Assistant Manager, Sales Administration & Supply Chain Operations

The role is located in Lincolnshire, IL (north of Chicago).  This is a hybrid role (after 30 days).

Salary Range:  $101,000-114,000 Depending on Experience

This full time position is complemented by a benefit offering including Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, PTO, STD & LTD Benefits, 401k Retirement Plan and more.

Lead day-to-day customer order management and the inbound international supply chain (primary origins: Japan, Thailand). Supervise Sales Assistants, own data accuracy and KPI reporting, resolve exceptions, and drive digital transformation to reduce spreadsheet/email work and increase system automation and integration (SAP, RapidResponse/Kinaxis, EDI/IDoc, Ariba).

Key responsibilities

· Supervise and coach Sales Assistants: workload balancing, training, performance management, and staffing input.

· Manage the customer order lifecycle: receipt (email, portals, EDI/IDoc), order entry, PO validation, changes, cancellations, returns and claims.

· Coordinate inbound logistics, routing, carriers, ASNs and customs for international shipments; resolve transit/quality issues.

· Maintain and reconcile data in SAP and RapidResponse; ensure data integrity across integrations and portals.

· Build, maintain and distribute operational reports and dashboards (Power BI, Tableau or equivalent); automate recurring reports and KPI tracking.

· Produce and analyze KPIs (OTIF, inventory levels/PSI, order exceptions, gross margin variances); recommend and drive corrective actions.

· Administer supplier/customer portals and Ariba activities for whole goods where assigned.

· Lead or support cross-functional projects to standardize processes and implement automation/integrations (with IT, suppliers, carriers, and 3rd-party vendors).

· Serve as escalation for complex customer account issues, model/product variations, pricing rules, and special requirements.

· Coordinate quality defect, returns and rework projects including cross-functional communication and logistics.

· Ensure confidentiality, policy compliance and safe work practices. Travel as required.

Required Skills

· Strong hands-on experience with SAP; RapidResponse/Kinaxis or similar APS/IBP is highly desirable.

· Practical knowledge of EDI/IDoc, supplier/customer portals, ASNs and Ariba.

· Advanced analytics and reporting skills: Power BI or Tableau (dashboard design, data modeling, visualization best practices).

· Strong SQL skills and familiarity with DAX/Power Query, ETL concepts and data governance.

· Experience automating reports and creating self-service dashboards for stakeholders.

· Proven track record driving process standardization and digital transformation projects.

· Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication and stakeholder-management skills.

· Ability to handle complex product/model variations, routing and pricing schemes.

· Detail-oriented, reliable, and able to prioritize in a fast-paced environment.

· Japanese language ability or prior experience working with Japanese companies is a plus.

Required Experience

· 5+ years in international supply chain, order management or sales operations; supervisory experience preferred.