Supply Planner, Global Product Lines - Early Careers

TP-Link Systems Inc. • Irvine, CA

10h • $80,000 - $90,000 • Onsite

About The Position

This role owns demand validation and supply execution for assigned global product lines. The Supply Planner is responsible for ensuring business demand is realistic, executable, and aligned with manufacturing capacity and inventory strategy.
The role serves as the key link between Sales, Product Management, and Asia-based manufacturing and PMC teams, translating demand into clear production plans and addressing risks when supply constraints come up.
This is not a procurement or PO-focused role. Success here requires strong planning judgment, comfort working directly with factory teams, and the ability to challenge assumptions when demand and supply don’t line up.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Analytics, Supply Chain, Business, Operations, International Business, or related field
• Experience in supply chain planning, inventory analysis, demand planning, or purchasing
• Advanced Excel skills are critical (pivot tables, lookups, data validation, modeling)
• Strong data analysis skills with high attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to respond to urgent operational issues when required
• Ability and willingness to work off-hours as needed to support international supply chain communications
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Ability to work full-time in-office

Nice To Haves

• Experience in factory-facing supply planning, production coordination, or demand-to-supply execution
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity, making trade-off decisions, and owning delivery outcomes
• Strong analytical capability combined with business judgment and execution mindset
• Able to communicate and operate effectively across business, operations, and manufacturing teams
• Experience supporting multi-site, cross-border manufacturing environments preferred
• Experience using Python for data analysis or automation
• Experience with Power BI or other BI/visualization tools
• Experience supporting global or multi-region supply chains
• Background in consumer electronics, networking, or retail distribution
• Bilingual fluency in Mandarin and English is a plus

Responsibilities

• Validate sales and business demand through rigorous data analysis, incorporating historical performance, forecast accuracy, market dynamics, product lifecycle considerations, and commercial strategy.
• Challenge and refine demand assumptions by triangulating forecast data, sell-in / sell-out performance, channel inventory, and market signals.
• Partner closely with Sales and Product teams to ensure demand plans are realistic, executable, and aligned with business objectives and priorities.
• Contribute to NPI (New Product Introduction) and GTM (Go-to-Market) planning and execution
• Translate validated business demand into clear, structured, and executable Master Demand Schedules (MDS), and formally hand off MDS inputs to PMC for production planning and execution.
• Work in close partnership with PMC to ensure MDS assumptions, priorities, and timing are fully understood, aligned, and feasible within capacity, lead time, and material constraints.
• Participate in joint demand–supply reviews with PMC to reconcile demand signals with supply capabilities, resolve gaps, and align on committed supply plans.
• Actively track production progress and delivery status to ensure demand commitments are met.
• Serve as the execution owner when supply exceptions threaten on-time delivery, proactively escalate and drive resolution across Manufacturing, Operations, Logistics, and Procurement.
• Assess demand urgency and business criticality to prioritize limited supply resources across competing requests.
• Coordinate expedited production or logistics solutions when necessary to protect critical shipments and business outcomes.
• Make trade-off decisions and align stakeholders on prioritization under constrained conditions.
• Conduct ongoing analysis of forecast accuracy, demand variance, and sales vs. forecast performance.
• Perform root-cause analysis on forecast deviations and execution gaps; translate insights into corrective actions and planning improvements.
• Support continuous improvement of demand planning and supply execution processes.
• Own local finished goods inventory planning, ensuring inventory levels meet validated demand and service level targets while avoiding excess and obsolete stock.
• Allocate limited supply to business teams in line with approved demand forecasts and agreed allocation ratios, considering supply availability and business priorities
• Monitor inventory health metrics including coverage, turns, aging, and risk exposure.
• When excess or obsolete inventory arises, actively push cross-functional resolution plans, including reallocation, promotion support, or supply adjustments.
• Ensure inventory plans are aligned with demand changes, supply constraints, and evolving business priorities.

Benefits

• Free snacks and drinks
• Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance (partial coverage for dependents)
• Contributions to 401k funds
• Bi-annual reviews, and annual pay increases
• Health and wellness benefits, including free gym membership
• Quarterly team-building events

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level