Planning Analyst

Overview/Function: The Planning Analyst owns and directs planning strategy for assigned markets or operating areas, including route design, route optimization, resource utilization, and planning standards that support delivery, sales, merchandising, customer service, and cost-productivity objectives across the organization. They independently evaluate operational data, business priorities, service requirements, labor and fleet capacity, customer timing constraints, and market conditions to determine the most effective planning approach.   Decisions made in this role directly affect route productivity and efficiency, overtime exposure, miles, fleet utilization, service reliability, dispatch readiness, labor planning, and overall operating cost.

The role makes daily planning decisions from routing through post-route settlement, working closely with local teams to understand market conditions, customer constraints, labor and fleet availability, and execution concerns in order to optimize route planning delivery efforts. An extension of the local teams, they weigh their feedback to determine the final planning approach for routine and moderately complex matters.

Major Responsibilities:

- Translate market priorities, customer commitments, labor availability, fleet capacity, sales and merchandising needs, and cost-productivity goals into daily and forward-looking route plans, incorporating local leadership input to optimize, approve, and release the final plan.

- Lead dispatch readiness decisions by determining necessary route updates, sequencing changes, load balancing, resource adjustments, and communication priorities to ensure field execution aligns with business objectives.

- Solicit operating insight from local teams on order volume, route density, driver hours, equipment availability, delivery windows, special instructions, and customer constraints; weigh those factors to make planning decisions that influence overtime, miles, productivity, and service reliability.

- Review post-route reconciliation for assigned markets by evaluating completed routes, exceptions, delivery variances, missed stops, service issues, and follow-up trends to determine corrective planning actions and future route design adjustments.

- As an extension of the local teams, serve as the primary planning advisor to distribution managers, supervisors, sales leaders, merchandising leaders, warehouse teams, and customer service, to resolve complex routing issues, advise on operational tradeoffs, and align planning decisions across functions.

- Use routing systems, reporting platforms, Excel, business intelligence reports, and operational feedback to identify material planning opportunities, develop recommendations, and implement changes to planning practices, routing structures, and execution standards. Are expected to deviate from standard planning assumptions when business conditions warrant. Exceptionally complex, high-impact, or strategic decisions requiring stakeholder collaboration may be escalated to senior leadership.

- Analyze planned-versus-actual route performance and determine improvement actions related to miles, stops, hours, sequence compliance, service levels, route balance, labor efficiency, productivity, and overtime exposure.

- Identify recurring root causes of route inefficiency and exercise discretion to recommend or implement solutions involving route redesign, customer timing adjustments, order-flow coordination, workload balancing, service-window compliance, and operating-cost reduction.

- Lead or support planning initiatives, pilots, and process improvements that materially affect route productivity, labor planning, fleet utilization, service reliability, and overall operating performance.

- Other duties as required.

Qualifications

Experience & Qualifications:

- High school diploma or GED required; associate or bachelor’s degree in supply chain, logistics, business, operations management, data analytics, or a related field preferred.

- Two or more years of experience in distribution, route planning, logistics, supply chain, merchandising operations, sales operations, dispatch, customer service operations, or a related field is needed.

- Strong analytical skills with the ability to review route performance, identify trends, diagnose operational issues, and translate data into practical recommendations.

- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and reporting tools required; experience with Power BI, routing software, ERP systems, dispatch systems, or business intelligence platforms preferred.

- Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly with field teams, department leaders, and cross-functional partners.

- Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced operating environment.

Additional:

- While performing the job duties, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. This is largely a sedentary, office-based role, however there may be occasions where the individual may be in a warehouse or production environment with varying conditions, unregulated and regulated upon outdoor temperatures, as well as a fast-paced environment with loud noises (PPE is provided). Infrequent need to lift and/or move items up to 40 lbs. (Moving equipment and tools will be provided to reduce strains and injury.)

- Limited regional travel is possible in support of initiatives .

- The role is focused on weekdays (Monday-Friday) however some evening and weekend work may be required.

Note: No posting can contain a fully comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required in this role.  Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company offers a dynamic, ever-changing environment requiring flexibility and a willing, team-based attitude.  Some duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.

To ensure the safety of our employees, our customers, and our products, Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company offers a drug-free workplace.  Employees are subject to pre-employment/post-offer drug and random drug testing.

More About Us! Our company culture thrives on the hard work and dedication of our team members, each of whom plays a key role in the success of their team and our company. As a family-owned business, we prioritize a work environment of belonging and family. This is evident in our culture, benefits and work practices.

We focus on building open communication and trust to create a transparent and inclusive work environment, and we believe collaboration is essential to achieve success. The best ideas are born from great partnerships, which is why we encourage all team members to think innovatively to delivering exceptional service to our customers.

In addition to our people-first, safety-focused culture, we offer competitive pay and industry-leading benefits:

- Flexible and non-traditional scheduling such as evenings, part-time, and 4-day week opportunities for certain roles

- Paid parental leave

- Paid Time Off (PTO)

- Health, Dental, and Vision insurance

- 401K with company match and profit sharing

- myCareer development, training, and tuition assistance

- Wellness focus with discounted gym memberships and mental health benefits including free counseling sessions

- Recognition program & milestone celebrations

- Coca-Cola perks, discounts, and swag

- Approachable and collaborative leadership

- Regular performance feedback and employee survey opportunities

EOE