Inventory Manager - Springs at Saint-Gobain Africa

WHY DO WE NEED YOU ?

• The purpose of this role is to develop and implement strategies to optimise inventory levels, ensuring that materials are available when needed without excess stock, minimising carrying costs and the risk of obsolescence.
• The role plays a big part in complying with the group’s Internal Control Reference Framework and ensuring maximum level of customer service (CSI).
• The role will manage improvement projects to minimise operating working capital, maximising operational efficiency, and contributing to overall business success.

Qualifications required to fulfil the role

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business or a related field.
• Qualifications in CPIM or CSCP will be advantageous.

Specific Work Experience, Knowledge and Skills required to fulfil the role

• 3 years experience in supply chain or demand planning function, preferably within manufacturing.
• Proven experience in inventory management.
• Knowledge of supply chain best practice (ie. Sales and Operations Planning) or Integrated Business Planning (IBP), MRPII, Theory of Constraints, Strategic Sourcing and related best practices.
• Proficiency in SAP, inventory management software, Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint.
• Results focussed, customer focussed, and a team player.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented and organised.
• Proactive and able to anticipate potential issues.
• Strong leadership and decision-making skills.
• Reliable and trustworthy.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to continuous improvement.

Key  Accountabilities

Inventory Management

• Align stock process to ICRF requirements, own the stock management policy as well as influence key stakeholders to comply with requirements.
• Periodically calculate safety stock and obtain consensus through agreement and sign-off.
• Liase with production planners and buyers to ensure optimal inventory levels and safety stock are maintained based on forecasts and replenishment plans.
• Assist the procurement team with prioritisation of raw material deliveries in line with production plans.
• Support and actively participate in general supply chain (Demand Planning, Supply Planning and Inventory Management) process improvement initiatives.
• Review, recommend and make necessary changes to MRP parameters (lot sizes, total replenishment lead time, MRP controllers etc.) of materials in SAP, if required.
• Support the Supply Manager and Marketing team with the maintenance of ABC/XYZ material classification in SAP.
• Develop cycle count schedules and support warehouses to implement and comply.
• Streamline inventory procedures and implement best practices to enhance operational efficiency.
• Collaborate with warehouse employees and other staff to ensure business goals are met.
• Provide training and guidance to team members, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to integrate inventory management with other business processes.
• Prepare regular reports for management, highlighting key performance indicators and suggesting areas for optimization.
• Monitoring and managing of slow and obsolete (SLOBS) materials which includes write-off and scrapping of product.
• Analyze inventory data to identify trends, potential issues, and areas for improvement.
• Identify and mitigate potential risks related to inventory, such as obsolescence, expiration, or damage.
• Participate in Material Master Clean-up projects.
• Actively be involved in scoping and executing critical improvement projects within the supply chain in order to improve the overall supply chain performance of the organisation.
• Manage and implement adhoc requests and projects from Management.
• All such duties and/or activities assigned by management/board as and when required.