UFS Supply Chain Planner

Job description

MAIN JOB PURPOSE

The role is going to be the supply chain business partner of UFS and is responsible for managing the demand and supply planning process for the category within the short to mid-term horizon, effectively ensuring high quality of demand signal and then translating it to a cost-effective supply plan.

Moreover, the role will support the supply chain requirements of innovations and other brand activities, and is responsible for managing the project networks, collaboration with the cross-functional teams, effective planning of sku transitions and launch of new skus as well as crafting plans and support a reasonable level of demand variability. The role should ensure alignment within the cross-functional stakeholders, both regional and local, to flawlessly execute key innovations for the category on-time and in-full.

JOB SUMMARY

DEMAND PLANNING

· Manage the demand planning process for Food Solutions across 24 months and ensure that the team is focusing on eliminating bias and improving forecast accuracy
· Providing input into company-wide demand planning processes & continuous improvement initiatives in this area
· Assess market risk to company forecast and collaboratively manage the process to minimize impact on company plans
· Integration and coordination of activity plans coming from CD, and BB on top of baseline to come-up with an unconstrained demand
· Generates and integrate dependent demand forecast for repacking process
· Highlights risks and opportunities in sales volume based on statistical analyses, activity evaluation and CD feedback
· Improvement of Forecast Accuracy and Bias by refining the forecasting process, models and tools.
· Complexity Management: Regular review of SKU portfolio with extended teams
· Innovation and Activation/Promotional Plans/Forecast coordination with BB and Customer Marketing: Gives basic input for promotional evaluation and monitor promotion and innovation effectiveness.
· Owner of volume forecast for related category handled

S&OP - Demand and Supply Reconciliation Management:

· Ensure monthly FG supply plan in line with the agreed demand plan & month end FG stocks.
· Monitor short, medium and long term capacity of assets for the category and repack to support monthly forecast.
· Ensure DSR process is in place, and owner of Supply & Demand Reconciliation Meeting for the category.

FG Stock Management:

· Review, challenge and comply with approved finish good stocks targets (month end stock targets, safety stock targets, and stock cover targets) for the category and holding responsibility from them in terms of volume and value.
· Inform the Foods Category Planning Manager, as well as other stakeholders of critical SKUs, forecast changes and actual sales tracking, and stocks with high weeks cover, and recommend actions to be taken to address the issues.
· Recommend slow-moving and obsolete stocks to CD and BB teams for banding and promotions.
· Analyze and provide recommendations for stocks tagged for rationalization. Monitor progress of depletion of stocks based on approved recommendation.

Replenishment Process and Distributor Stock Management:

· Ensure the accuracy of the replenishment process and distributor stock management.
· Ensure the system is in place and facilitate CD team following the replenishment system rules.

Change Management and Coordination:

· Full time member of D&S Reconciliation Meeting within S&OP
· Full time member of Capacity review with S&OP for Co-Pack 3 rd Party and Sourcing Units
· Full time member of IPM & Network teams
· Develop a supply chain system wherein resources (both in-house and extended chain) are tapped to perform activities where they can add the greatest value through effective delegation/ function deployment.

Customer service:

· Together with the Foods Category Planning Manager, continuously review and improve related systems in Product Supply Chain with the objective of achieving the company’s target on customer service for the category.
· Ensure compliance with the approved optimum stock level at the distributors to ensure high service level for customers and for secondary sales.
· Analyze trends, identify weakness, areas of improvement, and benchmarks of satisfaction and recommend appropriate actions.
· Identify and assess the impact of changing customer requirements.
· Drive integrated activities with the broader supply chain and customer teams, as well as through collaboration, both internally and externally, to ensure customer service requirements are understood and met.
· Support the following key corporate initiatives- Working Capital (Stock) reduction, and Strategy In-to Action (SIA).

Supply Planning:

· Ensure compliance to the approved result for accuracy and modeling of safety stock targets for FG at primary DC.
· Plan and purchase requirements for Imported Finished goods for the category based on long term plan, economic order quantities, inventory policies and working capital targets
· Plan adjustments in both short term and long-term plan based on surges (increase and decrease) in demand, unexpected shortage in material supply, etc. This is done in consideration of company’s stock level target and material availability.
· Coordinate with regional counterparts and sourcing unit on imported FGs to ensure on-time development and delivery of quality FGs.
· Manage the supply planning process; focusing on short term supply planning and inventory management of finished goods.
· Identify potential bottlenecks on finished goods production, including with key suppliers,

and propose ways to resolve them at optimal cost

Repack Planning:

· Align supportability of the repacking requirements of the customers
· Plan for requirements of multipack SKU adhering to safety and cycle stock targets at primary DC
· Generate the dependent demand and ensuring appropriate supply plan, arranging supply of all component parts.
· Liaising with R&D on packaging specifications and placing a request for execution by an approved SU or 3 rd Party.
· On-time in full execution of repacking plan within lead times agreed with CD
· Medium term and capacity planning for repack volumes
· Monitor sales off-take of promotional and multipack SKU and recommend actions for depletion of slow-moving stocks
· Identify process improvement and cost reduction initiatives with 3 rd parties.

Innovations Planning:

· Manage the category innovation projects logistical requirements based on the Unilever Innovation Process Management adhering to the Gate rules and requirements together with the Project Team
· Inform task force on how to reduce supply chain network lead time to meet target launch date without sacrificing quality/safety
· Ensure on-time in full launch requirements on all innovations, activations and promotions
· Coordinate with Regional Category Supply Chain Team on a monthly basis to discuss Innovation Update and Demand and Supply Reconciliation.
· Lead Early Management, Risk Assessment and Pre-production Meetings for Innovations/Activations on time to ensure alignment throughout the entire chain.
· Provide possible ways/opportunities to reduce write off costs post innovations to Marketing and Development.

Financial Management:

· Provides monthly forecast of business waste projection for innovations and stock delistments
· Advise Management Accounting of write-off provisions for potential obsolete finished goods.
· Communicates business waste targets and risks through the CCBT and recommend actions for depletion and recovery of business waste
· Prepare and analyze inventory loss tree and determine causes of major inventory gap against targets if any and ensure that future targets are met.

General Reporting:

· Weekly refresh of DOH LV for FG and RMPM for the month and FY
· Weekly sales and loss review
· Weekly outlook of stock covers and production plan
· Monthly business waste forecast and loss tree
· Monthly report of capacity analysis and demand-supply reconciliation
· Monthly analysis of inventory loss tree

KEY REQUIREMENTS

ESSENTIAL

· 4-7 Years in Supply Chain operations (production planning, demand planning/forecasting, inventory management)
· Customer Service, Logistics and Planning experience
· Exposure to Order to Cash, Requisition to payment cycle
· Budgeting & Planning skills
· Good general management skills and business acumen.

PREFERRED

· FMCG experience
· Unilever Exposure
· Experience in managing the team through a substantial change
· Experience in finance, customer, and category management an advantage.