Our client, well known for their package seed line, was established in Auckland in the late 1800s. They now produce and distribute a wide variety of garden items. These include fertilizers, pesticides, garden supplies, seeds for lawns, and potting soil.

They are one of those long-established Australasian companies and has established itself as an integral part of Australian and New Zealand’s gardening history.

They now have an exciting opportunity for a Demand Planner to join their team in Padstow, New South Wales.

Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate Pre-Demand reviews with Sales & Marketing teams to deliver an unbiased and unconstrained view of the demand to support operational planning and the S&OP Process with a goal of achieving a recommendation or escalation to Demand Review.
• Responsible to ensure full meeting preparation i.e., presentation of consolidated and accurate information along with well-articulated messaging to support and drive right discussion, decisions, and actions in both Volume and Value terms.
• Identify & frame risks, opportunities and any critical business decisions and escalate up through the S&OP process to drive decision-making.
• Initiate and develop strong relationships with cross-functional partners in order to build intimate knowledge of the business and be viewed as a trusted, credible advisor to Customer teams they support.
• Act as a change agent and leader, leveraging relationships, functional skills and understanding process to support S&OP to facilitate change and drive sustainable process and business improvements.
• Participate and actively contribute to all facets of the S&OP and Supply Chain processes and meetings; this includes but not limited to all Sales & Operations Planning meetings, Sales & Marketing Reviews, Monthly Forecast Alignment reviews with Account Managers etc.
• Analysis of weekly retail sales results [POS] and inventory levels with recommendations on optimising sales and inventory and impact to customer forecasts.
• Taking pro-active measures in minimizing high inventory and in stock issues at the Customer/Location level (SLOB process).
• Leveraging retailer POS & inventory in taking pro-active measures to minimize internal supply chain liabilities through order timing, quantity, or cancellation recommendations.
• Track and analyze account advertising/marketing plans and results to determine impact on account forecasts.
• Maintain and leverage building block plans to ensure forecasts are rooted on factual data that is in line with ex-Factory at Retail sell-outs.
• Evaluate and measure forecast accuracy (MAPE) and BIAS results against objectives/plan; leverage results with the organization in order to drive corrective action.
• Lead/facilitate forecasting process changes & continuous improvement initiatives with cross-functional teams.
• Maintain data in SAP IBP. Identify opportunities to improve IBP forecasting models to increase efficiency that improve forecast accuracy and hence customer service levels.
• Develop and execute mitigation plans to relieve and eliminate out of stock situations.
• Lead initiatives that will drive reductions in cost to supply i.e., improve forecasting accuracy at a lower level.
• Lead initiatives that drive reduction in net working capital i.e., Finished Goods & Raw Materials, by-location network & in-transit forecast optimisation.
• Meet customer service (IFOT) targets for the responsible categories through forecast improvements.
• Provide weekly communications on demand variances, IFOT impacts.
• Continuously track and optimize forecast by-location to ensure the supply targets are met.
• Build strong cross-functional relationship with key stakeholders.
• Ensure own behaviours are consistent with of the company’s.
• 100% Completion of Performance Plans and Focused Development Plans ensuring they are reviewed regularly with your manager and commitments are discussed and agreed upon.
• Make an active contribution to the team’s environment through sharing knowledge and collaborating with others to build an engaged workplace.
• Ensure commitment and clear understanding of policies and procedures and adhere to them at all times.
• Active commitment and participation to ensure a safe workplace.

Qualifications & Skills

• Minimum 2 years’ experience as Demand Planner/Supply Chain Planning Analyst or related fields.
• Australian Citizenship/Permanent Residency status.
• SAP IBP Demand Planning/APO or other comprehensive Demand Planning software.
• SAP (R/3 or ECC 6.0) Supply/Purchasing/Production Planning experience.
• Intermediate to Advanced Excel skills.
• Intermediate to Advanced Power Point skills.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Strong communication skills.
• Highly organised with high attention to detail.
• Ability to work under the pressure i.e., in conditions which include multiple and sometimes conflicting priorities and tight deadlines.
• Ability to work autonomously as well as a part of a team.
• Existent Supply Chain / Planning Analyst within FMCG / pharma or similar industry.
• Business Warehouse (BW) reporting tool knowledge.
• Power BI reporting tool knowledge.
• Demand forecasting and Inventory management skills.
• SQL Database / Python knowledge.

How to apply

If you are interested in this unique opportunity please submit your application or email Ivonna at ivonna@bconsult.io

Good to know

A Recruitment Pool may be established for future roles with similar focus capabilities. A file will be created for you on our database for future reference. This will be available to our team in order to facilitate any suitable future hiring initiatives. Therefore, you will also be added to our mailing list.

Diversity & Inclusion

We welcome and encourage applications from all ages and genders, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the LGBTIQ+ community, veterans, refugees and those with disability.

NOTES:

• Please only apply if you fulfil the above criteria and have working rights in Australia.
• Due to time constraints, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. However, we welcome you to give us a call for feedback on your application at any time.