Manager, Integrated Supply Chain & Customer Experience

We invite you to join Takasago, where you can be innovative and contribute to society through technology. The management of Takasago aims to create a company where each employee can experience a sense of fulfillment.

Takasago is a major global leader and producer of flavors and fragrances providing innovative solutions in flavors, fragrances, aroma ingredients, and fine chemicals. Takasago is headquartered in Japan and operates in over 28 countries, with manufacturing facilities, research and development centers, and sales offices worldwide. Takasago ranked 8th overall and 1st in Asia on the Global Top Food Flavors and Fragrances Companies.

Job Summary :

The Manager, Integrated Supply Chain & Customer Operations, is responsible for leading Demand Planning, Customer Service (Order Management) Production Planning, and Purchasing coordination activities within the Supply Chain Operations. This role ensures customer demand is accurately forecasted, customer requirements are fulfilled efficiently, inventory is managed effectively, and cross-functional teams work together to achieve service, inventory, and operational objectives.

This role serves as a primary customer-facing leader for the Supply Chain organization, ensuring that customer needs, service levels, order fulfillment requirements, and communication expectations are clearly understood, proactively managed, and effectively supported across the business.

The Manager, Integrated Supply Chain & Customer Operations is the main liaison across the organization (PRD, QC, Finance, Sales, SC) to bring collaboration of teams together to support and resolve issues that can impact customer demands/orders.

Essential Job Functions :

Customer Service Leadership

• Drive Customer Service Top Performance by ensuring timely shipments, responsive communication, support resolutions and continued improvements to build top service
• Lead Customer Centric Mindset through all activities.
• Lead Order Management in Execution Excellence by ensuring accurate, efficient, and standardized order management processes
• Partner cross-functionally to proactively manage supply risks, enhance transparency, and optimize customer outcomes
• Leverage Data and Performance Insights to identify service trends, mitigate risks, improve service metrics, and drive sustainable improvements in customer experience and operational performance.

Supply Chain Operations

• Develop and maintain rolling demand forecasts for 12 months; Leading monthly S&OP meeting with Sales Teams & Executive Team
• Create Yearly Budget for Existing and support New Win Budget with Commercial Team.
• Partner with Sales and customers to validate demand assumptions.
• Monitor forecast accuracy and implement corrective actions.
• Identify forecast risks and communicate mitigation plans.
• Ensure material availability and production readiness to support customer requirements
• Develop proactive mitigation plans for supply interruptions, capacity constraints, and raw material shortages, escalating significant risks as appropriate.
• Understanding of Production Planning requirements against capacity of Production and work to manage constraints.
• Support business continuity planning and supply chain risk management activities
• Collaborate with Operations, Quality, Procurement, Logistics, and Commercial functions to balance supply and demand.
• Lead actions to reduce excess and dormant inventory.
• Support supply continuity and risk mitigation efforts.
• Monitor production daily/weekly performance related to potential customer impacts
• Escalate QC Rejections/Resamples related to potential customer impacts
• Special Projects or Adhoc Analysis as required

Team Leadership

• Drive Customer Centric Mindset Internally & Externally
• Develop and coach direct reports.
• Establish individual goals aligned with organization for success
• Leading Succession Planning
• Promote collaboration across Supply Chain, Operations, Finance and Sales.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Metrics

• Forecast Accuracy
• On-Time Shipping/ Service Levels
• Inventory Health
• Order Entry Accuracy
• Customer Satisfaction
• Excess & Dormant Inventory

Educational Qualifications : Bachelor’s degree required in Business, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Operations Management, or a related field. APICS certification or similar supply chain/customer service certification preferred.

Experience :

• 5 years’ experience in Supply Chain focused on Customer service, S&OP and Inventory Management. Experience managing strategic customer relationships and customer-facing operations; preferred.
• 5 years of managerial experience including experience leading multi-functional areas; within Supply Chain.
• Supply Chain experience with strong written and oral communication skills, sound judgment, a high level of personal accountability, and a demonstrated commitment to customer satisfaction.
• Strong Analytical Skills to drive decision making and communicate key impacts
• Knowledge of SAP functions is a plus.
• Knowledge of prior MRP/ERP System is required.
• Thorough working knowledge of Microsoft Suite including Excel is required.

Competencies:

• Strong Supply Chain/Operations, Demand & Customer service orientation with the ability to communicate professionally with Customers, Sales, Commercial teams, and Supply Chain stakeholders.
• High Level Knowledge of Microsoft Suite with focus on Advance Excell skills for analysis. Oracle or SAP experience.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, follow-up, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while maintaining responsiveness, accuracy, and customer focus.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and strong math skills.
• Strong customer-facing presence with the ability to build trust, manage expectations, and communicate service recovery plans clearly and professionally
• Strong understanding of customer forecasts, and forecasting methods.
• Strong understanding of the relationship between forecast accuracy, inventory, on-time delivery, and customer satisfaction.
• Strong follow-up, organization, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Physical Demands: Must be physically able to operate a variety of automated office machines which include a computer, printer, typewriter, facsimile machine, copy machine, calculator, telephone, etc. Must be able to work, move or carry objects or materials. Intermittent physical activity, including bending, reaching and prolonged periods of sitting. Physical demand requirements are at levels of those for sedentary office work.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Compliance with all Takasago International Corporation (U.S.A.) safety, health and environmental policies, procedures, protocols applicable to all work tasks performed. Consistent application of “ISO 14001 Environment Management System” and “OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety Management System” standards applicable to employee’s responsibilities is also required.

Takasago’s Employee Benefits and Perks: Takasago offers flexible work arrangements, tuition assistance, health benefits, employee discounts to various services and products, and life insurance 1.5 times your salary. When we think about employee success and financial security, we think long-term. Takasago provides robust retirement savings plans, as well as an employee assistance program. We hope you will join us and achieve professional growth and enrichment.

EEO Statement: Takasago provides equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race or ethnicity, sex/gender (including pregnancy), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, civil union status, familial status, religion, national origin or citizenship, military service status, or any other category protected by law.