Management Associate - Business Planning
The Management Associate - Business Planning at Confidential Client is an entry-level role designed to develop future business and operations professionals through hands-on experience in planning, supply chain, and operations within a manufacturing environment. The role involves supporting S&OP processes, analyzing production and inventory data, collaborating cross-functionally, leading improvement projects, and gaining exposure to plant and business leadership to prepare for long-term career growth within the company.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Engineering.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
About the Role
Management Associate - Business Planning Fairfield, AL — entry-level development role focused on planning, S&OP, supply chain, production scheduling, and inventory management. As a Management Associate with Confidential Client, you'll rotate through planning and supply chain assignments, build analytic and reporting skills, and work with plant and business leadership to support production and delivery performance.
What You’ll Do
- Follow all safety requirements and actively support a safe work environment.
- Support the monthly S&OP process, including demand vs. supply reconciliation, forecast vs. actual analysis, capacity planning, and preparation for business review meetings.
- Collect, analyze, and interpret production, inventory, backlog, forecast, capacity, and delivery performance data to inform business decisions.
- Support production scheduling, mill capacity analysis, materials flow, inventory management, and logistics activities.
- Develop and maintain reports and dashboards that track planning, operational, and supply chain KPIs.
- Work cross-functionally with operations, maintenance, procurement, logistics, sales, and business teams to identify process improvements.
- Identify opportunities to improve forecast accuracy, inventory performance, schedule attainment, and delivery.
- Lead or support improvement projects with measurable business impact and present recommendations to plant leadership.
- Participate in Management Associate development activities, cross-functional assignments, and leadership exposure opportunities.
Qualifications & Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, MIS, Economics, Mathematics/Statistics, Data Analytics, or a related field.
- Strong analytical, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
- Ability to analyze data and translate findings into practical business recommendations.
- Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in both office and plant environments.
- Ability to communicate effectively with employees and leaders across multiple functions.
- Authorization to work in the United States.
- Ability to meet physical and PPE requirements for the plant floor (safety glasses, hearing protection, steel-toe boots) and to work in hot/noisy environments.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookups, Power Query); exposure to Power BI or Tableau, SQL, and ERP systems (e.g., SAP).
- Internship, co-op, project, or hands-on experience in manufacturing, supply chain, planning, operations, or analytics.
- Demonstrated leadership through work, academic projects, student organizations, athletics, or extracurriculars.
- Strong written and verbal communication; ability to present analysis to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities in a fast-paced, data-driven manufacturing environment.
- Initiative, curiosity, business acumen, and commitment to continuous improvement.
Compensation & Logistics
- Estimated pay (from source): $78,076 per year (estimated).
- Employment type: Full-time / Contractor (per source).
- Location: Onsite at Confidential Client’s Fairfield, AL facility — candidates must be able to work onsite.
- Physical requirements: Ability to meet plant PPE and mobility requirements (see Qualifications & Skills).
- This posting follows applicable U.S. employment laws. Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S.; Confidential Client is committed to reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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