Demand Planner - Middle East & Africa at Bacardi

RESPONSIBILITIES

With our consumer at the heart your key focus will be

Sales & Operation Planning 

• Work closely with Marketing, Sales, Customers, Finance and business team to ensure the agreement to define new Best10 process.
• Analyse current business, demand trends and predict future trends for middle and longer-term horizon (24 months)
• Manage the Demand Planning processes to ensure that plans are established, monitored, and reviewed in order to ensure efficient and timely distribution of products to customers
• Support the MEA Planning & Logistics Manager in the S&OP process and preparation of the monthly meeting
• Build visibility between financial target and volume sales plan and support the financial team in the financial cycle
• Ensure cross functional alignment and business ownership at multiple levels
• Maintain S&OP tools and report risks and opportunities
• Collaborate with sales to understand customers’ data and understand their ordering patterns 

Forecast Accuracy 

• Manage sales forecasts at IPC / customer level 
• Analyse all data to ensure that sales forecast are realistic (historical sales, market trends, seasonality, promotions, customer data (inventories, depletions, forecasts)) and challenge Regional Sales Managers about inconsistencies
• Maintain/adjust/create documentation, standard operating procedures and mapping for demand planning processes and systems
• Conduct forecast data submissions in system following the global S&OP and forecasting calendar
• Improve forecasting techniques and method to increase accuracy

New Products Introduction 

• Cooperate with the Activity Management Team to ensure effective Innovation process with the aim of reducing supply chain complexity, optimizing route to markets, increasing supply reliability/flexibility and harmonizing the MEA SKU portfolio
• Coordinate promotions activities and projects with Marketing, Sales, Distributors and MEA Demand Manager
• Be the single point of contact for Bacardi VAP being produced/copacked 
• Follow launch of promotions, VAPs, Limited Editions and Innovations
• Maintain the products’ portfolio list including lifecycle information and communicate regularly with stakeholders
• Align with supply planning on the right level of replenishment and inventory for new products
• Make sure forecast is reflected 4 months minimum before first shipment date
• Communicate to sales / customer service on first availability date from our warehouse
• Inventory management / Product lifecycle monitoring 
• Identify write-offs risks and root causes and set action plan to reduce/avoid and monitor. Seek for solutions.
• Follow up Slow mover/No mover stocks and take relevant actions to deplete those. Seek for solutions.
• Ensure any issues / alerts are raised promptly with sales/customers to avoid those.
• Review and set the right safety stocks policies with supply planning/operation centres’ planning teams

Supply Challenges 

• Manage short/medium term supply constraints (ex. quality, technical…) to deliver product (Finished goods, Global Promotions/Limited Editions and POS) on the agreed basis
• Monitor allocation of limited products, communicate on status
• Understand route to markets, MOQs and Leadtime’s with plants and customers 
• Communicate to regional sales team and customer service on Middle East Africa products’ out of stocks, root causes and resolution timing in promptly manner

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• The skills and experience needed to create your legacy
• Excellent knowledge of processes within operations (finance, manufacturing, packaging, supply chain, markets and central marketing). Min 3-5 years of work experience in demand planning process. Knowledge of demand planning technology and decision support tools is preferred
• Business savvy and a good understanding of the consumer & customers’ needs. 
• Strong Interpersonal, negotiation and collaboration skills with the ability to build relationships across a deep and wide range of internal and external stakeholders
• Demonstrate accountability and capability to work independently with confidence to ask for support when required.
• Ability to find effective ways of working within a matrix organization, and within a fast-changing environment. 
• Administration skills and extreme attention to detail.
• Managing stakeholder expectations in relation to delivery & execution.
• Willingness to work collaboratively with teams across different geographies and cultures.
• Excellent creative thinking skills with emphasis on developing innovative solutions to complex problems that may not have one clear answer. 
• Strong Excel, PowerPoint, Database, Reporting system skills (Power BI)
• Language Requirements: English is essential