How to hire a supply planner

How to hire a supply planner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step supply planner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a supply planner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new supply planner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a supply planner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the supply planner you need to hire. Certain supply planner roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect supply planner also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of supply planner salaries for various roles:

   Type of Supply Planner	Description	Hourly rate
   Supply Planner	Logisticians analyze and coordinate an organization’s supply chain—the system that moves a product from supplier to consumer. They manage the entire life cycle of a product, which includes how a product is acquired, distributed, allocated, and delivered.	$23-48
   Procurement Analyst	Procurement analysts procure favorable contracts by acting as liaisons between suppliers and their employers. They are hired by organizations that rely on supply chain management to analyze and evaluate potential suppliers, prepare reports about monthly supply costs, and negotiate contracts... Show more	$21-43
   Procurement Agent	A procurement agent develops profitable measures to save the client money and ensure the quality of goods supplied. Procurement agents obtain the purchased items through suppliers, monitor them, and expedite the orders... Show more	$23-50

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Supply Chain
   • Logistics
   • Demand Planning
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Supply Plan
   • Strong Analytical
   • MRP
   • Purchase Orders
   • ERP
   • Supply Chain Planning
   • Master Data
   • Customer Demand
   • Inventory Targets
   • Inventory Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the sales demand in JDA on behalf of both PPD and GPO commercial.
   • Manage communication among freight forwarders, trucking companies, and warehouse representatives.
   • Check ERP system; review BOM and follow up with supplier to make sure material is available.
   • Interpret and execute the MRP supply recommendations for raw materials and packaging components used in assign parent products.
   • Analyze MRP output, current forecasts, and sales history to determine appropriate replenishment strategies and safety stock levels.
   • Perform in-season OTB and effectively negotiate business actions with a cross-functional team.

   More supply planner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your supply planner job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A supply planner salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, supply planners' average salary in iowa is 57% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level supply planners earn 52% less than senior-level supply planners.
   • Certifications. A supply planner with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a supply planner's salary.

   Average supply planner salary

   $70,602yearly

   $33.94 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level supply planner salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average supply planner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$105,958	$51
   2	Washington	$96,492	$46
   3	New Jersey	$76,410	$37
   4	Massachusetts	$70,486	$34
   5	Texas	$67,093	$32
   6	New York	$66,977	$32
   7	Colorado	$66,886	$32
   8	Connecticut	$66,761	$32
   9	Michigan	$60,698	$29
   10	Nebraska	$55,059	$26
   11	Florida	$53,248	$26
   12	Georgia	$51,945	$25
   13	North Dakota	$50,640	$24
   14	North Carolina	$48,332	$23
   15	Illinois	$47,556	$23
   16	Tennessee	$44,500	$21
   17	Iowa	$42,129	$20

   Average supply planner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$133,878	$64.36	76
   2	Apple	$128,596	$61.83	16
   3	Fitbit	$109,166	$52.48
   4	Juniper Networks	$100,549	$48.34
   5	Genentech	$99,095	$47.64
   6	Merial Limited	$97,658	$46.95
   7	Univar	$93,546	$44.97	2
   8	Stryker	$89,432	$43.00	1
   9	Micron Technology	$89,274	$42.92	6
   10	OMNOVA Solutions	$87,877	$42.25
   11	Lumileds	$85,747	$41.22
   12	Volvo Trucks	$84,964	$40.85
   13	Teva Pharmaceuticals	$84,470	$40.61	6
   14	Bunge	$81,712	$39.28	2
   15	10x Genomics	$81,442	$39.15
   16	VF	$81,154	$39.02	24
   17	Sanofi US	$80,673	$38.79	10
   18	Cytokinetics	$80,539	$38.72	1
   19	VIVA USA	$80,120	$38.52
   20	Exterran Corporation HQ	$79,556	$38.25

4. Writing a supply planner job description

   A supply planner job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a supply planner job description:

   Supply planner job description example

   Who We Are:
   
   At Brooks, we believe a run can change a day, a life, the world. Everyone who works here is a key part of our obsession to make the best running gear on the planet. We want our business - which also happens to be our passion - to be a place where everyone feels welcome and comfortable being themselves. Our company culture defines us, bonds us together, and drives our success. We live this culture daily through our brand values: Runner First, Word is Bond, Champion Heart, There is no “I” in Run, and Keep Moving. This means we always solve for the runner, do what we say we will, give it our all, are generous with our humanity, and find a way to keep moving every day, because joy is kinetic.
   
   Are you ready to help create something extraordinary?
   
