Job Description:
The Sr. Supply Planner - Inverters owns the conversion of the approved finished-goods plan into a detailed 52-week component demand and supply plan for the defined inverter scope. The role translates finished goods demand into component requirements, validates capacity and material readiness, establishes allocation recommendations, and provides early visibility to risks affecting project delivery, cost or customer commitments.
Inverters are a critical component of utility-scale solar power systems. Depending on the customer requirement, they may be sold as part of a fully integrated skid, together with the transformer and switchgear; as part of a partially integrated skid; or as individual components to be combined with other equipment.
Key Responsibilities
Component demand planning and supply translation
- Own and maintain the 52-week component demand plan by translating the approved high-level finished-goods demand plan into requirements for the agreed Level 1 components and selected Level 2 sub-assemblies.
- Reconcile component demand against supplier and CM capacity, lead times, inventory and open supply commitments.
- Develop and share the demand plan with the relevant Level 0 and Level 1 suppliers, including full-skid suppliers and suppliers of standalone inverters, transformers and switchgear.
- Plan selected Level 2 sub-assemblies that are managed within Planning, including PCBAs and power modules.
- Provide feedback to the Demand Planning team when component constraints, lead times or capacity limitations require a review of the finished-goods plan.
Capacity, Lead-Time and Supply Risk Management
- Identify changes in lead times, capacity, material availability, minimum order quantities, allocation constraints and other market or supplier conditions for components and subcomponents that may result in a change in the plan.
- Ensure new long-lead items are promptly identified, classified and incorporated into the appropriate forecast, risk-buy or supply-planning mechanism.
- Quantify supply gaps and provide early alerts on their potential impact on production, delivery dates, customer commitments, revenue or cost.
- Develop recovery options with the relevant owner and escalate only with a clear impact statement, recommendation and required decision.
Allocation and Supply Commitment Management
- Translate approved allocation guidelines, supplier capacity and project priorities into allocation recommendations by supplier, CM, region and/or project.
- Coordinate allocation decisions with Sourcing, Demand Planning, Delivery Managers and leadership when constrained supply cannot support all requirements.
- Track supplier and CM commitments against the commodity plan and ensure deviations are visible, understood and actioned.
- Support risk-buy and other pre-positioning decisions by providing demand, timing, exposure and supply-gap analysis.
Supplier and Contract Manufacturer Supply Visibility
- Establish the minimum reporting required from CMs and suppliers to monitor forecast consumption, purchase orders, open requirements, inventory, receipts, production status and long-lead-subcomponents s coverage.
- Review weekly supplier/CM updates and validate whether reported capacity and material readiness are supported by underlying purchase and supply evidence.
- Provide a consolidated view from demand through supplier/CM readiness, highlighting exceptions
- Provide early alerts on material or capacity gaps to the supply planners and leadership to drive necessary mitigation actions
Cross-Functional Coordination and Governance
- Partner with Regional Delivery Manager and Supply Planning Manager to align project priorities, allocation decisions, recovery plans and customer-impacting risks.
- Coordinate with Engineering and NPI on BOM changes, part-number readiness, substitutions, qualification status and new supplier/CM ramp-up.
- Work with CMs to understand inbound material timing and its effect on inverter build and delivery readiness.
- Support executive and S&OP reviews with a concise, fact-based summary of supply position, key risks, decisions required and actions.
- Lead the weekly commodity planning cadence and maintain the action, risk and decision log.
- Define and monitor planning KPIs, including demand visibility, capacity coverage, long-lead-item readiness, open gaps and ageing of unresolved actions.
- Standardize the Inverters commodity planning process, reporting requirements, escalation thresholds and handoffs across regions and CMs.
- Identify recurring failure modes and lead corrective actions so that supply risks are detected and managed earlier.
Success Measures
- A current, accurate and actionable 52-week Inverters commodity supply plan is available for the relevant stakeholders.
- Material and capacity risks are identified before they affect project delivery or customer commitments.
- Supplier/CMs commitments and long-lead-item coverage are visible, evidence-based and followed through to closure.
- Allocation decisions are consistent with approved guidelines, project priorities and available capacity.
- Escalations are timely, quantified and presented with a recommended action or decision required.
- Recurring supply gaps, data issues and process failures are reduced through corrective actions.
Required Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business Administration or a related discipline; Master’s degree preferred.
- Mandatory: Fluent English and Spanish (written and spoken), other European languages are a plus.
- 8-12 years of experience in supply planning, commodity planning, master scheduling, materials planning, manufacturing or supply chain.
- Experience in power electronics, inverters, electrical equipment, solar, semiconductor, automotive or complex industrial manufacturing preferred.
- Experience managing multi-tier supply chains, contract manufacturers, suppliers and long-lead components.
- Strong understanding of demand and supply planning, capacity management, MRP principles, inventory, lead times and supplier commitments.
- Experience working with BOMs, part-level demand, engineering changes and supply constraints in a project-based environment.
Skills and Behaviors
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to convert complex data into clear decisions and actions.
- Advanced Excel and planning-system capability; experience with Anaplan, ERP/MRP systems and Power BI preferred.
- Clear, concise communication with senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
- Ability to challenge assumptions constructively and drive accountability across organizational boundaries.
- Self-directed, structured and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, global environment.
- APICS/ASCM certification preferred.
At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility-scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data-driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.
We are Nextpower
At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility-scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data-driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.
