Demand & Supply Planner at Kerry

About The Role

• Responsible for all forecasting activities associated with customers and products for the Greater Africa Market. Gather information from Commercial, Sales, Finance and incorporate business intelligence to create and maintains forecast models for the customers. Provide a focus on customer orders and supply planning to production.

Key responsibilities

• Develop demand forecasts at multiple time horizons as part of a Demand / Supply planning function for the Greater Africa sales team.
• Work with customer service and the commercial team to develop continuous improvement activities to drive planning excellence through efficiencies in capacity plan.
• Act as single point of contact to operation planning.
• Review historical sales trends, research demand drivers, prepare forecast data, develop statistical forecast models, and evaluate forecast results. Interact with Sales, Marketing, Commercial and Customer Finance to understand demand forecast drivers.
• Responsible for the supply planning functions such as MIP planning for Master Scheduling & MRP planning, FGs inventory and RCCP plan. Develop optimum level of supply planning execution to support Business Units & Operations.
• Reconcile significant variances and refine the forecast model to reflect updated sales and marketing assumptions.
• Ensure the right capacity and capability in place to supply and deliver end products to customer. Ensure sales orders, inventories, supply plans are properly managed including close monitoring of excess, slow moving, aging and phase in and phased out models.
• Use and maintain the Demand Planning tool, working with preferred categorizations. Create supply strategy and identify capability needs aligned to the business strategy and establishing the supply foundations that will enable future growth.
• Provide input to the Supply Planning department to develop supply planning and inventory strategies on existing items, new products, and product phase.
• Execute the agreed standard supply planning processes, supporting the implementation of new projects and tools to ensure continuity of excellent supply plan
• Work with Customer Care to establish 'Supply Level Agreements' that secure supply with an appropriate balance between risk, opportunity and flexibility.
• Play a key role in facilitating of emergent issues that impact the schedule and commitment, and work with functional team to find solutions and perform root cause and gap analysis. Share knowledge in high-level operating Capacity Plan and manage unconstraint. A top-down bottoms-up approach to roll out business plans into demand plan.
• Support the site product (Finished Goods) database
• Act as gatekeeper for product launches ensuring agreed business rules are met
• Attend NPD meetings to support future development pipeline
• Manage de-lists and act as key contact for the PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) process and support SKU Rationalization efforts
• Ensure that the controls, records and procedures laid down in the Company Work Instructions, are adhered to
• Perform ad-hoc projects and other duties as and when required

Qualifications And Skills

• Candidate will be qualified to degree level in a Business / Commercial, Supply Chain, or related discipline.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in supply chain / planning roles, with a minimum of 1-2 years’ experience in demand planning.
• Must have a good understanding of end-to-end supply chain operations.
• Food industry experience is a distinct advantage.
• A Manufacturing background and with prior multinational experience is an added advantage.
• ERP / Demand planning systems / SAP experience is a definite advantage.
• Must be very efficient use of MS Excel/other data analysis tools