About The Opportunity
The Director, Supply Planning leads the development and execution of integrated supply plans that support manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and product lifecycle management. This role ensures the efficient flow of materials and finished goods across the supply chain while balancing cost, service, risk, and inventory investment.
High-quality supply planning is essential to maintaining optimal inventory positioning, service performance, and operational resilience. The Supply Director serves as a subject matter expert in supply planning, inventory optimization, S&OP / IBP, systems, analytics, and continuous improvement.
The role requires a strong understanding of end-to-end supply chain processes and the ability to assess upstream and downstream impacts of supply decisions. The Supply Director partners closely with Demand Planning, Procurement, Manufacturing, Logistics, Finance, and Commercial teams to translate demand into feasible, executable, and financially aligned supply plans.
Supply Planning Strategy & Governance
- Define and own the enterprise supply planning strategy aligned with business objectives
- Establish governance, standards, and best practices for supply, inventory, and replenishment planning
- Ensure supply plans effectively balance service, cost, capacity, and working capital
- Lead long-range supply planning and scenario modeling to support growth and risk mitigation.
Production & Procurement Alignment
- Lead the conversion of demand forecasts into feasible production and procurement plans
- Oversee capacity planning, constraint management, and material availability across suppliers and manufacturing sites
- Collaborate with Procurement to improve supplier performance, lead times, and supply continuity
- Ensure alignment of procurement, production, and inventory policies across the organization
S&OP / IBP Leadership
- Lead the supply side of the S&OP / Integrated Business Planning process
- Provide supply feasibility assessments, risk scenarios, and mitigation strategies
- Align supply plans with demand, financial targets, and executive decision-making
- Ensure disciplined execution of approved supply plans
Risk Management & Supply Resilience
- Identify supply risks, bottlenecks, and vulnerabilities across the network
- Develop contingency plans, alternate sourcing strategies, and mitigation actions
- Lead response to supply disruptions and ensure timely escalation and communication
- Strengthen supply chain resilience and business continuity
Performance Management & Continuous Improvement
- Define, track, and improve KPIs such as service level, fill rate, inventory turns, forecast bias impact, and supply adherence
- Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions for service failures, stockouts, and excess inventory
- Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives across supply planning processes
- Benchmark performance against industry best practices and implement improvements
Data, Systems & Analytics Enablement
- Own supply planning data integrity within ERP and advanced planning systems (SAP, Oracle, Kinaxis, IBP, etc.)
- Drive adoption and optimization of planning tools, analytics, dashboards, and automation
- Partner with IT to support system implementations, upgrades, and enhancements
- Ensure integration between demand, supply, inventory, and financial systems
Leadership & Stakeholder Collaboration
- Build, lead, and develop high-performing supply planning teams
- Coach and mentor talent to strengthen analytical, planning, and decision-making capabilities
- Act as a senior supply chain partner to executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders
- Communicate supply performance, risks, and strategic trade-offs clearly to management
Key Skills and Competencies:
- Planning & Forecasting Expertise: Strong knowledge of forecasting methodologies, supply and inventory optimization techniques, and S&OP / SIOP / IBP processes, with the ability to translate forecasts into executable supply strategies.
- Certifications: APICS CPIM / CSCP or equivalent certification preferred.
Lean or Six Sigma certification strongly preferred. - Analytical & Decision-Making Skills: Advanced analytical capability with proven ability to interpret complex data, identify trends, and generate insights that improve forecast accuracy, inventory positioning, supply performance, and profitability.
- Strategic & Tactical Leadership: Demonstrated ability to think strategically while executing tactically—balancing long-term supply strategy with day-to-day operational excellence.
- Business Partnership & Influence: Proven ability to collaborate and influence stakeholders at all levels across Demand Planning, Sales, Operations, Procurement, Finance, and Executive Leadership using data-driven insights.
- Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate assumptions, trade-offs, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Leadership & People Management: Strong leadership capability with experience building, leading, and motivating high-performing teams while driving accountability and engagement.
- Entrepreneurial & Problem-Solving Mindset: Resourceful, proactive, and solutions-oriented; capable of navigating ambiguity and driving continuous improvement initiatives.
- Financial & Performance Impact: Primary decision-making accountability for supply projections, inventory investment, and shipment planning to improve wholesale purchases, inventory turns, service levels, and overall profitability.
- Systems & Tools: Highly proficient in Microsoft Excel and supply planning tools; SAP experience strongly preferred.
Education and Experience:
- Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in Supply Chain planning, with 5–7 years of demonstrated leadership in Supply Planning, Demand Planning, and Inventory Management within complex supply environments.
- Industry Expertise: Extensive experience in Supply Chain and/or Manufacturing with a deep, end-to-end understanding of demand planning, supply planning, and inventory optimization principles.
