Manager / Sr. Manager Demand Planning

Job Purpose

Lead the planning and order fulfilment processes for the South Africa region from India plants. This role involves managing key performance indicators (KPIs), coordinating logistics, resolving technical issues, and ensuring timely quality releases and billing. The position acts as a critical bridge between the Demand Planning team in South Africa and the Supply Planning team in India, ensuring smooth supply chain operations and efficient coordination with ISP plants.

Key Accountabilities (1/6)

1. SA Planning and Order Fulfilment Team Lead

Candidate will be responsible for overseeing the planning and order fulfilment processes for the South Africa region from India plants. This role involves managing key performance indicators (KPIs), coordinating logistics, resolving technical issues, and ensuring timely quality releases and billing. The position acts as a critical bridge between the Demand Planning team in South Africa and the Supply Planning team in India, ensuring smooth supply chain operations and efficient coordination with ISP plants.

Manage the inventory planning process in order to support the demand forecasts accurately and achieve overall sales objectives in close coordination with Supply Planning / Manufacturing team.

Key Accountabilities (2/6)

Key Responsibilities:

• KPIs Management:

  Monitor and manage Out of Stock (OOS) rates, Days of Forward Cover (DoFC), and inventory levels in Mumbai and CDG.

• Logistics Coordination:

  Decide between air and sea transport for shipments to optimize cost and efficiency.

• Technical Issues Tracking:

  Track and resolve technical issues to ensure smooth operations.

• Artwork Changes & Critical CRs:

  Monitor and close critical change requests and artwork changes.

• Quality Release Tracking:

  Ensure timely quality releases to facilitate on-time billing.

• New Product Launches:

  Manage new product launches from ISP, ensuring all processes are in place.

• MIS Reporting:

  Handle Management Information System (MIS) reporting, including ESNOP, Pre MFSC, and participate in weekly calls.

Key Accountabilities (3/6)

• Manage inventory target (including safety stock levels) by effective inventory planning and tracking of products
• Maintaining and establishing accurate product stock norms and product classifications (A, B, C) Using the best in class analytical methods. Creating, managing and driving continued updates on the analysis
• Ensure the availability of stock by product categories to meet current and identified future demands and avoid out of stock situations. In all instances, be aware of possible OOS, and existing OOS SKU’s and project managing the full risk mitigation process to mitigate risk and to reduce the OOS % to below the KPI % threshold.
• Track the stock received from suppliers to maintain communication with logistics for shipments to the warehouse and distribution centres
• Analyse and generate report by order to track the quantities and when it should be delivered to the Warehouse to meet scheduled timelines
• Provide input to the supply chain and procurement team by developing inventory strategies on existing and new products in order to track the irregularities and out of stock situations.

Key Accountabilities (4/6)

• Track and project inventory levels on a SKU and global level
• Minimize out of stock number to within acceptable budget and threshold norms and project accurate out of stock impact over time. Making sure that a early warning system is in place.
• Support business, marketing, inventory or production strategies, and organisational / supply chain improvement opportunities to meet market needs. Actively assess available capacities and develop strategies to increase capacities where risks are apparent.
• Review and assess risk to supply and demand variability and identify opportunities to manage and mitigate risk.
• Develop, implement and use tools and technology for managing and analysing the supplier portfolio
• Develop and maintain constructive and cooperative working relationships with all stakeholders.

Key Accountabilities (5/6)

Drive initiatives in people and system fronts to suit the regional requirements for continuous development of regional SCM performance

• Drive SAP and related systems’ improvements and customisations in coordination with various teams
• Drive projects and initiatives in regional SCM function -

1. Spends analysis
2. Budgeting exercise

Benchmark processes and ensure implementation of best management practices

Key Accountabilities (6/6)

• PO and SO Sufficiency Tracking:

  Ensure purchase orders (PO) and sales orders (SO) are sufficient to meet demand.

• Tender Demand Management:

  Anchor the tender demand from ISP, ensuring all requirements are met.

• Process Improvement Initiatives:

  Initiate and implement process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency.

• IBP Logic Improvement:

  Improve Integrated Business Planning (IBP) logic for better planning accuracy.

• Coordination with ISP Plants:

  Coordinate with all ISP plants for supply commitments, issue resolution, and smooth supply of SKUs from India to South Africa

Team Leadership:

Major Challenges

• Dependence on supply planning teams and manufacturing function.
• Frequent requests for additional requirements from business (outside the cycle); One needs to take an assessment of the disruption it would cause and manage the business stakeholders effectively to push such demands into the regular cycle after evaluating the business criticality. If it is deemed business critical, one would need to ensure the plans are changed and all affected parties are intimated of the change.
• Sales forecast from the BD/sales teams can be inconsistent in data quality and formats
• Multiple systems and platforms in SCM causes issues in ownership of end-to-end order ownership

Key Interactions (1/2)

Leadership Team

National Key Accounts Manager and Commercial Head , (weekly)

Finance team

Regulatory

HR

Key Interactions (2/2)

Supply & Logistics

Distribution Centres

Logistics partners

Dimensions (1/2)

1. Orders managed
2. B2B
3. DTM
4. Countries
5. Team size - 2
6. Budget
7. Logistics vendors
8. Contract workers
9. OTIF %

Dimensions (2/2)

Key Decisions (1/2)

Prioritisation of dispatch/ consignments based on business requirements

Key Decisions (2/2)

Regional inventory norms for FG to the central team

Sales forecast

Education Qualification

• B Pharm and/or a master’s in supply chain management, Logistics, Business Administration, or a related field.

Relevant Work Experience

8-10 years of experience in Supply Chain within sufficient experience in Pharma Industry with knowledge on industry regulations for relevant region and framework with strong Interpersonal, collaborative and communication skills