DEMAND PLANNING MANAGER

North West of England c.£50,000 plus car, benefits and relocation assistance
Candidates welcome from any industry

Our client is a £150M turnover division of a leading supplier of large domestic appliances (cookers, fridges, dishwashers etc). This long established business has a strong portfolio of brands which are household names in their fields. Products share routes to market through major multiple retail chains, distributors and home delivery customers in the UK, Europe and wider world. Products are manufactured at company owned sites and sourced from abroad.

The business has started to diversify and the number product lines will continue to increase over time as new routes to market develop particularly as the major supermarket chains get more involved with appliance sales. Increased investment in warehousing has taken place reflecting a shift in strategy to produce more product for stock : placing greater emphasis on the effectiveness of the sales and marketing planning processes.

The number of SKUs is increasing and the demand planning function is presently shared amongst a number of departments. To ensure that customer service levels do not suffer the company at present is over stocking : sometimes to extreme levels with causing too much cash to be tied up in stock and low stock turn. The company realises that this needs to change.

The company now needs a dedicated Demand Planning Manager to work as part of the Operations Department liaising with all other relevant functions such as sales, finance, marketing, production etc and work closely with large customers to ensure a more robust and centralised demand planning function is put in place. This will involve harnessing the inputs of these departments to create a rolling five month demand forecast to focus production and sourcing effort and review this monthly in team meetings. A Data Analyst will report to the role.

The role will be high profile and carry authority within the business : equipped to challenge the way the sales team presently makes its forecasts and to take commercial decisions on slow moving stock. The position will have a key contribution to make to the annual budgeting process and produce reports for board discussion. The position will be measured on increased stock turn, reduced stock-holding and improved cash-flow with the proviso that the existing high standards of customer service continue to be met.

The individual taking on this role will be experienced in a similar demand planning function but could come from any industry in a company supplying a wide range of SKUs. This is an important appointment for the company and the arrival of the new manager will be welcomed across the business. The new manager will require the communication skills and the maturity to manage cross-functional relationships well.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced manager to make a significant impact in a stable company undergoing change.

For any further information concerning any aspect of this document please contact us ASAP.

We are an Employment Business and an Employment Agency as defined within The Conduct of Employment Agencies & Employment Businesses Regulations 2003