Job Summary:
The Senior Manager, Supply Chain, Purchasing & WMS Systems leads IT business systems strategy, ERP deployment, systems governance, integration oversight, and technology enablement for Supply Chain, Purchasing, and Warehouse Management Systems within Project Fusion. This role does not own business operating processes, but holds full accountability for systems strategy, governance, and technology enablement to deliver standardized, scalable, and sustainable capabilities across supply chain planning, purchasing, warehouse operations, central inventory management, and logistics-related functions, while partnering with business process owners on operational requirements and decisions. The position leads cross-functional system implementations from requirements and solution design through deployment, stabilization, and transition to the future-state support model.
The role partners extensively with Operations, Finance, Customer Order Management, Sales, Procurement, Plant Leadership, IT, PMO leadership, vendors, and implementation partners, and leads the functional and technical resources assigned to the workstreams. During implementation and stabilization, the role is expected to be hands-on, working alongside business analysts, functional leads, and other project resources on requirements definition, solution design, data readiness, integration validation, testing, training, go-live readiness, cutover, hypercare, and issue resolution, while maintaining primary leadership accountability for direction, governance, and delivery outcomes. Long-term ownership of post-Fusion production support will be determined as the future-state support model is finalized.
Job Responsibilities:
Program Leadership & Strategic Initiatives:
- Lead the Supply Chain, Purchasing, and WMS systems workstreams within Project Fusion, establishing priorities, deployment strategies, roadmaps, and success measures aligned with business and IT objectives.
- Provide IT systems leadership across multiple manufacturing locations, coordinating activities among business teams, IT, PMO leadership, vendors, supply chain management system providers, and implementation partners.
- Serve as the primary escalation point for workstream risks, issues, decisions, and dependencies, driving timely resolution in accordance with established program governance.
- Support transition from implementation through stabilization and into the future-state ERP support model as defined by IT leadership and program governance.
- Ensure assigned systems initiatives deliver scalable, sustainable capabilities that support business requirements and enterprise technology objectives.
Systems Governance & Business Partnership:
- Provide systems governance for solution design, system usage, integrations, data readiness, reporting enablement, support processes, and technology capabilities across Supply Chain, Purchasing, WMS, inventory, and logistics.
- Partner with business leadership and process owners to align ERP and related system capabilities with operational needs, compliance requirements, and improvement opportunities, while maintaining clear distinction between technology and business-process ownership.
- Guide system changes, enhancements, integrations, reporting requirements, deployment readiness, and technology-impact decisions in accordance with established IT and PMO governance.
- Manage vendor and implementation-partner deliverables, including close coordination with supply chain management system vendors, ensuring alignment with agreed scope, quality, timing, issue resolution, and program outcomes.
- Promote standardized system usage, documented decision-making, accountability, and consistency across workstreams and manufacturing locations.
Solution Delivery, Deployment, & Stabilization:
- Lead requirements definition, solution design, data readiness, integration validation, testing, training, go-live preparation, cutover, hypercare, and stabilization activities for assigned systems workstreams.
- Oversee supply chain planning and execution capabilities, including forecasting, demand planning, production planning, scheduling, available-to-promise, and inventory visibility.
- Lead purchasing systems design, supplier-related workflows, approvals, procurement controls, and purchasing-related ERP enhancements in partnership with business process owners.
- Lead WMS strategy, implementation planning, process standards, and warehouse and freezer operations support, including integration with the M3 ERP platform and related systems.
- Ensure effective design, development, implementation, integration, data alignment, reporting, and support of systems that connect with the ERP platform.
- Perform hands-on project and systems work as necessary while maintaining primary accountability for workstream direction, governance, decisions, and delivery outcomes.
- Support change management and adoption activities by partnering with business stakeholders, change management resources, training teams, and plant leadership to prepare users and reinforce standardized system usage.
Team Leadership & Organizational Capability:
- Drive improvements in system adoption, inventory accuracy, reporting visibility, material flow, operational efficiency, and change readiness across locations.
- Lead, coach, and develop functional leads, analysts, and other assigned resources supporting Supply Chain, Purchasing, and WMS systems.
- Establish expectations for accountability, ownership, communication, documentation, technical quality, and issue resolution.
- Build organizational capability and support succession and knowledge transfer across the ERP implementation and future-state support environment.
- Provide direction and oversight to consultants, vendors, supply chain management system providers, implementation partners, and cross-functional resources supporting assigned initiatives.
- Foster effective collaboration among IT, business stakeholders, plant teams, vendors, and implementation partners to achieve program and business outcomes.
- Model company values through professional communication, cross-functional partnership, and commitment to business outcomes.
Experience:
- Eight (8) or more years of progressive experience supporting supply chain, purchasing, logistics, warehouse operations, ERP systems, business systems, or business transformation initiatives.
- Five (5) or more years of leadership experience managing teams, projects, workstreams, or cross-functional initiatives.
- Experience supporting large-scale ERP implementations, including requirements, deployment readiness, testing, training, cutover, hypercare, production support, stabilization, and process improvement within a manufacturing environment.
- Experience partnering with business leadership, plant operations, IT, vendors, consultants, supply chain management system providers, and implementation partners.
- Experience with data readiness, integration validation, reporting enablement, change management, adoption, and stabilization within complex ERP or business systems programs.
- Experience with Infor M3, supply chain planning systems, purchasing systems/processes, WMS platforms, or food production environments preferred.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Advanced knowledge of ERP-enabled supply chain, purchasing, warehouse management, inventory, logistics, and manufacturing business systems and processes.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex ERP or enterprise systems workstreams across multiple locations, functions, technologies, and implementation phases.
