Tactical Production Planner at The Coca-Cola Company

Job Description    

• Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) presents an exciting opportunity for a Tactical Production Planner, to join the Midrand team at CCBA. The role will report to the Production & Deployment Planning Manager. 

Key Purpose

• To drive a rolling 13-week tactical production plan that balances demand, capacity, inventory and supply risks, ensuring production readiness, product availability and effective cross-functional execution across the supply chain.

Key Duties & Responsibilities    
Key Outcome

Tactical Production Planning

• Maintain and coordinate the rolling 13-week tactical production readiness view, based on the approved master production plan, demand signals, inventory position and site execution inputs.
• Translate the approved medium-term master production plan into a 13-week tactical production view for alignment with site-based production and deployment execution.
• Review the 13-week production outlook against demand signals, inventory position, available plant capacity, known material constraints and deployment requirements.
• Identify gaps between the master production plan and site-level execution readiness.
• Ensure the 13-week view is updated, visible and aligned with relevant tactical planning/supply planning review forums.

Capacity, Inventory and Constraint Management

• Monitor projected production capacity, finished goods inventory, stock cover and supply risks over the 13-week horizon.
• Identify and escalate potential overstock, stock-out, capacity overload, under-utilisationor production feasibility risks.
• Coordinate and recommend tactical mitigation actions, including production re-phasing, volume balancing, inventory build or escalation of unresolved capacity constraints.
• Work with the Master Planner, Production and Deployment Planners, Manufacturing and Logistics to resolve short-to medium-term planning constraints.
• Provide early warning of operational risks that may impact product availability, service levels or production adherence.

Cross-Functional Planning Alignment

• Act as the central tactical planning link between Master Planning, Production and Deployment Planning, Manufacturing, Logistics, Demand Planning and Inventory teams.
• Facilitate alignment on the 13-week operational plan and ensure that planning assumptions are understood across relevant stakeholders.
• Support weekly tactical planning reviews by providing consolidated data, risk insights and recommended actions.
• Escalate unresolved constraints, trade-offs and planning risks to the Production and Deployment Planning Manager.
• Ensure that site-based Production and Deployment Planners have clear planning direction for execution.

Plan Monitoring, Reporting and Root Cause Analysis

• Track plan adherence, production feasibility, inventory risk and exception trends across the 13-week horizon.
• Analyse deviations between planned and actual production, deployment and inventory outcomes.
• Identify root causes of recurring planning failures, including capacity constraints, demand shifts, material shortages, deployment bottlenecks or master data issues.
• Produce planning reports and insights to support decision-making in operational and tactical planning forums.
• Recommend corrective actions to improve planning stability, responsiveness and execution quality.

Planning Systems, Data and Process Discipline

• Use Blue Yonder and related planning tools to maintain accurate tactical planning data and planning visibility.
• Identify and escalate planning input or parameter issues that affect the accuracy of the 13-week tactical production view.
• Ensure 13-week tactical planning data is accurate, timely and aligned across relevant systems and stakeholders.
• Support continuous improvement of tactical planning processes, reports and planning routines.
• Promote standardisedplanning practices across the Production and Deployment Planning environment.

Skills, Experience & Education    
Education

• Bachelor’s Degree or National Diploma in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management or related field.
• Postgraduate qualification or certification in Supply Chain Planning, Production Planning or Integrated Business Planning would be advantageous.

Experience

• 5+ years’ experience in supply chain planning, production planning, deployment planning, manufacturing planning or operational planning.
• Experience in FMCG, manufacturing, logistics or a multi-site production environment.
• Practical experience working with production plans, inventory levels, capacity constraints and deployment requirements.
• Experience using advanced planning systems and tools.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Logistics, Demand Planning, Inventory and Commercial teams.
• Exposure to S&OE, tactical planning or supply planning review processes would be advantageous.

Skills

• Strong production and supply planning capability
• Good understanding of manufacturing capacity, production constraints and inventory management
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work with complex planning data and identify risks, patterns and exceptions
• Proficiency in planning systems and reporting tools
• Strong Excel and data interpretation skills; Power BI advantageous
• Good communication, coordination and stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability to work across multiple sites and functions
• Strong attention to detail and planning discipline
• Ability to work under pressure in a dynamic operational environment

Deadline:16rh July,2026