Deputy General Manager - Demand & Production Planner

The Senior Demand & Production Planner plays a pivotal strategic role in aligning demand forecasts with production capabilities to maintain optimal inventory levels, ensure timely product availability, and maximize resource efficiency. This role is instrumental in driving the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, proactively mitigating supply chain risks, and fostering continuous improvement across planning and execution functions.

In addition to core planning responsibilities, the planner will lead strategic projects focused on supply chain optimization, digital planning tools, and cross-functional alignment. The role involves direct reporting to the General Manager (GM) and requires regular updates on planning KPIs, project milestones, and risk mitigation strategies. The planner will also collaborate closely with commercial, manufacturing, and logistics teams to ensure seamless execution of supply chain initiatives.

KEY RESULT AREAS

Demand Planning:

1. You will develop and maintain SKU-level forecasts using advanced tools, collaborating with sales, and marketing to gather inputs.
2. You’ll monitor monthly S&OP meetings, analyze historical data and market trends, and engage with the Marketing and Sales teams to validate forecasts, including reviewing MAPE to assess accuracy.
3. Monitoring OTIF (On-Time-In-Full), MAPE (forecast accuracy) and building customer consumption profiles will be key to improving planning performance.

Production Planning:

1. You’ll create and manage 3-month fixed production schedules aligned with demand forecasts, coordinating with procurement, manufacturing, and logistics to ensure timely execution.
2. Your role includes optimizing production plans to reduce costs and waste, managing inventory levels to prevent stockouts or overstock, and leading capacity planning across production lines.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

1. You’ll work closely with Markets, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Procurement, and Operations to support product launches, resupply strategies, and contingency planning, while ensuring compliance with GMP and regulatory standards.

Supply Chain Digitization:

1. You’ll lead digitization initiatives by implementing real-time analytics and forecasting tools, collaborating with IT and data science teams to integrate AI/ML solutions.
2. Driving automation and monitoring digital KPIs will be essential, along with ensuring data integrity and other necessary compliances.

Leadership & Strategic Projects:

1. You’ll mentor junior planners and lead continuous improvement initiatives.
2. Strategic project ownership will include supply chain optimization and reporting directly to the General Manager on planning KPIs, risks, and transformation progress.
3. You’ll drive digital planning initiatives to enhance forecast accuracy, agility, and end-to-end visibility.
4. You’ll design and implement risk frameworks to ensure supply continuity and resilience under dynamic market conditions.