Supply Chain Lead Jobs in Palo Alto, CA

Company Description

Guardant Health is a leading precision oncology company focused on guarding wellness and giving every person more time free from cancer. Founded in 2012, Guardant® is transforming patient care and accelerating new cancer therapies by providing critical insights into what drives disease through its advanced blood and tissue tests, real-world data and AI analytics. Guardant tests help improve outcomes across all stages of care, including screening to find cancer early, monitoring for recurrence in early-stage cancer, and treatment selection for patients with advanced cancer. For more information, visit guardanthealth.com and follow the company on LinkedIn , X (Twitter) and Facebook .

The Senior Planner owns supply chain planning for assigned product lines in a fast-scaling biotech environment. This role requires an experienced, independent planner who drives forecast accuracy, manages material requirements end-to-end, and leads continuous improvement in planning, scrap reduction, and product launch execution. The Senior Planner will work across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Finance to ensure material availability, optimize inventory, and drive process improvements. This is a high-impact role where planning decisions directly affect laboratory service level, manufacturing efficiency, and patient testing turnaround time.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Planning, Forecasting & Requirements Management

• Own MRP (Materials Requirements Planning) for assigned product lines and drive forecast accuracy improvement (target 85%+)

• Identify and escalate forecast variance issues; investigate and propose corrective actions and root cause solutions

• Proactively forecast material shortages and supply chain risks 6-8 weeks in advance; maintain forward-looking shortage pipeline with mitigation plans

• Create and manage material purchasing timelines aligned to manufacturing schedules and site/lab replenishment requirements
  

End-of-Life Management & Scrap Reduction

• Lead end-of-life planning for obsolete or discontinued products; identify and liquidate excess inventory to minimize scrap

• Analyze scrap drivers (quality, waste, damaged goods, expiration) and propose process or sourcing improvements to reduce scrap rates

• Coordinate disposal of obsolete or non-conforming material; document financial impact and lessons learned

• Product Launches & Manufacturing Support

• Support manufacturing readiness for new product launches; validate BOMs, coordinate material availability, and create launch work orders plans

• Coordinate with Engineering, Quality, and Warehouse on material staging, validation, and fulfillment readiness

• Ensure material accuracy and traceability through SOP compliance; escalate supply chain blockers that could delay launches

Continuous Improvement & Process Optimization

• Own KPIs for product lines (forecast accuracy, months of supply, inventory accuracy, on-time delivery, scrap rate) and create dashboards to drive visibility

• Identify planning process inefficiencies; document SOPs, decision criteria, and lessons learned from shortages and scrap events

• Propose and implement system improvements (Oracle, APEX, MRP tools) to automate planning, reduce manual effort, and improve accuracy

• Lead process improvements that balance inventory security vs. carrying cost; target cost savings through optimization

Cross-Functional Coordination & Problem-Solving

• Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Warehouse, and Finance on planning issues, product changes, and supply chain risks

• Investigate root causes of planning failures (stockouts, scrap, forecast misses); make decisions within authority and escalate appropriately

• Communicate planning status, risks, and recommendations clearly to leadership and stakeholders
  

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required

• C.P.M. and/or C.P.I.M. preferred but not required

• 5-8 years in supply chain planning, operations, or material management

• Demonstrated experience in end-of-life management, scrap reduction, or product lifecycle management

• Track record leading successful product launches or new product introductions

• Experience with MRP systems (Oracle, SAP, or equivalent) and manufacturing or biotech environments

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to work independently without constant supervision

• Excel proficiency (data analysis, forecasting, reporting); familiarity with BI tools (Tableau, Power BI) preferred

• Clear written and verbal communication; ability to influence across functions

• Metrics-driven mindset; comfortable with ambiguity, rapid growth, and regulated environments (GMP/GDP)

• Understanding of MRP/MPS logic, bill of materials, work orders, and inventory management principles

• Basic cost accounting and inventory valuation; knowledge of compliance and traceability in regulated environments
  

Work Environment:

Employee may be required to lift routine office supplies and use office equipment. Primarily desk/office-based work with occasional site visits to manufacturing and warehouse locations. Majority of the work is performed in a desk/office environment; however must have ability to sit for extended periods of time.

AI & Digital Fluency

Demonstrate curiosity, sound judgment, and the ability to critically evaluate and responsibly leverage AI-enabled tools in accordance with company policies, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of work.

Hybrid Work Model: This section is applicable to onsite employees who are eligible for hybrid work location as specified by management and related policies. Guardant has defined days for in-person/onsite collaboration and work-from-home days for individual-focused time. All U.S. employees who live within 50 miles of a Guardant facility will be required to be onsite on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. We have found aligning our scheduled in-office days allows our teams to do the best work and creates the focused thinking time our innovative work requires. At Guardant, our work model has created flexibility for better work-life balance while keeping teams connected to advance our science for our patients.

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. This range does not include benefits or, if applicable, bonus, commission, or equity. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, education, job-related skills, job duties, and business need. Primary Location: Palo Alto, CA Primary Location Base Pay Range: $101,100 - $139,050 Other US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $85,935 - $118,193 If the role is performed in Colorado, the pay range for this job is: $90,990 - $125,145