Job Vacancies at Mars

Job Description:

Supply Planning Manager – Mars Snacking Johannesburg, South Africa

• As a Supply Planning Manager at Mars, you would be responsible for ensuring product availability through effective production planning, monitoring actual production, and communicating supply commitments across markets.
• Acting as a collaborative leader within our Mars Snacking segment, you will manage finished goods, raw materials, and packaging inventory while leading and supporting our Material Planner to ensure seamless material availability and alignment with production requirements.

What are we looking for?

• A Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• Ideally, you'll have a minimum of 5–7 years’ relevant experience in supply planning, production planning, and inventory management within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of Material Requirements Planning (MRP), ERP systems, and inventory optimization techniques.
• Excellent analytical, communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills to effectively guide team members and collaborate across functions.

What would be your key responsibilities?

• Production Planning & Follow-Up: Develop and maintain production plans based on market demand, capacity, and materials, while monitoring actual production against plans to coordinate corrective actions and minimize disruptions.
• Market Supply Communication: Act as the key contact to communicate supply availability, production delays, constraints, and delivery timelines to markets to ensure alignment on supply commitments.
• Inventory & Material Management: Manage finished goods, raw materials, and packaging inventory to maximize availability while minimizing excess stock, obsolescence, and expiry risks, and support the Material Planner in requirements and replenishment.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Manufacturing, Procurement, Demand Planning, Warehousing, and Commercial teams to resolve supply issues, optimize inventory, and improve planning processes.
• Performance Tracking: Monitor key metrics, including production plan adherence, service levels, inventory coverage, material availability, and supply plan reliability.

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Job Description:

Material Planner – Mars Snacking Johannesburg, South Africa

• As a Material Planner at Mars Snacking, you will be responsible for ensuring the continuous availability of Raw & Pack Materials to our South Africa Plant in line with demand requirements and stock cover policies.
• In this role, you will be fully responsible for planning, controlling, and managing pipeline stock levels - whether at the supplier, in transit, or on-site. You will act as a crucial link connecting production, planning, and procurement to drive efficiency and optimize our supply chain.

What are we looking for?

• A Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Industrial/Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field.
• 3 to 5 years of experience in material planning, production planning, supply chain, inventory management, or procurement within a manufacturing environment.
• Practical, hands-on experience with Material Requirements Planning (MRP), material availability monitoring, and production schedule support.
• Strong proficiency with ERP systems for planning and inventory management, preferably SAP S/4HANA or SAP ECC (specifically SAP PP and MM modules).
• A collaborative mindset with excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills to navigate supply chain complexities.

What would be your key responsibilities?

• Pipeline & Stock Management: Maintain Raw & Pack materials stock within target ranges to ensure high flexibility and production availability while actively managing risks and costs (e.g., freight, freshness, and obsolete inventory).
• Supplier & Commercial Partnership: Develop deep knowledge of supplier profiles and capabilities to collaborate effectively with commercial buyers on contracts, performance, and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• System Key User Support: Serve as the Inbound Key User for ATLAS, supporting system needs, working closely with site experts, and driving local process improvements.
• Proactive Communication & Escalation: Establish structured ways of working with production planners and buyers, providing clear KPI projections and timely escalation of risks or opportunities.
• Continuous Improvement: Initiate and execute optimization and continuous improvement projects to enhance overall operational efficiency and customer service.