Interim Demand & Supply Planning Expert

Come and join the leading #avoexperts 🥑

Westfalia Fruit is a leading multinational supplier of fresh fruit and related value-added products to global markets. Through our vertically-integrated supply chain we grow, source, ripen, pack, process and market quality avocadoes & fresh produce – 365 days a year & across the globe.

With the largest avocado-growing footprint in the world, we are recognised as the leading #avoexperts and considered as the supplier of choice to both retail & wholesale customers whom we serve from sales offices in the UK, Europe, North America, Latin America & Southern Africa.

We’re looking for a Demand & Supply Planning Expert to join our team in the companies HQ out of Kings Hill (Kent) on an interim 6 month basis.

This role provides hands-on support to teams in wider European Supply & Demand Planning operations to improve service levels and optimize inventory by gaining control over demand and supply. You will bring rapid visibility to demand, inventory and supply and set up a basic S&OP process to bring the teams together to align on these plans and identify issues / opportunities. Create simple tools to bring visibility, highlight issues and create one source of truth Once control is established, progress towards best practices and embed these ways of working. Establish and implement KPIs to show business and supply chain performance, highlight trends and identify priority focus areas Run global D&SP projects requiring above the country analysis or co-ordination

Travel Requirements

• There will be an occasional requirement to travel across Europe, but most of the workload will be done out of the UK.

Responsibilities include:

• Hands on strategic oversite and support for the teams across the UK, Netherlands, France and Germany to get control of their demand and supply to address low service levels and high inventory. 

• Bring rapid visibility to demand, inventory and supply and set up a basic S&OP process to bring the teams together to align on these plans and identify issues / opportunities. 
• Create simple tools to bring visibility, highlight issues and create one source of truth.
• Establish and implement KPIs to show business and supply chain performance, highlight trends and identify priority focus areas.
• Liaise with global Supply Chain team to ensure alignment and compliance with business and industry practices.
• Work closely with the Chief Supply Chain Officer to align new strategic approaches to the way in which Westfalia Fruit operates its Supply and Demand procedures.

Experience we look for:

Essential

• D&SP expert with extensive experience in high velocity FMCG. 
• Demonstrated experience in setting up Demand Planning, Supply Planning, S&OP processes and KPIs from scratch.
• Ability to explain supply chain and S&OP concepts to teams with limited exposure to these.
• Ability to build simple tools / dashboards to enable the processes being rolled out.
• Flexibility to find a practical solution which may be slightly different to the standard ways of working.
• Strong understanding of different system capabilities and data requirements.  Advanced Excel proficiency required. 
• Experience of change management in a complex, matrixed organisation.   
• Excellent stakeholder management and the ability to work with people at all levels of the organisation.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to quickly identify areas of opportunity.
• Data driven and offers fact based guidance.
• Highly collaborative.
• Bias for action and gets things done quickly. 
• Skilled facilitator and communicator, able to drive alignment across commercial and operational teams. 
• Fluent in English (C1 level or above). 

Desirable

• Experience in food and fresh produce sectors desired.
• German or Dutch fluency (C1 level or above) is highly advantagious. 

• Hybrid working  

• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays 

• Private Medical Insurance  

• Company pension scheme with life insurance cover. 

• Employee Assistance Plan with Medicash. 

Please note that this position does not have a specific closing date. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and the advert may be removed at any time.

We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, or veteran, neurodiversity or disability status.