Senior Manager - Supply Chain

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop the supply chain planning and import team.
• Lead the demand-planning and central-replenishment processes across stores and product categories.
• Ensure appropriate replenishment parameters, safety stocks, order cycles, lead times and minimum order quantities.
• Coordinate supply-chain readiness for promotional periods and ensure that promotional forecasts, orders and distribution plans are agreed in advance.
• Oversees the procurement process, including sourcing, contracting, and negotiation with vendors and suppliers to ensure timely and cost-effective acquisition of goods and services.
• Establishes strategic partnerships and supplier relationships to leverage economies of scale, secure favourable pricing, and mitigate supply chain risks.
• Own inventory performance against agreed service, stock-cover and working-capital targets.
• Establish inventory policies by category, product profile, lead time and supply risk.
• Monitor stock cover, inventory turnover, excess inventory, slow-moving stock and obsolete stock.
• Ensure that new-product introductions, delistings and range changes are supported by appropriate inventory plans.

• Provide reliable inventory projections and risk assessments to the Head of Supply Chain and Finance.

• Manage daily logistics and distribution performance to ensure reliable and timely deliveries to stores.
• Monitor the performance of logistics providers, distribution centres, cross-dock activities and transport partners against agreed service-level agreements.
• Review transport capacity, routing, delivery frequency and utilisation to improve service and cost-efficiency.
• Ensure effective coordination of import flows, shipment priorities, documentation, customs requirements and delivery planning.
• Monitor delays, demurrage, detention, claims, damages and exceptional transport costs.
• Coordinate peak-period logistics planning and contingency arrangements.

• Maintain appropriate business-continuity plans for critical suppliers, transport routes and logistics operations.

• Develop dashboards that provide visibility on service, stock, cost, supplier performance and operational productivity.
• Identify performance gaps and lead structured improvement plans.
• Ensure that KPI definitions, data sources and reporting methods are consistent across the business.
• Coordinate the operational supply-chain planning process with Commercial, Operations, Finance, Marketing, IT and other relevant functions.
• Ensure that sales plans, promotions, range changes and operational constraints are translated into realistic supply and inventory plans.
• Highlight capacity, availability, inventory and supplier risks early enough to support business decisions.

• Maintain a forward-looking view of supply-chain risks, constraints and opportunities.

• Act as the business owner for supply-chain planning, replenishment and performance-management systems.
• Lead the operational implementation and adoption of approved supply-chain systems and tools.
• Ensure that users are properly trained and that system parameters and processes are maintained.
• Identify automation and process-improvement opportunities.
• Lead approved projects from business requirements through implementation, change management and benefits realisation.

• Standardise supply-chain processes and document relevant procedures and controls.

• Ensure that policies, processes and procedures are documented and communicated to everyone concerned and that they are strictly followed by everyone to satisfy external and internal customers’ requirements.
• Head meetings for review of processes and procedures that are inadequate in satisfying customers’ requirements and to improve quality of service.
• Maintain a customer-centric mindset and focus on meeting or exceeding customer expectations by delivering high-quality products, services and experiences that add value and build loyalty.
• Develop and implement safety guidelines in all aspects of the supply chain (e.g. use of trucks, forklifts).

Other Requisites

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations, Engineering, Business Management or a related field.
• A postgraduate qualification or recognised supply-chain certification would be an advantage.
• Eight to ten years of progressive experience in supply chain, planning, inventory, procurement, logistics or operations.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and data analysis.
• Experience with ERP, demand-planning, replenishment or inventory-optimisation systems.
• Experience using business-intelligence and dashboarding tools.
• Ability to analyse large datasets and translate findings into operational decisions.
• Experience with Planning Tools, Power BI or comparable tools would be an advantage.
• At least three to five years in a people-management position.
• Strong experience in retail, FMCG, distribution or another high-volume, multi-site environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing demand planning, replenishment and inventory.
• Experience managing logistics providers, suppliers or distribution operations.
• Proven delivery of measurable improvements in availability, inventory, cost or service.
• Experience leading supply-chain systems implementation or business-process transformation.
• Up-to-date knowledge of trends and best practices in the field of Supply Chain.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to motivate and manage a diverse team.
• Committed to meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Effective communication, negotiation, organizational and time management skills.
• Analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Detail and results-oriented.
• Be customer service-oriented.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Valid driving licence where travel between stores, warehouses and suppliers is required.