
Senior Supply Chain & Inventory Analyst
SOUTHWIND FOODSPOSITION SUMMARY
This is a newly created, high-visibility role for a hands-on, senior individual contributor who will bring structure and rigor to how we plan and manage inventory. Reporting to the VP of Operations, this person will own the analysis behind our inventory and demand planning, bring stakeholders together to review data and drive decisions, and escalate critical issues to leadership when they arise. Beyond running the weekly process, this role is expected to build the process itself — establishing a living, continuously improving approach to inventory and demand planning, and taking initiative in the absence of established playbooks. The analyst will also be a key contributor to our Microsoft Dynamics 365 / Power BI master planning tool currently in development, helping shape it into the system the business will rely on for supply chain decisions. Success in this role requires equal comfort working hands-on in the data and presenting structured, decision-ready insights to senior leadership.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Analysis & Insight: Own the weekly inventory roll-forward and demand planning analysis by SKU — on-hand, incoming supply, projected usage, and weeks of supply against buffer targets — and go beyond tracking to identify root causes, trends, and risks.
- Stakeholder Alignment: Organize and lead regular reviews that bring Procurement, Import, Sales, and other stakeholders together to discuss inventory position, demand shifts, and aged inventory, and drive the group toward decisions and action.
- Driving Supply Chain Execution: Act as a driving force behind effective, disciplined supply chain management — following through decisions made in reviews, holding the process accountable, and pushing initiatives to completion rather than only reporting status.
- Escalation to Leadership: Recognize when an issue is critical (material stock-out risk, significant aged inventory exposure, supply disruption) and escalate promptly and clearly to the VP of Operations and broader leadership team, with the data and context needed for a fast decision.
- Procurement & Import Analysis: Interact regularly with the Procurement and Import teams to understand incoming supply schedules and constraints and use that information — combined with demand and inventory data — to provide analysis-driven feedback that sharpens their planning; this does not own or track POs/shipments directly.
- Sales Collaboration: Partner with Sales to align projected usage with forecasts and actual demand and translate inventory position into clear guidance on availability and constraints.
- Aged Inventory Management: Identify aging and slow-moving inventory early, monitor lot/catch dates and shelf-life exposure, drive cross-functional resolution before value is lost.
- SKU Rationalization: Regularly evaluate the SKU portfolio to flag redundant, low-velocity, or underperforming items, and drive decisions with Procurement and Sales to consolidate, discontinue, or right-size the assortment.
- Master Planning Tool (D365 / Power BI): Serve as a key contributor to the D365 / Power BI master planning tool currently under development — providing planning logic, business requirements, and testing/validation as it's built, and playing a critical role in its rollout and adoption.
- Process Ownership & Initiative: Build and continuously refine the inventory and demand planning process itself — there is no fixed playbook today, and this role is expected to establish one, document it, and evolve it as the business and tools mature.
- Executive-Ready Reporting: Structure and present data in a clear, impactful way for leadership audiences — dashboards, summaries, and narratives that support fast, confident decisions rather than raw data dumps.
- AI Adoption: Look for opportunities to apply AI tools (e.g., for forecasting, data cleanup, report generation, or trend analysis) to improve the speed and quality of planning work.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Industry Experience: Experience in the seafood industry (sourcing, distribution, processing, or a related segment) strongly preferred; familiarity with product perishability, catch/lot tracking, and import supply chains is a plus.
- Experience Level: Several years of experience in supply chain, inventory, or demand planning analysis, with demonstrated ownership of a process end-to-end — this is a senior, hands-on individual contributor role, not a management position.
- Analytical Skills: Strong quantitative and problem-solving skills; able to move fluidly between detailed data work and higher-level trend analysis.
- Technical Proficiency: Advanced Excel skills required; experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power BI strongly preferred, including building or contributing to reports/dashboards; comfortable learning new systems quickly.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in supply chain, Business, Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Master Planning Background: Prior involvement in building or improving master planning, S&OP, or similar supply chain process from the ground up.
KEY COMPETENCIES
- Manages Complexity: Interprets multiple, sometimes conflicting data points on inventory, demand, and supply to reach sound conclusions.
- Decision Quality: Makes timely, well-reasoned calls on escalations and trade-offs, even with incomplete information.
- Plans and Aligns: Sets clear priorities and sequences work across Procurement, Import, Sales to keep planning on track.
- Drives Results: Pushes initiatives through to completion rather than stopping at status reporting.
- Ensures Accountability: Holds self and stakeholders to follow-through on decisions made in planning reviews.
- Collaborates: Builds effective working relationships across Procurement, Import, and Sales to reach shared decisions.
- Communicates Effectively: Structures data and findings clearly for both peer and senior leadership audiences.
- Nimble Learning: Picks up new tools and systems, including the D365/Power BI platform and AI applications, quickly.
About SOUTHWIND FOODS
Southwind Foods, also operating as Great American Seafood Imports Co., is a U.S. family-owned food business that sources, processes, distributes, and markets fresh and frozen seafood, as well as beef, poultry, pork, and plant-based proteins, for grocery, distributor, and food service customers. It operates a 160,000-square-foot processing, storage, and distribution facility in Carson, California, that is HACCP-approved and certified to the BRC Global Food Safety Standard.
Interested in this role?
Apply now to join SOUTHWIND FOODS.
