Scope of Role
Support to the Inventory & Demand Planning (IDP) Manager in the capture of demand information, processing of forecasts using statistical and other tools, and planning of inventory levels across all areas of British Bakels business:
- Key data administrator for sofco and other Demand Planning tools.
- Regular and detailed interaction with the Commercial Team to ensure aligned view of launch, promotional, and other activities.
- Maintenance of a robust and coherent demand profile to fulfill the business requirements and maintain high levels of customer service without compromising targets for working capital, capacity utilization, and total supply chain cost.
- Review of planning system parameters and historic sales information to ensure alignment with the changing needs of the business.
- Preparation for and facilitation of S&OP meetings in support of IDP Manager.
- Maintenance of Rough-cut Capacity Planning models to reflect supply constraints.
- Communication with Customer Supply Chain teams and Bakels Customer Service to ensure clarity of supply-related issues and problem resolution.
- Delivery of planning-related elements of NPI.
- Deputization for the Inventory & Demand Planning Manager as needed.
Key Areas of Responsibility
- Maintain baseline sales forecast using statistical and other cleaning methods.
- Liaise with Commercial team and, where appropriate, the Customer to ensure forecast demand can be met and adequate communication is maintained.
- Support delivery of Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) activities and meetings, ensuring alignment with constrained supply.
- Provide visibility of available capacity through maintenance of Rough-cut Capacity Plans.
- Actively support the IDP Manager in introducing new planning systems and tools.
- Maintain and review inventories both on-site and at customer locations to deliver targeted service levels by channel, customer, and product groups.
- Liaise with Customer Supply Chain contacts or Bakels Customer Service to meet future demand expectations.
- Support introduction of new products to meet customer delivery dates or identify issues in advance.
- Ensure clear communication and engagement with Commercial, Finance, Operations, and other stakeholders.
- Identify forthcoming supply issues.
- Deputization for the IDP Manager when required.
- Ownership of personal development plan and growth within role.
Person Specification
E = Essential | D = Desirable
- Excellent communication skills (E)
- Ability to problem solve and challenge the status quo (D)
- Literate and numerate; able to communicate clearly and concisely (E)
- Self-motivated and self-aware (E)
- Resilience under pressure (D)
- Ability to work unsupervised and use own initiative (E)
- Flexible and supportive attitude (E)
- Confident interaction with colleagues across functions and beyond the business (D)
Key Competencies (Qualifications & Experience)
E = Essential | D = Desirable
- Post-18 education or qualification in business and/or other numerate discipline (E)
- Competency in standard Microsoft packages (E)
- Understanding of statistical methods (D)
- Customer-focused communication experience (D)
- Experience delivering solutions to conflicting goals and deadlines (D)
- Understanding of various planning time horizons (D)
- Familiarity with business planning systems (D)
