Senior Manager – Demand Planning and Sales Operations

JOB OBJECTIVE :

To lead and oversee group-wide demand planning, supply planning, and Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) cycles, ensuring accurate forecasting, optimized inventory management, and seamless alignment between sales, marketing, and manufacturing functions. This role is pivotal in driving supply network optimization, mitigating operational risks, and ensuring business continuity across multiple plants and markets. The Senior Manager will play a key role in supporting E7 Group’s growth by enabling data-driven decision-making and delivering operational excellence through robust planning processes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITES:

Demand Planning & S&OP Leadership

• Lead and manage the S&OP cycle to align sales forecasts, marketing strategies, production capacity, and inventory management.
• Review weekly sales data to translate demand signals into actionable capacity plans, ensuring readiness for production and workforce allocation.
• Build and refine demand forecasting models to improve forecast accuracy and support long-term strategic planning.
• Integrate new product introductions (NPIs), promotions, and market expansion strategies into demand and supply planning.
• Work closely with commercial teams to balance working capital optimization with high service levels.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

• Develop, implement, and continuously enhance standard operating procedures for demand planning, inventory management, and operations planning.
• Ensure SOPs are compliant with UAE regulations and international best practices.
• Regularly review and update procedures to maintain operational agility and efficiency.

Risk Management & Business Continuity

• Identify potential risks in the supply chain, including capacity constraints, logistics disruptions, or sourcing challenges.
• Design and execute risk mitigation strategies to maintain operational continuity and minimize exposure to disruptions.
• Ensure compliance with Business Continuity Management (BCM) and HSE policies across all industrial sites.
• Act as a primary point of contact for risk reporting and escalation.

Inventory, Logistics & Supply Network Optimization

• Manage group-wide inventory across multiple SKUs, warehouses, and markets, ensuring the right balance between cost control and customer satisfaction.
• Oversee logistics and warehousing strategies, leveraging data to improve delivery-in-full-on-time (DIFOT) performance and reduce costs.
• Optimize the end-to-end supply network to support rapid growth and changing market demands.

ERP & Digital Transformation

• Lead ERP transformation projects such as SAP APO/IBP to standardize and digitize planning processes.
• Utilize advanced planning tools for Master Production Scheduling (MPS), Material Requirement Planning (MRP), and Distribution Resource Planning (DRP).
• Drive accurate, real-time reporting and analytics to support leadership decision-making.

Performance & KPI Monitoring

• Define and monitor key metrics including:
• Forecast Accuracy (FA)
• DIFOT (Delivery in Full, On Time)
• Inventory Turnover Ratio
• Out-of-Stock (OOS) Rate
• Capacity Utilization Levels
• Provide detailed performance dashboards and insights to senior management.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferred.
• Professional certification such as CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional) is a strong advantage.

Experience:

• 7-10 years of progressive experience in demand planning, S&OP, and supply chain management within the industrial or manufacturing sector.
• Proven track record of leading multi-plant, multi-market operations, ideally within the UAE or GCC.
• Experience in supply network optimization, ERP transformations, and risk management.
• Demonstrated success in improving forecast accuracy, inventory optimization, and DIFOT performance.

Technical Skills:

• ERP expertise (SAP APO/IBP, Oracle Fusion Cloud, MS Dynamics).
• Proficiency in demand forecasting, MRP, DRP, RCCP, and advanced planning tools.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Advanced Excel and reporting skills.

Core Technical Competencies:

• Demand Forecasting & Planning – Advanced statistical forecasting to improve forecast accuracy and drive efficient production planning.
• Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) – Leading end-to-end S&OP cycles to align sales, marketing, and manufacturing functions.
• Capacity Planning & Optimization – Translating sales data into actionable capacity plans to maximize plant utilization and workforce readiness.
• Inventory Management – Balancing working capital optimization with service-level excellence across multiple SKUs and sites.
• Supply Network Optimization – Designing and improving supply chain networks to reduce costs and improve responsiveness.
• ERP Transformation – Implementing and optimizing Oracle Fusion Cloud, SAP APO/IBP, or similar platforms for integrated planning.
• Risk Management & Business Continuity (BCM) – Proactively identifying and mitigating operational and supply chain risks.
• Logistics & Distribution Strategy – Enhancing warehousing and distribution networks to achieve high DIFOT performance.
• KPI Analytics & Performance Monitoring – Tracking and improving core metrics such as FA, DIFOT, inventory turnover, and OOS rates.