Supply Chain Planner at Pick n Pay Stores Limited

• Ensure the effective execution of the flow of stock through the value chain in order to achieve sales growth, availability, waste, working capital and reducing distribution costs. Integrate with cross functional stakeholders to understand strategies and targets and translate this into qualitative forecasts, sales plans and vendor orders.
• BCom Logistics/Degree in Quantitative Analytics/Operational Research/Industrial Engineering/Applied Mathematics (RPL)
• SQL (Structured Query Language), Power BI and Access advantageous
• 2 years Retail, Supply Chain or Planning experience and/or at least 1 year PnP-specific experience

COMPETENCIES:

• Analysis
• Conceptual Thinking
• Data Accuracy & Attention to Detail
• Judgement & Decision Making
• Drive
• Flexibility
• Positive, willing attitude
• Networking/Liaison
• Organisational Awareness
• Influencing
• Verbal & Written Communication
• Business Insights
• Environmental Scanning
• Prioritising Tasks
• Monitoring

Sales Plan

• Create sales plan:
• Create weekly sales plans for assigned categories using the module document and Standardised T-4 planning process.
• Consolidate all inputs required to plan for promotions, cannibalization, events, seasonal/weather/price changes, and plan accordingly.
• Use annualization trend reports to understand previous year sales base compared to current year and identify trade opportunities where there are gaps.
• Use standardised planning and reporting tools for accurate sales planning and execution
• Understanding the business sales plans and strategy and base your category forecast on these plans.
• Plan for upcoming promotions by extracting upcoming promotional information from the Adnote tool and adhering to the relevant T – 5 Promotional planning processes.
• Create a sales and execution plan for new article and seasonal launches.
• Plan for store specific nuances i.e. changing trends, revamps, new stores and for store specific events communicated by the Store Execution Team
• Follow the DILO & Rhythm document as set and communicated by your line manager
• Incorporate historical forecast accuracy into future planning process and numbers to drive more accurate sales planning and forecasting.
• Liaise with business on the sales plan:
• Follow a set weekly rhythm with commercial teams to understand sales strategies and agree on forecast values at T-3
• Share weekly sales plan with divisional teams and distribute agreed sales forecast numbers at T-2.
• Escalate significant differences between sales targets, commercial sales plan and the retail sales forecast.

Operational Execution

• Sales Plan Execution:
• Load forecast DIFs in SAP to ensure the system forecast reflects your category sales plan and promotional forecast.
• Follow processes and methods communicated by line management to ensure all forecast uploads are accurate.
• Ensure replenishment parameters are set correctly to reflect the sales plan and forecast accurately.
• Revise min display rules on a regular basis to ensure optimized min display settings.
• Ensure in-week forecast profiles are set correctly to accurately reflect in-week sales demand of stores and articles. Ensure that shelf life is set correctly in SAP for lines linked to assigned category.
• Ensure replenishment master data fields are set correctly for accurate and correct execution of system replenishment.

T-Action and Monitoring:

• Make use of available standardized reports and tools for daily execution and monitoring of orders and sales plans.
• Monitor orders daily to ensure order trends reflect sales plan and in-week forecast distribution.
• Track sales, waste, working capital and availability KPIs daily to ensure sales plans are executed correctly.
• Monitor sales vs forecast and adjust sales plans accordingly to ensure forecast and replenishment parameters reflect customer demand.
• Work through daily and weekly KPI exceptions (available on the story board report for fresh categories) and take action as per guidance provided by your line manager.
• Highlight and escalate any KPI or operational risks identified and work with your line manager to resolve identified issues.
• Understand root cause on high returns and implement solutions that will proactively reduce/avoid returns.
• Execute New article and/or seasonal launches in adherence with the launch process.
• Manage DC stock holding on bulk lines and take responsibility for the ordering process and maintaining target stock levels in all DC’s.
• Execute the ordering of imports stock according to the plan set by line management.
• Execute end to end promo planning process, by engaging with stakeholders and adhering to the T-5 promotional process.
• Analyse the New & Revamp store report and take action on poor availability lines.
• Resolve specific availability, sales growth or waste issues escalated by regions or the Store Execution Team (SET).
• Execute the Own-brand strategy set by line management.

Revise previous week:

• Revise previous week performance and incorporate into planning processes for current and upcoming weeks.
• Report on any post promo overstocks and escalate articles and stores requiring further action to avoid waste.
• Make use of standardised reports to tools to understand the root cause of low availability and implement solutions to proactively reduce/avoid out of stocks. Escalate root causes that is not within the control of the supply chain planning department.
• Make use of standardised reports to tools to understand the root cause of waste and implement solutions to proactively reduce/avoid excessive waste. Escalate root causes that is not within the control of the supply chain planning department.
• Escalate store stock accuracy issues to line management.

Category Profitability

• Provide input on promo & pricing strategies based on category performance and annualization
• Provide input on range based on sales, waste and profitability
• Support maximized deal price purchases by ordering more stock for promo lines during the deal price period. Only for lines where applicable Identify opportunities to increase category profitability by using a profit levers tool or something similar
• Support Vendor Growth Hurdles and strategic Buy-ins (Category Profitability) by executing the plan provided by the planning line manager.
• Understand the elements that contribute to improved category GP and work with commercial teams to achieve set targets.
• Work with commercial and store teams to plan for the effective ordering and execution of service counter/in-store departments.
• Work with commercial and logistics teams to implement ways of work that will drive increased franchisee buy-in participation.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build & maintain good working relationship with all stakeholders

Internal Stakeholders:

• Collaborate with required internal stakeholders to create accurate and realistic sales plans that reflect business, category and promotional strategies.
• Follow the commercial integration rhythm as set by your line manager.
• Communicate sales plans to the SCP DC volume management team to ensure accurate DC volume planning and execution
• Work closely with the technical team to ensure the accurate maintenance of shelf life in SAP. Ensure all quality related issues are incorporated into sales plans.
• Communicate with the SET on store specific issues and accompany them on store visits - 1 per quarter
• Work with New Product Development teams to ensure the timeous execution of new product launches.

External Stakeholders:

• Share promotional forecast with vendors as set out in the T-4 promo planning process.
• Work with vendors and commercial to understand the root cause of poor strike rate and work on solutions to proactively avoid strike rate issues.
• Liaise with vendors following a formalized Vendor Collaboration process. Act as vendor champion as and when required.

Self-Management and Teamwork

• Contribute to a positive, constructive working environment.
• Share insights with peers on improved ways of work and utilisation of reports, tools and processes.
• Ensure effective (clear and concise) communication with line manager, peers and stakeholders
• Calm self and others during stressful times and keep a positive attitude.
• Maintain positive working relationships with team members by building trust and treating them with respect.
• Take ownership and accountability for tasks and activities and demonstrate effective self-management.
• Contribute to an encouraging and motivating working environment.
• Adhere to Pick n Pay values.

Value Chain Costs

• Have a good understanding of value chain cost and income components and the role planning plays to influence these levers.
• Ensure order patterns of assigned categories conform to the required in-week order distribution set for each DC.
• Identify and escalate inefficient pack sizes
• Implement mixed lugs as and when required
• Provide input in vendor-specific projects & improvements that contribute to value chain efficiencies.
• Execute vendor collaboration and efficiency plans as set out by the planning manager.
• Execute operational plans communicated by line manager to maximize DC Margin.
• Assist with the centralization of vendors into PnP DCs.