Job Description
Demand Planner
Location: Bryanston, Johannesburg (Hybrid)
You’re not the person who will settle for just any role. Neither are we. Because we’re out to create Better Care for a Better World, and that takes a certain kind of person and teams who care about making a difference. Here, you’ll bring your professional expertise, talent, and drive to building and managing our portfolio of iconic, ground-breaking brands. In this role, you’ll help us deliver better care for billions of people around the world. It starts with YOU.
As part of the MEA Supply Chain team, this role is responsible for providing the timely creation and communication of a robust market demand plan to enable the delivery of Working Capital targets, Operating profit and Customer Service goals of the business unit. The role is pivotal to drive optimal decisions between several countries & functions including Sales Controllers and Customer Business Managers, Business Analysts, S&OP Teams and Customer Services in the 1 month to 2-year horizon.
In this role, you will:
The role will translate consumer / sales demand, promotions, product introduction & rollover plans into an agreed forecast of market requirements on an on-going 18 month rolling basis, keeping systems and other information flows up to date. The role also includes the short-term management/coordination of the execution of plans, communication of changes, issues and shortages, avoidance of obsolete products and stock run outs. The identification and delivery of process and capability improvement, cost transformation and inventory optimization opportunities are expected to deliver team and business objectives. The role will be expected to prepare and present the aligned forecast and decisions made in the monthly cycle to the wider business.
For an agreed portfolio of products in support of the South African and MEA business plans
Develop and maintain a monthly demand schedule by maintaining an 18-month rolling forecast at invoice SKU level
Manage, own and present the monthly MBO (monthly business outlook) for demand forecast sign off
Drive improvements in forecast accuracy and bias
Challenge forecast inputs with a data led approach
Provide forecast insights and recommendations for quarterly financial & budget process, plus 5-year business plans, and category specific projects, innovation and strategies
Manage forecast locations splits, roll-overs and allocation rules to optimize service and reduce obsolescence and cost exposure
Drive improvements in the Demand Planning processes, including DIO optimization
Support implementation of demand management best practices/strategies across categories and accounts
Understand and communicate supply chain implications and solutions (when appropriate) of category-specific business plans.
Work closely with Supply Chain and S&OP colleagues in support of tactical execution which meets business objectives.
About Us
Huggies®. Kleenex®. Baby Soft®. Kotex®. Kimberly-Clark Professional®. You already know our legendary brands—and so does the rest of the world. In fact, millions of people use Kimberly-Clark products every day. We know these amazing Kimberly-Clark products wouldn’t exist without talented professionals, like you.
At Kimberly-Clark, you’ll be part of the best team committed to driving innovation, growth and impact. We’re founded on more than 150 years of market leadership, and we’re always looking for new and better ways to perform – so there’s your open door of opportunity. It’s all here for you at Kimberly-Clark.
Led by Purpose. Driven by You.
About You
You perform at the highest level possible, and you appreciate a performance culture fueled by authentic caring. You want to be part of a company actively dedicated to sustainability, inclusion, wellbeing, and career development.
You love what you do, especially when the work you do makes a difference. At Kimberly-Clark, we’re constantly exploring new ideas on how, when, and where we can best achieve results. When you join our team, you’ll experience Flex That Works: flexible (hybrid) work arrangements that empower you to have purposeful time in the office and partner with your leader to make flexibility work for both you and the business.
In our professional roles, you’ll focus on winning with consumers and the market, while putting safety, mutual respect, and human dignity at the center. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, can make decisions under pressure, and are ready to contribute to process improvement, we want you on our team!
To succeed in this role, you will need the following:
JOB REQUIREMENTS:
The successful candidate should have a proven record of improving results, needs to be self-starting, autonomous and able to challenge the status quo. Strong influencing skills are required. You must also be able to react to rapidly changing priorities, quickly make decisions and recommendations and remain calm under pressure.
Bachelor’s degree (BA, BSc) or equivalent
3-5+ years FMCG experience with a minimum of 2 years in a Demand Planning role
Exposure to a sales and operations planning (S&OP) environment and a proven track record driving KPI improvements in Supply Chain
Fluency in English is required
First class analytical skills including data manipulation and critical thinking
Flexible approach - excellent leadership skills together with strong team ethic and interpersonal skills
Confident in preparing and presenting to wide audiences and senior leadership
Able to work autonomously and able to engage with teams based locally and KC teams globally
Experience of SAP APO, BW/BI, R/3(ECC6) and MS EXCEL®, or similar systems desirable
Total Benefits
Here are just a few of the benefits you’d enjoy working in this role for Kimberly-Clark. For a complete overview, see www.mykcbenefits.com.
South Africa:
As part of your Total Rewards package, you will be entitled to a comprehensive set of benefits. Some of these are listed below:
Reward and recognition – to attract and retain the best talent we offer competitive pay. We reward excellence and high performance through annual performance related increases and employee recognition awards.
Great support for good health – we value good health, and to support you, you will have various options for medical insurance with a 50% employer contribution and Gap cover.
Planning for the future – Being a member of the Provident fund will provide you with savings to provide an income after retirement.
Protection for you and your family in case of illness or injury – for peace of mind you will have Life cover, disability insurance and Funeral benefit.
Learning and growth – our employees value the opportunities for professional and personal growth that we offer. A wide range of training is available with Study bursaries for external courses and an opportunity to apply for School fee bursaries for your children
Employee Wellbeing – our Thrive program covers Physical, Emotional, Mental and Financial wellbeing to help you be at your best, and our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers professional resources and tools to support you and your family.
Time off – to help you manage your work life balance and cater for different stages of life, we offer attractive annual leave, and policies to cover maternity, paternity, adoption, and parental leave.
Other – you will be able to enjoy discounted company products. Subsidized canteen meals and uniforms are provided at our mill locations.
To Be Considered
Click the Apply button and complete the online application process. A member of our recruiting team will review your application and follow up if you seem like a great fit for this role.
In the meantime, please check out the careers website.
And finally, the fine print….
We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to developing a diverse workforce. Preference will be given to candidates who promote representation within Kimberly-Clark in terms of the Employment Equity Act.
For Kimberly-Clark to grow and prosper, we must be an inclusive organization that applies the diverse experiences and passions of its team members to brands that make life better for people all around the world. We actively seek to build a workforce that reflects the experiences of our consumers. When you bring your original thinking to Kimberly-Clark, you fuel the continued success of our enterprise. We are a committed equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification. Statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for this position.
Employment is subject to relevant background checks carried out in South Africa.
#LI-Hybrid