Senior Manager Demand Planning and Customer Services

At National Foods Limited, we are on a journey of growth and on building our most valuable assets which include our brands, financial strength, global presence, and our unbridled commitment to becoming a truly sustainable and a renowned company in the world.

Job Purpose
Responsible for ensuring an efficient and accurate demand forecasting process, optimizing inventory levels, and driving superior customer service performance. This role plays a leading part in the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, aligning demand and supply plans to business objectives. By collaborating with cross-functional teams, the role ensures high forecast accuracy, service level excellence, and seamless order fulfillment, ultimately contributing to business growth, operational efficiency, working capital optimization and customer satisfaction. Aim is to devise and implement a strategy that facilitates cost-effective flow of stock from suppliers to customers.

Principal Responsibilities

• Lead Demand Planning and CS for local and international divisions in developing and maintaining accurate demand forecasts using historical data, market trends, and statistical models.
• Drive and own the entire monthly S&OP cycle, including Forecast Reviews, Corporate Demand Review (CDR), and S&OP meetings, aligning demand with business strategies.
• Contribute to Activity Planning Meeting (APM), Demand Supply Review (DSR), and SLOBs meetings by providing timely, accurate forecasting and demand insights.
• Balance inventory stock levels, replenishment lead times and resolution of past due inventory receipts on a monthly basis at warehouse level (including virtual warehouses), leveling opening inventory at all warehouse levels, whilst minimizing OOS situations
• Work closely with Sales, Marketing, and Finance teams to incorporate business intelligence into forecasts.
• Integrate long-term factors into demand planning, including NPDs (New Product developments), seasonality, and promotional calendars.
• Analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) such as forecast accuracy, bias, and demand variability, to set direction for ensure high levels of customer service by optimizing order fulfillment and on-time, in-full (OTIF) delivery performance.
• Utilize and enhance demand planning tools (e.g., SAP APO (Advance planning and optimization, IBP) for better forecasting accuracy.
• Recommend mitigating actions by developing what if scenarios to review upcoming out of stock situations arising due to supply or production constraints
• Review and monitor supply chain KPIs to conduct root cause analysis for supply chain issues/variances and perform corrective action plans to avoid reoccurrence
• Through regular check-ins with stakeholders, review, and monitor stock/sales graphical alert to all Stakeholders daily and handle Kaizen/improvement projects to achieve department policies and goals.
• Coordinate and ensure accuracy in master data with ABAP team for developing and maintaining all reports in SAP.
• Analyze the primary and secondary sales performance at SKU Level, versus forecasting and other supply chain processes for improvement actions required. Ensure that (Trade Operational Performance) TOP (S&OP- Pre work sheet- Analysis) sheet for S&OP are prepared and shared with relevant stakeholders – sales, marketing, finance, supply chain. These become basis for evaltuting and projecting performance at PNL level.
• Optimize inventory and contribute towards operational efficiency within the supply chain.
• Provide strategy and direction to procurement and warehousing for collaboration with and coordination of channel partners, including suppliers third party service providers and customers.
• Develop and implement demand and customer service policies, procedures and activities that maximize efficiency, reliability, timeliness and cost effectiveness.
• Partner with cross-functional leaders to align demand strategies with broader business objectives and financial plans.
• Assist the Head of IBP in planning, preparation and implementation of operational plans and budgets and implement value-added projects that are strategic to improving business targets and long-term growth.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and mentorship to the team, ensuring their professional growth.
• Establish a performance-driven culture, setting clear goals and fostering accountability within the supply planning team.

Skills

• Demonstrated excellence in oral, written and electronic communications
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills and the ability to drive collaboration across functions.
• Solid analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to interpret large data sets and translate insights into action.
• Strong leadership and decision-making ability, fostering a high-performance culture within the team.
• Demonstrated leadership in driving continuous improvement and change management.
• Demand and Supply Reconciliation Within the S&OP Process

Required Experience:
10-12 years of total experience, with 7-10 years in a directly relevant role.

Education:
Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred.

National Foods Limited provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, origin, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.