Head, Supply and Material Planning

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning

• Own and govern the integrated S&OP / IBP cycle, aligning supply capacity with demand forecasts, financial targets, and strategic priorities.

• Define multi-year supply planning strategy including make-vs-buy decisions, capacity investment, and network design inputs.

• Partner with commercial, finance, and operations leadership to translate business plans into feasible supply programmes.

Material & Supply Execution

• Manage end-to-end material requirements planning (MRP/DDMRP), ensuring accurate

BOM, lead times, and replenishment parameters.

• Establish and maintain optimal safety stock and reorder levels across raw materials, semi-finished, and finished goods.

• Oversee master production scheduling in coordination with manufacturing and warehouse operations.

• Proactively identify and resolve supply constraints, shortages, and bottlenecks to prevent production stoppages.

Inventory & Working Capital

• Drive inventory optimization program to improve turns, reduce excess & obsolete (E&O), and free up working capital.

• Implement segmentation strategies (ABC/XYZ) to differentiate planning policies across the material portfolio.

• Report inventory health metrics monthly to senior leadership, with clear action plans for deviation management.

Supplier & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with procurement on supplier lead time reduction, capacity reservation, and supply risk mitigation.

• Support vendor-managed inventory (VMI) and consignment stock arrangements where applicable.

• Align with logistics and distribution on inbound scheduling, warehouse capacity, and last-mile fulfilment planning.

People Leadership & Governance

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of supply and material planning professionals; build capability roadmap aligned to business growth.

• Set clear team objectives, performance KPIs, and accountability frameworks; conduct regular performance reviews.

• Champion continuous improvement (CI) initiatives and lean planning practices across the supply chain function.

Qualifications & Experience:

▪Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Engineering, Business Administration, or related discipline;

▪Master's degree (MBA / MSc Supply Chain) preferred.

▪Minimum 10 years of progressive supply chain experience, with at least 5 years in a senior planning leadership role managing cross-functional teams.

▪Professional certification: APICS CPIM and/or CSCP; additional certifications in Lean, Six Sigma, or IBP are advantageous.

▪Proven track record in S&OP/IBP process ownership, inventory optimisation, and material availability management in a manufacturing or FMCG environment.

▪Strong command of ERP systems (SAP MM/PP, Oracle SCM) and advanced planning tools (Kinaxis Rapid Response, Blue Yonder, o9 Solutions, or equivalent).