Inventory and Materials Planner

About the position

Inventory and Materials Planner
Midrand

A well known food producer has a vacancy for an Inventory and Materials Planner to oversee the entire Raw Materials & Packaging Materials (Primary/Secondary/Tertiary/ Consumables) portfolio to satisfy factory demand, while meeting the business's overall desired inventory levels, Cash landing and procurement strategy.. Should you have any queries call Antoinette or Kaylin.

Responsibility:
Material Planning & Scheduling
Achieve a constant flow of raw materials to satisfy the production requirements and ensure that forecasts are sent to suppliers to secure materials.
Schedule the supply of materials/components to meet production requirements and minimum stock levels.
Day-to-day order management and management of deliveries.
Develop and maintain accurate material requirement plans for Raw Materials based on the MPS.
Highlight variations in mix that could drive OOS & High Stock cover.
Analyse material usage trends and adjust planning parameters to improve forecasting accuracy.
Organize and schedule raw material procurement in a timely and systematic manner.
Analyse and react to business demand planning data.
Procurement & Supplier Management.
Manage the raw and packaging material procurement to meet new product launches or new market openings.
Orders for Raw materials to be placed via Factory SAP once contracts are set up and created.
Liaise with the Commercial team/KAM to set up and manage supplier contracts, procurement plans and KPI's.
Track & compare Raw material orders vs delivery QTY's to ensure supplier performance is measured & possible risk is highlighted.
Establish and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers.
Support sustainability initiatives by sourcing from ethical and sustainable suppliers.
Develop contingency plans for supply disruptions (e.g., ingredient shortages, supplier non-compliance, etc.).
Identify and qualify secondary suppliers where possible.
Inventory & Cost Management.
Track and report key functional metrics to reduce expenses, improve effectiveness, quality and to minimize risk.
Minimise obsolete stock and ensure business is left with minimum liability.
Develop and Report on the Raw material portfolio KPI's and provide inventory analysis on entire portfolio.
Procure the correct levels of materials to ensure no risk of stock out or obsolescent stock.
Forecast & accountability for Period end/Year End cash landing for entire Raw material portfolio.
Ensure data accuracy in ERP systems.
Issue Resolution & Cross-Functional Collaboration.
Resolve issues related to material shortages, delivery delays, and quality discrepancies.
Liaise with the Production Planner and Factory Operations team daily.
Coordinate with quality assurance/laboratory to ensure materials meet required standards.
Liaise with the Raw Material and Packaging Warehouse Manager daily.
Participate in cross-functional meetings to discuss and resolve material planning and supply chain issues.
Liaise with the Raw Material and Packaging Warehouse Manager daily.
Communicate with Customer Service team Individual Market risks or opportunities.
Continuous Improvement & Systems Development.
Take initiative for building new processes and systems for improvement and implement new ideas for efficiency, accuracy, and cost control.
Conduct regular audits of planning system parameters to prevent planning errors.

Requirements:
A degree or equivalent tertiary qualification (Preferably in Operations/ Logistics Management or in one or more of the numerical sciences) B-Tech or University Degree.
SAP experience essential.
3 years' experience in materials or production planning within a manufacturing environment.
Proficiency in SAP for scheduling and inventory control.
Proven ability to manage inventory levels, lead times, and optimise stock usage.
Experience coordinating with suppliers and internal teams to ensure on-time material delivery.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to interpret data and make sound planning decisions.
+3 years FMCG/Manufacturing experience.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Desired Skills:

• FMCG
• SAP
• Planning

Desired Qualification Level:

• Degree