Segment: Royal Canin

Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng

Everything we do is driven by our passion for the health and wellbeing of every cat and dog. You can now join us at Royal Canin on this mission. Our deep understanding of cats and dogs needs makes it possible for us to design the world's most precise pet health nutrition. We never stop learning and never take anything for granted. That’s why we collaborate with leading scientific, veterinary and behavioral experts, breeders and other pet professionals and maintain an ongoing dialogue with cat and dog owners worldwide.

Job Overview

• To own, create, and deliver accurate sales forecasting and demand management for local market in collaboration with extended Supply Chain and Sales Pillar teams.

• Accountability for developing the base line demand plan.

• Deploy planning standards based on global/ regional guidelines.

• Drive Continuous Improvement in collaboration with Regional E2E Demand Planner and/or S&OP+ Managers.

• Generating insights to support business decisions from forecasting tools and yearly category/market case studies.

• Maintain relationships with the sales, marketing, finance and supply chain teams to incorporate assumptions relative to the demand plan each month.

• Validate the inclusion of forecasts from the sales teams backed with data driven insights.

• Improve the forecasts accuracy (statistical models) with coordinated actions and updates of FM planning tool

• Deliver an accurate demand forecast for relevant categories using tools and insights available to drive delivery of business unit plan and excellent customer service.

Dimension:

Support Forecast System & Data

• Owns the Demand Planning process and data enrichment via FuturMaster (RC forecasting software)

• Gate keeps the forecast inputs with the Sales and Marketing teams, integrating and communicating to the broader S&OP+ stakeholders

• User of SA4 (BI software)

• Update and support system data quality (using 1Navision)

• Lead projects to enhance process efficiencies through improved functionalities.

• Continuous improvement of Forecasting and Supply planning tools (maintaining master tool and optimizing parameters)

What are we looking for?

• A minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in a Demand Planning/ S&OP/ Supply Planning role in a FMCG organization.

• Proven track record in demand planning processes, S&OP and business knowledge in organizations / processes.

• Advantage to have experience in food or nutritional product industry.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Supply Chain, or related fields.

• Excellent communication skills (both written & oral) in English.

• Expert data analytics capabilities, including strong EXCEL capabilities.

What will be your key responsibilities?

Principal Accountabilities:

• Co-piloting with sales, marketing and finance to deliver an accurate and aligned demand plan for specific segments / customers, for the short, medium and long term

• Proactively drive the relationship with customers to align on forecasting and phasing of key events and activities

• Product Supply Coordinators to ensure product supply risks are mitigated and optimal stock levels are maintained

• Demand Planning - Develop a accurate and aligned demand plan across minimum 2 Year+ horizon, for a set of defined markets, including promotion and launches, and perform ongoing analysis of demand variability, assess risk and take corrective action to close gaps

• Lead Demand Management Review (DMR) and Pre-DMR, generating statistical baseline forecast, supported with demand assumption from the business, to fuel the conversation with the forum stakeholders, to have an aligned outcome.

• Facilitate demand consensus meetings with Sales, Marketing and VCO Teams

• Challenge and integrate within the demand plan the assumptions communicated by the Pillars and work with Finance to deliver ‘1 number’ converting and aligning Volume through to Sales Value (NSV) with relevant Teams each S&OP+ cycle

• Perform ongoing analysis of demand variability and scenarios to understand potential business impact

• Secure the execution of all Promotions and new product deployment plan in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders by incorporating demand: Marketing, Sales, Finance & Supply Chain

• Utilize KPIS (over and undersell, new product sell-through,SFA & BIAS) through understanding of root causes and implementing improvement processes with the broader teams

• Develop the base demand plan using the most appropriate statistical forecasting tools and market insights

• Be Representative in S&OP+ Step 1,2 & 3 – PMR/DMR/SMR to include supply and inventory update, review baseline numbers and assumptions with cross-functional teams

• Flag inventory concerns, collaborate with Sales and Marketing to resolve ad-hoc requests, inventory phasing (short-dated/high inventory products and SLOBs)

• Participate in activity management projects to ensure product availability for South Africa market on time as per project plan and highlight concerns and build plans to mitigate with relevant teams

• Maintain product master data in the Futurmaster tool

• Generate the new product forecast using the historical substitution with forecast modelling/scenario planning techniques agreed with Marketing and Pillars

• Develop and maintain database of previous promotional activity performance

• Build and maintain pipeline  on Risks and Opportunity within the demand plans and reviews

• Periodic reporting to internal stakeholders and to the regional teams in prescribed templates

• Support market initiatives in improving the quality of their demand plan by assessing the effectiveness of their process, offering guidance and sharing best practices.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with over 130,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.

• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.

• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.

• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.