   Brooks is a team of passionate people united by a desire to do meaningful work, lead healthy lives and make a difference. We share a focused mission: to inspire everyone to run and be active. That's it. No distractions-it's all about the run. Through science, creativity, service, authenticity and connection, we obsess over delivering the best running gear on the planet. We do it our way, with our unique spirit, with a goal of being more relevant to runners than any other brand, day after day and mile after mile. We are determined to innovate, challenging ourselves to lead thought at every turn. Inside these walls and on the roads, tracks and trails, we live and breathe Run Happy, celebrating the positive impact running has on our lives and others. We inject it into all we do because it makes everything better, smarter, more fun and more memorable. Our company culture defines us, bonds us together and creates the conditions for success. It is lived daily as a behavioral expression of our collective set of brand values: Connect with People, Innovate for our Customer, Compete as a Team, Build Trust, Have Fun & Bring Passion, and Be Active. If you're on our team, it means you're part of creating something extraordinary. You're part of Brooks.
   
   Your Job:
   
   The Supply Planner, Market Supply Planning will lead the development of tactical and strategic supply plans and manage inventory levels to achieve customer service, supply chain and financial objectives. You will focus on planning accuracy, inventory optimization, profitability, factory utilization, and delivery precision across the seasonal planning horizon. You will partner closely with Logistics, Distribution Centers, International Regions, Factories, Demand Planning, Customer Service and Sales to ensure the right product is in the right place at the right time in the right quantities to meet customer demand.
   Your Responsibilities Initiate and lead the development of 24-month global supply plans to balance the demand forecast with cost, efficiency, and capacity constraints. Develop and maintain finished goods production plans, and submit and monitor global purchase orders and regional distribution orders. Responsible for optimization of Service and Inventory Levels within the regional Distribution Network: Target Inventory KPIs (DIO - Days Inventory Outstanding/WOS - Weeks of Supply, Inventory Health - %Excess/%Inactive, Safety Stock targets) Target Service Level KPIs (%EFR - Enterprise Fill Rate, $OOS - Out of Stock) Facilitate the monthly review for validate the stock equation to identify any service risk to meet demand and to compare inventory vs. target inventory levels (ie. ideal inventory target per the demand & supply plans). Accountable for providing short term (next 13 weeks) supply availability and effective risk communication on new product launches, CMAs, events, promotions, new/lost business, on-going and end of Life products to Business and Supply chain teams (end to end scope). Support the facilitation of the S&OP monthly Supply Review meeting to align the most cost effective 24-month supply plan that meets customer and business Go-to-Market requirements. Support and leverage systems and processes to continuously optimize inventory and supply planning including: Sourcing agility: Collaborate with vendors (T1/T2) and Footwear & Apparel teams to reduce blocked horizon, manufacturing line saturation and batch size in order to increase reactivity. Customer Service protection: Calculate safety stock based on lead-time, replenishment frequency and forecast; validate/align safety stock results with Sales and Demand Planning teams. Portfolio health: collaborate with Demand Planning and Finance to control portfolio complexity and propose SKU rationalization consensus with Sales, Marketing and Product to optimize catalog profitability. Planning efficiency: Maintain regular portfolio segmentation (A,B,C / Strategic Product) to optimize efficiency and inventory control in the planning process Challenge viability of new launches by reviewing the Marketing brief and the Logistics launch data in order to avoid the creation of excess or SKU complexity for the supply chain. Prevent excess supply of on-going products by performing monthly reviews of productions yielding excess and potential batch size/MOQ reduction or discontinuation. Manage the process of discontinuation of end of life cycle materials as part of the Speed-to-Market initiative in partnership with the Asia Manufacturing Planning team and our T1/TII vendors. Participate in Global or Regional cross-functional projects. Present and provide context on the inventory KPIs for the monthly Supply Review meeting and the S&OP scorecard. Evaluate Enterprise Fill Rate/$ Out of Stock, including performing root cause analysis and solution problem solving for any identified inventory gaps.
   Education, Capabilities, and Experience: Educational experience to include Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain or related field 3+ years of experience in supply chain management, demand planning, or inventory management required Understanding of advanced planning systems, preferably experience using M3 related inventory planning tools Strong computer skills with expertise in Microsoft Excel required Strong organizational skills; the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and an analytical, investigative approach to problem-solving Excellent verbal and written communication skills, demonstrating effective listening through concise, clear verbal and written communication Excellent interpersonal skills that inspire and build trust resulting in effective working relationships across the company Passionate participation in Brooks' sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner in order to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community Embraces and lives the Brooks values
   At Brooks, we celebrate diversity & equity. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills to apply. Brooks is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, the presence of a sensory, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military status, marital status, pregnancy or child birth, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, political ideology, or any other non-merit based factors.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find supply planners for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your supply planner job on Zippia to find and recruit supply planner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting supply planners requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new supply planner

   Once you've found the supply planner candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new supply planner. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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