Supply Chain Planning Specialist

Job Summary:

The Planning Specialist will support the Supply Chain Planning function in transforming data into actionable insights that improve planning accuracy, operational efficiency, and decision making.

Responsibilities:

• Support the development of short-, medium- and long-term demand and supply plans
• Consolidate annual and quarterly requirements from internal stakeholders using structured planning templates.
• Assist in building scenario models to support budgeting decisions.
• Track variances between forecasted and actual requirements and identify key drivers.
• Collect, cleanse, validate and maintain data from ERP systems, Excel trackers, and external sources.
• Maintain planning databases, master data files, and category/item reference lists.
• Develop and update planning dashboards and analytical reports.
• Conduct data analysis to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
• Support tracking and reporting of KPIs related to Procurement performance, policy compliance, vendor performance, operational efficiency, and cost savings.
• Assist in preparing monthly & quarterly performance reports for the Planning & Excellence Manager and SCM leadership.
• Monitor compliance with approved processes, DoA thresholds, and planning timelines, escalating exceptions when required.
• Document planning processes, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines.
• Contribute to the Planning Centre of Excellence (CoE) initiatives, playbooks, and planning frameworks.
• Support the continuous improvement of templates, workflows, and data structures.
• Identify opportunities to automate reporting and introduce digital enhancements.
• Work with Development, Operations, Finance, Retail, and other departments to gather demand inputs and validate planning assumptions.
• Communicate planning timelines, data requirements, and expectations clearly to stakeholders.
• Respond to ad-hoc analytical requests and provide support to the Planning Manager.
• Identify opportunities to enhance data quality, shorten cycle times, and improve planning accuracy.
• Support improvement projects and planning excellence initiatives.
• Stay updated on basic planning, forecasting, and analytics best practices.

Educational Background:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, or related field.

Experience:

• +2 years of experience in supply chain planning, data analytics, or business analysis.

Technical Skills:

• Strong Excel skills including pivot tables formulas lookups and basic modelling
• Intermediate experience with business intelligence tools such as Power BI or Tableau
• Understanding of demand planning forecasting budgeting and KPI tracking ability to work with complex datasets and perform data validation
• Familiarity with procurement and supply chain concepts is desirable

Soft Skills:

• Analytical thinking
• Attention to detail
• Planning and organization
• Clear communication
• Collaboration
• Commitment and ownership
• Customer centricity
• Continuous improvement