Strategic Order Management Specialist

Summary of job contents

The Strategic Order Management Specialist is responsible for supporting the execution of strategic customer order management activities across North America, including customer contract inventory management and CUP2 coordination. This role serves as a key individual contributor within the Strategic Order Management team, helping ensure long-term customer orders, contract inventory commitments, and pre-order project requirements are managed with accuracy, urgency, and cross-functional alignment.

Key accountabilities

• Protects customer delivery performance by actively managing assigned strategic orders, long-term order demand, customer contract inventory commitments, and critical order risks
• Supports reliable execution of customer commitments by monitoring delivery dates, promise dates, overdue orders, shortfalls, CUP2 feasibility concerns, and customer-specific inventory exposure
• Helps prevent delivery misses and revenue risk by coordinating recovery actions for constrained supply, critical parts, contract inventory gaps, and pre-order project demand
• Improves business predictability through accurate order status, CUP2 project status, contract inventory visibility, and timely escalation of risks that could affect customer commitments
• Contributes to improved customer satisfaction by ensuring strategic accounts, distributor requirements, and project-based demand receive proactive follow-up and clear accountability
• Supports the shift from reactive expediting to proactive order and pre-customer planning by identifying risk earlier in the opportunity, CUP2, contract inventory, and order lifecycle. 
• Influences outcomes through data accuracy, clear communication, urgency, credibility, and cross-functional follow-through. 
• Supports team routines, business reviews, standard work creation, process documentation, and onboarding materials for Strategic Order Management activities. 
• Demonstrates ownership of assigned customer/order/project scope and models disciplined execution for the broader team. Builds trust with internal stakeholders by providing proactive risk visibility, reliable updates, and consistent problem-solving support
• Identifies recurring process gaps in order execution, customer contract inventory management, CUP2 pre-customer planning, distributor demand visibility, and cross-functional handoffs. 
• Participates in continuous improvement of standard work for order risk reviews, contract inventory reviews, escalation routines, feasibility checks, and recovery planning. 
• Supports adoption and improvement of CUP2 APP/Fiori workflows, SAP transactions, dashboards, order management tools, customer inventory views, and distributor data interfaces. 
• Uses data from order status, CUP2 quick checks, advanced checks, inventory health, and delivery performance to recommend practical process improvements. 
• Serves as a reliable internal point of contact for assigned strategic order management topics, including order status, delivery risk, CUP2 feasibility results, critical parts, and customer contract inventory exceptions. 
• Communicates with Sales, Customer Service, Supply Planning, Production Planning, Operations, Logistics, Procurement, and the CUP2 cross-functional team to align customer expectations with supply chain capability. 
• Supports customer-facing teams with accurate information for strategic accounts, distributor requirements, customer contract inventory commitments, project demand, release schedules, and recovery plans. 
• Escalates risks with clear facts, impact, options, ownership, and required timing so internal stakeholders can make informed decisions. 
• Translates complex operational constraints into clear business communication that supports customer expectation management and internal prioritization. 
• Internal interfaces include Strategic Order Management leadership, Sales, Account Management, Customer Service, Supply Planning, Production Planning, Manufacturing Operations, Procurement, Logistics, Finance, and the CUP2 cross-functional team. 
• External-facing support is primarily through customer-facing teams and may include distributor or customer information support when appropriate and aligned with business process. 
• The role ensures internal teams have accurate, timely information to support customer communication, project feasibility, inventory commitments, and delivery recovery actions. 
• Builds trust with internal stakeholders by providing proactive risk visibility, reliable updates, and consistent problem-solving support. 

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Business, Operations, Logistics, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience
• 5-7 years of relevant business experience required.
• Advanced Production Planning/Scheduling Experience
• Manufacturing Methods and Processes
• Lean tools and techniques
• Quality Plans and Quality Audits
• Costing Principles and Pricing
• Experience in order management, customer service, supply chain, planning, logistics, customer project coordination, contract inventory support, or operations. 
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret order, inventory, planning, and project data. 
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work across functions and levels. 
• Proficiency with ERP systems, Microsoft Excel, and reporting tools. SAP (preferred),  and Power BI experience preferred. 
• High attention to detail, ownership mindset, customer focus, and sense of urgency. High attention to detail, ownership mindset, customer focus, and sense of urgency. 

Benefits

Festo Corporation offers a robust benefits package, which is designed to help employees and their dependents stay healthy, feel secure and maintain a work/life balance. This is just one way we strive to provide employees with a rewarding workplace. As an effort to keep pace with healthcare trends, Festo Corporation is committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package to its employees which includes...Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Programs, Short-term and Long-term disability, 401k, Pet Insurance, Paid Holidays, Paid time off, Educational assistance and many more.

Festo is an equal opportunity employer.  We believe that the best way to attract and retain a diverse workforce is to encourage a culture of inclusion within our organization.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.