- Strong ability to translate business requirements into system requirements, solution designs, integrations, data and reporting needs, testing strategies, deployment plans, and sustainable support models.
- Knowledge of systems governance, change management, implementation methodologies, data readiness, integration management, testing, deployment, stabilization, and application lifecycle practices.
- Strong leadership and talent-development skills with the ability to lead professional teams, establish accountability, develop organizational capability, and effectively direct matrixed and external resources.
- Demonstrated ability to manage vendors, consultants, and implementation partners and hold internal and external stakeholders accountable for scope, quality, timing, issue resolution, and program outcomes.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with the ability to manage competing priorities, resolve complex issues, assess risks, and lead effectively through ambiguity and organizational change.
- Strong communication, facilitation, documentation, and stakeholder-management skills with the ability to influence and align technical, operational, and business leaders across the organization.
- Ability to travel approximately 50%, based on project phase, implementation activities, plant deployment schedules, hypercare support, and large program rollout needs such as Project Fusion.
Supervisor Responsibilities:
- This role is a Leader of Leaders role and will manage a team of two or more full-time employees, including functional leads and analysts supporting Supply Chain, Purchasing, and WMS workstreams.
- The role also provides direction and oversight to contract consultants, vendors, supply chain management system providers, implementation partners, and cross-functional business resources during project implementation, deployment, stabilization, and support activities.
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Business Administration, Information Systems, Logistics, or a related discipline required. Equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
- Advanced degree or relevant ERP, supply chain, project management, or business systems certification preferred.
Work Environment:
- Office: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to typical risks of injury in an office environment. Duties include a typical office setting including extensive computer work, sitting or standing. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must adhere to the company's Code of Conduct and all other policies.
- Manufacturing: While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be exposed to typical risks of injury in a manufacturing environment. Duties may include working in an environment that may be cold and humid or hot and dusty, may require standing for long periods of time, and may be noisy to decibels of 85db or higher requiring hearing protection. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must adhere to the company's Code of Conduct and all other policies.
Safety Requirements:
- Follows all departmental and company safety policies and programs.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Wayne-Sanderson does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender (sex), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, citizenship status, a person’s veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law or executive order.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Skills Required
- Eight or more years of progressive experience in supply chain, purchasing, logistics, warehouse operations, ERP systems, business systems, or business transformation
- Five or more years of leadership experience managing teams, projects, workstreams, or cross-functional initiatives
- Experience with large-scale ERP implementations, including requirements, deployment readiness, testing, training, cutover, hypercare, production support, stabilization, and process improvement in manufacturing
- Experience partnering with business leadership, plant operations, IT, vendors, consultants, supply chain system providers, and implementation partners
- Experience with data readiness, integration validation, reporting enablement, change management, adoption, and stabilization in complex ERP or business systems programs
- Experience with Infor M3, supply chain planning systems, purchasing systems or processes, WMS platforms, or food production environments
- Advanced knowledge of ERP-enabled supply chain, purchasing, warehouse management, inventory, logistics, and manufacturing systems and processes
- Ability to lead complex ERP or enterprise systems workstreams across multiple locations, functions, technologies, and implementation phases
- Ability to translate business requirements into system requirements, solution designs, integrations, data and reporting needs, testing strategies, deployment plans, and support models
- Knowledge of systems governance, change management, implementation methodologies, data readiness, integration management, testing, deployment, stabilization, and application lifecycle practices
- Strong leadership and talent-development skills, including the ability to lead professional teams and matrixed and external resources
- Ability to manage vendors, consultants, and implementation partners and hold stakeholders accountable for scope, quality, timing, issue resolution, and outcomes
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, communication, facilitation, documentation, and stakeholder-management skills
- Ability to travel approximately 50% based on project and implementation needs
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Business Administration, Information Systems, Logistics, or a related discipline
- Advanced degree or relevant ERP, supply chain, project management, or business systems certification
Wayne-Sanderson Farms Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Wayne-Sanderson Farms and has not been reviewed or approved by Wayne-Sanderson Farms.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is often characterized as fair or competitive for the local area, especially for entry-level plant roles. Overtime opportunities and shift premiums can materially improve take-home pay where available.
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Affordable Benefits — Benefits are frequently described as affordable, with health and dental coverage viewed as a relative strength of the overall package. The breadth of options is often positioned as a meaningful offset to the baseline wage for many roles.
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Retirement Support — The retirement program is positioned as a standout feature, with automatic enrollment and a dollar-for-dollar match on the first 4% of pay. External recognition of the plan’s design reinforces perceptions of a strong retirement offering.
Wayne-Sanderson Farms Insights
What We Do
Wayne-Sanderson Farms is an industry leader and the nation’s third-largest poultry producer, serving customers, consumers and communities with integrity, leadership and responsible farm, workplace and business practices. With a diverse portfolio of products, a strong operating culture and an industry-leading workforce of more than 26,000 people, Wayne-Sanderson Farms owns and operates 23 fresh and further-processing facilities across Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. Wayne-Sanderson Farms produces affordable, high-quality poultry products for retail, foodservice, restaurant, industrial and institutional segments under the brand names of WAYNE FARMS® fresh and prepared chicken; SANDERSON FARMS® fresh chicken; COVINGTON FARMS® fresh and frozen chicken; PLATINUM HARVEST® premium fresh chicken; CHEF’S CRAFT® gourmet chicken; and NAKED TRUTH® premium chicken. For more information. visit our website at http://www.waynesandersonfarms.com









