Senior Planner

**Listing reference**: 020077

**Listing status**: Online

**Position summary**

**Industry**:FMCG & Supply Management

**Job category**:FMCG, Retail, Wholesale and Supply Chain

**Location**:Western Cape

**Contract**:Permanent

**EE position**:Yes

**About our company**
- Clicks Group

**Introduction**
- We are looking to employ a Senior Planner (Pharmacy & Unipharama),to deliver on the strategic objectives of Unipharma and Pharmacy by developing annual Sales, Margin and Stock plans that are aligned to and support the overall Clicks Operating Plan. To ensure that the agreed deliverables are met through daily / weekly tactical KPI management and problem solving, effective communication with stakeholders and by driving and tracking the performance of sales, purchases and managing Unipharma import and local UPD processes and deliverables. This role will be based at our Head Office in Woodstock, Cape Town and report to the Planning Portfolio Manager.

**Job description**

**Job Objectives**
- To drive improvements in forecast accuracy and provide forecast insights and recommendations for monthly, quarterly, and yearly financial and budget process, including 3-year financial plan
- To execute the degree of forward planning for wholesale, distribution and movement at a store level and thereby manage availability and allocation of products into stores.
- To develop and maintain a monthly demand schedule by maintaining 18 months rolling forecast at supplier and product level.
- To collaborate across the business with Commercial leads, Supply Chain, Finance, Suppliers and UPD wholesale and Distribution.
- To lead the process of weekly Demand review files with Stock on hand, in transit and month to date sales including assessing stock prioritization, pull forward orders and deferral requests based on demand movements to ensure overall business objectives related to sales, margin and working capital are achieved.
- To work closely with the commercial team to review readiness of new launches to ensure alignment with manufacturer, and UPD.
- To attend monthly and bi-monthly supply review meetings and lead discussions with key product suppliers and compile supply planning related reports for monthly supplier engagements.
- To track stock supply, review and provide shipment/supply ETA’s and manage demand replenishment orders to various suppliers.
- To identify and review products with excess inventory and recommend a joint action plan with commercial team and suppliers to effectively mitigate business risk write off.
- To communicate any irregularities, errors, purchase order management and vendor compliance factors that impact the receiving of stock thereby ensuring timely forecast and communication of unusual incoming volume to the relevant stakeholders to allow for adequate planning in the chain.
- To maintain reports and housekeeping of data warehouses in the system that relates to reports.
- To engage with the commercial and finance teams monthly, quarterly and annually related to the financial forecasting process and agree on base plan, generate financial plans for Pharmacy and UniPharma and submit to Finance on an annual basis for budgets were applicable.
- To track sea freight orders through close partnership with the Unicorn business and check cost to ensure that pricing is in line with costing.

**Minimum requirements**

**Job Knowledge**
- Systems, procedures, and best practice in Demand Planning.
- Retail mathematics (Merchant Maths).
- Understanding of customer demographics and shopping behaviours.
- Understanding marketing and business principles.
- In depth understanding of supply chain management practices.
- Computer literate - advanced Excel, BI, Planning systems.
- Desirable:

- In depth understanding of current industry trends and technology (AI, ML, IOT), and how this impacts the future supply chain and demand planning specifically.
- Clear understanding of forecasting algorithms and other statistical inputs.
- Supplier collaboration and experience in successful joint forecasting.
- Understanding of import processes.
- Ability to work as a team and individually.

**Skills**
- Extensive FMCG demand planning, forecasting, and importing experience.
- Category management, sales and operations planning way of working (matrix organisations)
- Vendor management
- People leadership / management
- Problem solving and analytical thinking.
- Financial planning and management in Retail
- Buying and planning processes in Retail
- Excellent business acumen
- Advanced Excel
- Planning skills including demand planning, supply planning and the resulting logistic implications

**Experience**

Essential:

- 3 years Planning or Demand Planning experience at Senior Planning Level OR
- 3 years plus in a Planning and/or Supply Chain environment
- 2 years leading a team

Desirable:

- Previous experience in financial planning

**Education**
- Essential:

- B.Com or 3 year Business Management or Supply chain Qualification
-