Customer Logistics Lead

Utz Quality Foods is seeking a Customer Logistics Lead to join our team in State College, PA. The Customer Logistics Lead is responsible for all aspects of order processing and managing customer expectations through the order to cash value chain. We are seeking a dynamic, forward-thinking Customer Logistics Lead with a strong background in Order Management and Fulfillment to join our high-performing Supply Chain team. This supervisor-level role will serve as a process owner and thought leader, focused on standardizing, optimizing, and modernizing the end-to-end Order-to-Cash (O2C) cycle with a specific emphasis on customer purchase orders (POs). The ideal candidate will drive strategic initiatives in collaboration with cross-functional teams, including IT and Capability Development, to implement tech-enabled, automated solutions that enhance operational efficiency, communication, visibility, and the overall customer experience.

Responsibilities:

Order Management & Fulfillment

• Own the end-to-end PO lifecycle from receipt through fulfillment, shipment, and delivery.
• Oversee accurate and timely order entry, validation, confirmation, and execution in D365.
• Work with sales and key account managers to highlight customer ordering issues and to provide problem resolution.
• Own all order related data entry and change requests
• Serve as key escalation point for owned accounts for complex and high-impact order issues and proactively provide resolutions.
• Manage shortages and past due orders with prompt communication and issue resolution with customers

Process Optimization and Standardization

• Lead initiatives to standardize order management and fulfillment workflows across key customer channels and teams.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work instructions for all facets of the order lifecycle.
• Leverage lean methodologies (lean six sigma or similar) to identify and eliminate waste and streamline processes.
• Support customer logistics order efficiency improvements by monitoring orders to ensure compliance with minimum order quantities, pallet vs case ordering, and pricing.

Automation & Technology Enablement

• Partner with customer logistics capability lead and IT team to design, pilot, and deploy automation tools to improve efficiency and accuracy of order management (EDI integration, robotic process automation, digital order tracking, etc.)
• Contribute to and develop analytics via digital dashboards in PBI or similar for real time visibility of order status, service & performance metrics, order efficiency metrics, etc.
• Collaborate with customer and MDM team to drive robust customer and product data governance and ensure data synchronization with customer using our industry standards.
• Become SME for ERP processes related to all customer channels and lead necessary improvements to streamline order to cash process.

Customer Experience & Communication

• Monitor order status and proactively communicate with customers to provide updates and resolve any issues.
• Improve order visibility, track & trace capabilities, and proactive communication with our internal and external stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customer contacts to support excellent service and indispensable partnership.
• Lead customer engagement process to ensure accurate orders whether EDI or manual to include pricing, sourcing, and active items to improve overall order to cash value chain.

Leadership and Continuous Improvement

• Act as change ambassador within the customer logistics organization to champion new tools, new processes, and cultural transformation.
• Train and coach order management specialist on best practices, system enhancements, and new technologies.
• Analyze KPIs through internal and external data sets to understand trends related customer demand cycles, order patterns, service levels and other trends to identify opportunities for process improvement.
• Collaborate with Customer Logistics Analyst and Customer Logistics Manager to ensure alignment of customer accounts

Other

• Support on-going development of supply chain intern / co-op program
• Develop a strong relationship with sales to ensure all needs are met.
• Provide sales with regular open order status updates.
• All other responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business, logistics, or related field.
• 1-3 years of experience in customer logistics, supply chain, or order management and preferably in the CPG industry.
• 2+ years in supervisory or team lead capacity in an academic or work setting.
• Broad supply chain acumen to include the end-to-end order management process.
• Experience with ERP and TMS (Microsoft Dynamics 365 and e2open BluJay a plus)
• Order management, customer service, and/or customer fulfillment is a plus.
• Experienced in process design and continuous improvement.

Our Recruitment Process:

• Easy Application (5 mins): Introduce yourself and answer a few key questions to get started.
• Engaging Chat Interview (20-25 mins): Share your experiences in an online chat, highlighting how your values align with ours.
• Live Interview: Selected candidates will meet with the hiring manager to explore their alignment with the team and overall Utz company culture.

Continuously Pursuing Excellence!

Here at Utz, we have a passion for exciting and delighting consumers with delicious snack foods made from high quality ingredients. After over a century with a strong family heritage, our diverse portfolio of brands includes Utz, Zapp's, Boulder Canyon, and On the Border. Our associates are the reason for the success of this company, so it is important we provide a supportive, caring and inclusive environment that offers opportunities for career growth and advancement. We also help take care of our associates by providing benefits, resources, and programs that ensure they live their healthiest lives. Our benefit package includes medical, dental, and vision plans, an employer match 401k, profit sharing plan, employee stock purchase plan and much more. Join our world class team and help us become the fastest growing pure-play U.S. snacking company of scale!

Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

*