Supply Chain Management Lead SSA at Bayer East Africa

Purpose:

• SSA Supply Chain Operations Lead steers supply chain and customer service activities across SSA region, ensuring our seeds and crop
  protection products reach farmers efficiently, safely, and sustainably.
• Plays a pivotal role in delivering this mission by leading transformative supply chain operations for ready to sell goods including warehousing & distribution across the region and champion a dynamic, collaborative, and empowered culture—where innovation, shared ownership, and value creation are at the heart of everything we do.

Scope (global, regional or local):

• Country Group responsibility
• 8 Distribution Centres in EA
• 6 Countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Rep., Uganda, Zambia

Key Tasks:

• Accountable for Uninterrupted Market Supply: Steer end-to-end supply chain and S&OP/E, with a mandate to engage, collaborate and improve cross-functional processes to ensure our seeds and crop protection products reach farmers reliably and efficiently—striving for zero supply disruptions, optimized inventory, and high customer satisfaction.
• Drive the balance between customer satisfaction, cost, cash flow, and flexibility through modern, efficient E2E supply chain management and order-to-bill processes—improving cost-to-serve, reducing working capital, and enhancing service levels.
• Minimize slow-moving inventory and write-offs, balance flexibility with capital efficiency, oversee returns and transfers of ready to sell goods, and drive local distribution strategy and cost optimization in partnership with Warehouse & Distribution Efficiency team.
• Integrated Planning & Decision Making: Partner across functions to translate sales forecasts into integrated supply plans, ensuring accurate, smooth campaign execution, and efficient order-to-bill processes.
• Collaborate with Customer Facing Squads to support launches, allocations, and distribution-level positioning for successful market coverage.
• Champion Africa Growth Strategy: Align supply reliability with commercial priorities, balance workload across SSA countries and seasons, and enable scalable growth.
• Implement Standardized Order Management: Tailor order management flows to diverse business models, ensuring smooth execution and effective complaint follow-up
• Champion Customer Centricity: Co-create go-to-market strategies and tailored solutions with commercial teams, deeply understanding market specifics, commercial strategy and customer needs to invest in appropriate solutions aligned with target states maximizing satisfaction and business continuity while enabling transformation and SSA growth.
• E2E SCM performance & excellence: Own the end-to-end country group
• Supply Chain operations vision and roadmap for ready to sell products, including metrics and how to measure performance of SCM.
• Enable enterprise priorities and required investments to drive the roadmap.
• Catalyze in the Region the identification and implementation of improvement initiatives and projects.
• Enhance customer experience by driving implementation of digital activities, collaborating seamlessly with a network of teams for all of the above.
• Ensures Master Data Management for Product and Customer are integrated to the business and enabling the use of digital tools to its maximum potential.
• Leading Change to Accelerate Growth: Foster agility, innovation, and optimized processes, empowering teams to deliver highest-impact  outcomes and drive transformation to enable substantial business growth.
• Inspire and coach supply chain and customer service teams to execute core activities aligned with business priorities, cultivating a
  culture of collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Drive Digitalization & Excellence: Enhance customer experience by implementing digital supply chain and customer service activities,
  partnering with data, digital, and excellence functions for efficient & scalable future-ready operations.
• Ensure License to Operate & Sustainability: Ensure full compliance with internal and external norms and laws in all supply chain processes,
  engage team on safe behaviors, compliant trade / logistics operations and on achieving sustainable operations.
• Build Talent pipeline & Capabilities: Lead and build talent pipeline, and upskilling programs, facilitate team reviews, and co-create
  operational roadmaps for skilled, adaptable teams.
• Embody Bayer’s VACC leadership behaviors—Visionary, Architect, Catalyst, and Coach—by defining mission and outcomes, designing agile processes, empowering teams, and fostering a culture of learning and wellbeing.
• Engaging leader: Inspire and coach SSA SC Operations team to pursue fit to purpose E2E Supply Chain and Customer Service outcomes; pro actively connects with Unit Leads and Customer Facing Squads to align on priorities and support individuals' development.
• Drive continuous improvement culture; encourage team to take leadership/ownership within the squad; leads by example in increasing DSO proficiency and move towards a “self-managed team” mindset and ways of working.
• Invest time on own development and in upskilling the team.

Key Working Relation:

• Reports to EMEA Supply Chain Operations Head
• Customers
• Country / country group leadership team, Commercial (incl. customer squads), Marketing, Regulatory, Finance & Controlling teams
• Regional Planning, Distribution, Customer Service, Data and Digital and other regional mission teams
• Production Sites, plant planners, Quality teams, HSE and Procurement
• Associations & local authorities

Skills & Qualifications:

• Strategic and inclusive leader with 10+ years in Product Supply.
• Undergraduate degree in business or supply chain management related fields; MBA is an added advantage.
• Strong expertise in supply chain, customer service, logistics, and financial/business acumen.
• Ideally understands the Crop Protection and Seeds lifecycle, including regulatory frameworks, product stewardship, trade dynamics in the
• Sub-Saharan Africa region. Adept at navigating complex logistics networks and cross-border operations.
• Agile and adaptable in dynamic, seasonal, and regulatory environments
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams across geographies and cultures.
• Experienced in transformational supply chain strategy design and execution.
• Proficient in S&OP, S&OE, demand/supply matching, inventory optimization, and digital platforms.
• Strong leadership track record with passion for team development and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrates collaboration, customer focus, results orientation, strategic thinking, and team building.
• Outstanding communication skills; embodies VACC behaviors: Visionary, Architect, Catalyst, Coach.
• Skilled in change management, stakeholder influence, innovation, and champion digitalization.
• Full proficiency in English.