Foremost Farms USA is one of the largest, leading dairy cooperatives in the United States and major dairy food and ingredients manufacturing business. We represent hundreds of Midwest dairy farmer members located in seven Midwest states, and we produce about 500 million pounds of cheese and 50 million pounds of butter in plants across our network every year. "We Bring Dairy to Life" in seven manufacturing plants across Wisconsin and Michigan and in our headquarters in Middleton (Madison), Wisconsin; and we’re looking for employees who are innovative and aim for excellence in our wide variety of production, field and business roles. Join us!
JOB TITLE: Integrated Planning Analyst I
POSITION TYPE: Full time
CLASSIFICATION: Exempt
Position Overview
The Integrated Planning Analyst is a swing role that supports the daily execution layer of Foremost Farms’ integrated planning process. Planning at Foremost operates on connected horizons: long-term balancing strategy is set monthly based on market dynamics and profitability signals, translated into a rolling 6-8 week tactical balance, and executed daily across the milk planning and supply chain planning functions. This position helps both teams carry the near-term plan through to daily execution, working at the intersection of operational planning and data-driven decision support.
The role is built around three complementary areas of focus. Roughly half of the analyst’s time supports the planning teams in daily execution, production scheduling, milk receipt tracking, component balancing, and short-term allocation across the network. The remainder is split between developing subject matter expertise in the systems and tools that power integrated planning and serving as an analytical resource that strengthens the team’s data, documentation and process foundation over time. Together, this balance makes the position a high-leverage, flexible resource – someone who can step into day-to-day operational gaps across both teams, keep planning systems accurate and well-adopted, and drive the continuity and process discipline that frees planning leadership to focus on tactical and strategic horizons.
Key Responsibilities
Integrated Planning Support
Supports the milk planning and supply chain planning teams in executing the daily layer of Foremost Farms’ integrated planning process, helping translate the near-term tactical balance into daily production and milk planning decisions.
Assist the planning team in translating monthly SIOP and mass balance plans into near-term production schedules across cheese, butter and by-product streams, supporting the connection from the weekly outlook to daily execution with attention to constraints such as silo inventories, load-out schedules and plant intake capacity
Support day-to-day milk planning allocation including milk receipt tracking versus plan, component balancing and short-term supply allocation across the network, helping flag variances and communicate balancing adjustments to plants and partners
Help monitor production and supply variances (unplanned downtime, yield shifts, demand volatility) and support the planning team’s timely communication of changes to plant operations, dispatch, logistics and cross-functional partners
Participate in regional balancing tasks and cross-training across both planning functions as directed, building end-to-end familiarity with how milk moves through the Foremost network and providing coverage that reduces single points of failure
Planning Systems & SME Enablement
Develops into a subject matter expert for the systems and tools that power integrated planning, ensuring they are accurate, well-maintained, and effectively adopted across the team
Build working proficiency in R12 and other planning systems used across the milk planning and supply chain planning functions, progressing toward primary SME status for day-to-day systems workflows
Maintain and update short-term planning tools, schedules and system inputs ensuring accuracy and clear visibility into what is planned versus what is being executed
Support system-related onboarding, training and troubleshooting for the planning team, serving as the first point of contact for day-to-day tools and workflow questions
Partner with IT and cross-functional stakeholders on system enhancements, testing and issue resolution that improve planning data integrity and usability
Analytics & Continuous Improvement
Serves as an analytical resource for the integrated planning function, strengthening the data, documentation, and process foundation that improves planning visibility and consistency over time
Support data pulls, trend analysis, variance reporting, and planning performance visibility across the milk and supply chain planning functions
Build and maintain SOP documentation for daily planning processes, system workflows and operational procedures, effectively reducing institutional knowledge risk and accelerating onboarding
Identify and surface opportunities to simplify, standardize or automate planning tools and reporting, reducing manual rework and improving execution consistency
Contribute to execution storytelling and reporting that communicates planning decisions, trade-offs and constraints clearly to stakeholders, and participate actively in the team’s analytics and dairy planning training program
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Agricultural Economics, Data Science, or related field.
0-2 years of experience in supply chain, planning, analytics or a related field; relevant internship or co-op experience considered
Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including proficiency in Excel; experience with data tools or business intelligence platforms a plus.
Aptitude and interest in learning enterprise planning systems, with the drive to become a go-to resource for planning tools and workflows
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment.
Intellectual curiosity and a genuine interest in learning how dairy supply chains and cooperative operations work.
Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across operational and analytical teams
Preferred Qualifications
Experience or coursework in supply chain planning, operations, or agricultural commodities.
Familiarity with ERP or planning systems (R12, SAP, or similar).
Exposure to dairy, food manufacturing, or cooperative business models.
Experience building documentation, SOPs, or process improvement materials.
Comfort working with and communicating data to non-technical stakeholders.
Key competencies
Analytical mindset and data-driven orientation
Intellectual curiosity and eagerness to learn
Attention to detail, follow-through and execution support
Cross-functional collaboration and communication
Process improvement and document discipline
Adaptability and comfort with ambiguity
Key competencies – Leading Self
Self-Awareness: Understands how their actions and behaviors impact others and results.
Accountability: Takes ownership of work and follows through on commitments.
Operational Excellence: Performs work accurately, safely, and consistently to standards.
Continuous Improvement Mindset: Looks for ways to improve processes, quality, and efficiency.
Physical Setting
Benefits:
At Foremost Farms, we believe that you and your family matter most. That’s why we’re proud to offer one of the most comprehensive and competitive benefits packages in the area — designed to support your health, financial security, and work-life balance.
-
Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance – Flexible coverage with options to meet the needs of you and your family
-
401(k) Retirement Plan – 100% company match on up to 8% of your contributions
-
Generous Paid Time Off – Start with 200 hours of PTO (pro-rated for first year)
-
10 Paid Holidays – Enjoy time to rest and recharge
-
Paid Parental Leave – 6 weeks fully paid
-
Health Savings Account (HSA) – when you elect the high-deductible health plan
-
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) – Save for medical and dependent care expenses
-
Life and Disability Insurance – Financial protection for you and your loved ones
-
Daily Pay Option – Access your earnings when you need them
-
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – Free, confidential support for life’s challenges
-
Referral Program – Earn rewards for bringing great people to our team
-
Career Growth Opportunities – Advance your skills and your career with us
This job summary is intended to be brief and does not list all the duties for this position. Nothing in this job description should be construed as an express or implied contract of employment. Foremost Farms USA is an at-will employer, which means that either party is free to terminate the employment relationship at any time, without any advanced notice, for any reason or no reason.
