Career Foundation Program Associate – Business – Business Management & Supply Planning

Job Description

Career Foundation Program – Business Track | Smithfield Foods

The Tone:
This is an 18 to 24-month career training program at Smithfield Foods, a company focused on sustainably feeding people globally through responsible food production. This role provides recent college graduates with an opportunity to explore career paths in business management and supply planning. Associates will gain hands-on experience, contribute to sales growth, and ensure product demand is met, directly impacting the company’s success. This program is designed for high-potential individuals seeking challenging and rewarding careers where they can grow and make a real impact.

The TL;DR
• Role: Career Foundation Program Associate
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person, Travel Required (up to 10%)
• Pay: $21.63 – $31.25 hourly
• Mission: To drive sales growth and ensure products meet customer demand through hands-on experience in business management and supply planning.
• Tech Stack: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, SAP

What You’ll Actually Do
• Business Management: Assist in managing the profitability and executing the annual business plan for a specific product category.
• Cross-functional Coordination: Act as a liaison between operations, sales, and marketing functions, while also leading forecasting efforts.
• Market Strategy: Develop and maintain documentation for retail pricing and promotion strategies for assigned product groups.
• Supply Planning: Create finished goods plans to support customer orders, forecasted demand, and inventory requirements.
• Inventory & Operations: Collaborate with manufacturing operations and plant schedulers to manage stock levels and address material shortages.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Business, Agribusiness, or a related field; or currently enrolled college student with an anticipated graduation prior to the start date.
• Experience: Entry-level program for recent graduates; no specific professional experience is required.
• Skills: High level of professionalism, strong leadership and decision-making capabilities, excellent written and oral communication, proficiency in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, and high standards of accuracy.
• Bonus: Work experience in a team-based environment within manufacturing or supply chain; experience with SAP and its related supply chain applications; strong self-motivation and organization; strong interpersonal and technical skills; presentation skills.