Senior Manager - Demand Supply & Forecasting

About METRO

METRO is a leading international wholesale company with food and non-food assortments that specializes in serving the needs of hotels, restaurants, and caterers (HoReCa) as well as independent traders. Around the world, METRO has some 17 million customers who can choose whether to shop in one of the large-format stores, order online and collect their purchases at the store, or have them delivered. With our sCore growth strategy, we are committed to becoming the preferred multichannel partner for our professional customers.

Key Responsibilities

1. Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Demand and Supply Planners, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.
• Define clear roles, responsibilities, and performance metrics (KPIs) for the team, aligned with SCM objectives.
• Champion the "Day in the Life Of" (DILO) best practices for planners, ensuring standardized and efficient daily and weekly workflows.
• Act as the primary point of contact and escalation for the planning team, providing guidance and resolving complex issues.

2. Demand Planning & Forecasting:

• Oversee the demand planning process, ensuring the generation of accurate statistical forecasts at the Demand Forecasting Unit (DFU) level.
• Guide the team in managing forecast exceptions, analysing historical sales data, and incorporating market intelligence to refine forecasts.
• Collaborate with Category Management and Sales to integrate promotional plans and pricing programs (e.g., Metro Mail, Buy More Pay Less - BMPL), new product introductions (NPI), and product lifecycle (PLC) changes into the demand plan.
• Drive continuous improvement in forecast accuracy and bias, utilizing tools like EDGE Analytics for root cause analysis.

3. Supply & Inventory Management:

• Supervise the supply planning process within our Metro Demand and Supply Planning (MDSP) system to ensure high availability while optimizing stock levels.
• Oversee the creation and management of purchase orders (POs) and sales orders (SOs), including the approval process for manual order requests (MORs).
• Implement and monitor inventory strategies, including the "Smart Safety Stock" (SmartSS) methodology, to balance between service levels, inventory and E2E costs.
• Manage different supply chain flows, including Direct Store Delivery (DSD), Central Stock (CS), and Break-Bulk Cross-Docking (BBXD), ensuring optimal configuration and execution.
• Collaborate with the Supplier Collaboration team to improve On-Time In-Full (OTIF) performance and resolve supply-side issues.

4. Process & System Optimization:

• Act as a key user and subject matter expert for the MDSP (Blue Yonder) platform, driving its adoption and effective utilization.
• Identify opportunities for process automation and efficiency gains, leveraging tools like our AI-powered EDGE MAiA.
• Ensure master data integrity for all planning-relevant fields (e.g., lead times, MOQs, sourcing rules, calendars) by working closely with Master Data Management (MDM) and IT teams.
• Participate in the design and implementation of new planning functionalities and system upgrades

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Reporting:

• Lead and participate in key S&OP (Sales & Operations Planning) meetings, including Demand Best-Practice and Demand Consensus meetings, to align all stakeholders on a single, integrated plan.
• Communicate supply chain performance, risks, and opportunities to senior management and other departments.
• Utilize the Replenishment Dashboard and other BI tools to monitor KPIs and provide actionable insights to the business.

• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Experience:
  • Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in demand and supply planning, preferably within the retail, wholesale, or FMCG industry.
  • At least 2 years of experience in a leadership or team management role.
  • Proven track record of improving key supply chain metrics (e.g., availability, inventory turnover, forecast accuracy).
• Technical Skills:
  • Essential: Hands-on experience with advanced planning systems.
  • Strong preference for JDA/Blue Yonder Demand & Fulfillment (MDSP).
  • Proficient in using ERP systems and understanding data flows between systems.
  • Strong analytical skills with experience using BI and data visualization tools (e.g., Google Data Studio, Tableau, MSI).
  • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel. Knowledge of SQL and experience with large datasets (e.g., Google BigQuery) is a significant plus.
• Soft Skills:
  • Excellent leadership and people management skills.
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across different functions and cultures.
  • Proactive, results-oriented, and able to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
  • Fluent in English; proficiency in German or another language is an asset.