Manager, Inventory & Supply Planning

Overview

We are seeking a results-driven Manager to lead inventory and supply planning for technical spare parts, driving measurable improvements in service performance, cost efficiency, and operational execution. This role is responsible for optimizing inventory levels, executing replenishment strategies, and aligning cross-functional teams to meet service level agreements while reducing waste. A key player in building and transforming the team, this leader will help reshape how the organization manages spare parts planning through data-driven decision-making, process innovation, and effective S&OP/S&OE execution.

The ideal candidate brings strong analytical skills, supply chain planning expertise, and a track record of delivering impactful results.

Leadership (40%):

• Build and lead a team of 3-8 supply planning professionals, providing guidance, mentorship, and support to achieve business objectives.
• Establish a clear vision and objectives to deliver business outcomes while challenging the team to create effective execution strategies.
• Closely observe group dynamics to understand the roles, perspectives, priorities, emotions, and motivations of team members, applying this knowledge to facilitate results.
• Engage in selling and influencing to gain support for the vision, strategy, and initiatives.
• Develop and benchmark performance measures to track progress and drive continuous improvement (Service, Turnover, OTIF, etc.).

Inventory & Supply Planning (30%):

• Develop and implement inventory and supply planning capabilities to enhance service delivery while reducing inventory levels and associated costs.
• Foster effective collaboration across departments, including demand planning, logistics, procurement, sourcing, technical operations, and supplier teams.
• Oversee the creation and execution of inventory and supply plans to ensure the right products are delivered to the right location at the right time, all while minimizing inventory levels and costs.
• Conduct scenario modeling and analysis to provide decision-makers with various options and trade-offs.
• Support the Sales and Operations Planning process (S&OP).
• Establish and lead the Sales and Operations Execution (S&OE) process to ensure that the strategic plan is effectively translated into daily operations.

Continuous Improvement (10%):

• Build a culture of continuous improvement.
• Mentor team members on Lean, Six Sigma and other process improvement methodologies.
• Collaborate with IT and analytics team to automate manual processes and improve systems integration.
• Facilitate regular reviews of planning processes to ensure alignment with business goals.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

This role directly enhances operational efficiency and service reliability by ensuring the right technical spare parts are available at the right time and location as efficiently as possible. Through optimized inventory planning, strategic replenishment, and cross-functional collaboration, the manager reduces excess stock, lowers carrying costs, improves product availability, and unlocks sourcing and logistics savings.

Problem solving:
The successful candidate will possess a broad range of technical competencies and problem solving methods to solve complex supply chain challenges, included but not limited to:

• Availability Challenges:
  Ensures critical spare parts are available when and where needed by implementing robust planning and replenishment strategies.
• Inventory Inefficiencies:
  Reduces excess and dead stock through data-driven inventory optimization and policy alignment, improving working capital utilization.
• Cross-Functional Misalignment:
  Bridges gaps between departments (e.g., procurement, logistics, technical operations) to enable coordinated planning and execution.
• Operational Disruptions:
  Supports S&OP and leads S&OE processes to proactively manage supply risks and respond quickly to changing operational needs.
• Process Gaps:
  Drives continuous improvement initiatives to streamline planning workflows, enhance forecasting accuracy, and improve responsiveness.
• Team Capability:
  Builds and transforms the planning team to elevate performance, foster innovation, and support…