Material Planner

Job Purpose

Responsible for the planning of raw materials and packaging materials, ensuring that the production plan can be executed. Through close contact with procurement and suppliers you ensure a solid supplier relationship and performance. Through close contact with Production Planning and Scheduling you ensure having the right materials at the right times. Through close contact with Demand Planning you ensure the forecasts are correctly extended into raw material requirements. Solid processes E2E underpin high performance, data driven, continuous improvement ways of working together.

High-level understanding of the trade-offs between service, inventory and costs.

The role requires a comprehensive understanding of existing and future capacity plans/constraints at the manufacturing plant and distribution network, and knowledge of how production capacity can be flexed to meet demand.

Manage exceptions and all activities related to material planning to ensure availability for the master production plan in line with MRP parameters and supplier contracts.

Ensure master data correctness & proper housekeeping of transactional data.

Ensure good communication and integration E2E, with other planning teams, manufacturing (scheduling), logistics, customer care and other stakeholders. Drive MDI meeting & gate keeping meetings with other departments and support with providing relevant KPI's to measure performance. Escalate material availability issues to procurement according to the guidelines.

Support projects and process improvement to enhance performance and efficiency of the required planning activities (SLOBs, Inventories and Service across scope site / supply points).

Key Responsibilities

• Review/ update material planning and manage material availability: planning of raw & packaging materials, ensuring that the production plan can be executed.

• Creation of purchase orders and inform production planning on timelines. Review the 12wk outlook for the material plan, taking into account capacity agreements and storage capacity on the site.

• Support the material controllers and the site with analyses when needed to create visibility.

• Manage MRP exception messages.

• Drive gate keeping meetings with the other departments and support with providing relevant KPI's to measure performance.

• Provide impact analysis when needed to show the impact of decisions or scenarios to the plan. Support on reporting where necessary.

• Reviewing with Supplier flexibility to support Material Planning with respect to supplier capacity and suppliers 2nd tier material availability.

• Link to Procurement and Inbound Supply Chain Manager to improve Supplier Performance and escalate in case of structural material availability issues (& inform stakeholders).

• Balance service level (OTIF) and inventory targets (OWC) of raw and pack materials, whilst understanding cost impacts on manufacturing.

• Manage reduction and prevention of slow and obsolete stock (raw & pack). Ensure rework and scrapping at the site/primary DC.

• Inputs to inventory strategy including safety stock settings on raw & pack materials for existing, new and phase-out products.

• Inputs and maintains inventory stocking policies of raw & pack materials, safety stock levels in ERP system.

• Ensure master data correctness & proper housekeeping of transactional data.

• Support projects and process improvement to enhance performance and efficiency of the required material planning activities.

• Problem resolution, root cause and corrective actions.

• Independent planner able to manage complex SKUs and planning processes. Able to support/train other planners, coordinate processes and switch/increase scope easily if needed.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree (e.g. Engineering, Business Administration, Economics, Supply Chain Management, Logistics or other relevant discipline) or equivalent qualification preferred.

• At least 1-year experience in Supply Planning in FMCG, Paint/Coating or Retail or equivalent preferred.

• Experience on SD, MRP in SAP and BI.

• Focused on results.

• Good problem-solving skills, able to identify and structure issues, run accurate analyses and synthesize recommendations.

• Strong desire to challenge and improve status-quo.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, flexibility and able to work under-pressure.

• Fluent and able to work in English. Understanding and sensitivity to different cultural behaviours. Spanish speaking a plus.

• Experience on IBP processes preferred.

Competencies

Accepting Direction

Accepting Responsibility

Acquiring Information