
• Capacity Planning Expertise: Hands-on experience in capacity planning for both manufacturing and distribution centers, ensuring alignment with demand and resource availability.
• Change Management: Proven ability to drive process improvements, manage organizational change, and implement new technologies in supply planning.
• Collaboration Across Functions: Track record of successful collaboration with demand planning, manufacturing, sourcing, and logistics teams to align supply strategies with organizational objectives.
• Cost Management and Optimization: Experience in managing budgets and identifying opportunities for cost savings in supply chain operations.
• Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of supply chain operations in manufacturing, retail, or consumer goods industries, preferably in large-scale, complex environments.