Sales & Operations Manager

Job Summary

The S&OP Manager leads the end‑to‑end Sales & Operations Planning process to deliver a single, aligned plan across Demand, Supply, Finance, and Commercial. The role is accountable for balancing customer service, cost, and inventory, and for providing the leadership team with a clear, data‑driven view of risks, opportunities, and trade‑offs.

Key Responsibilities

1. S&OP Strategy and Governance

• Design, implement, and continuously improve a robust monthly S&OP cycle (demand review, supply review, pre‑S&OP, executive S&OP).
  
• Establish and maintain S&OP governance: calendar, agendas, data standards, decision rights, and escalation paths.
  
• Ensure the S&OP process is fully aligned with business strategy, budget, and long‑range plan (capacity, capex, and portfolio).
  

2. Demand Planning and Consensus

• Lead the demand planning process with Sales, Marketing, and Finance to generate a realistic, unconstrained demand plan.
  
• Challenge and validate forecasts using historical data, market intelligence, promotions, and seasonality.
  
• Facilitate consensus forecasting, ensuring one agreed demand plan is signed off and used across the business.
  
• Track forecast accuracy and bias, and drive root‑cause analysis and corrective actions.
  

3. Supply Planning and Capacity Management

• Coordinate with Manufacturing, Procurement, and Logistics to create an optimized supply plan that meets demand within capacity and cost constraints.
  
• Ensure rough‑cut capacity planning (RCCP) is in place and aligned with labour, line, and supplier capabilities.
  
• Identify and quantify supply constraints, risks, and bottlenecks, and propose mitigation scenarios (e.g., overtime, subcontracting, alternative sourcing, inventory strategies).
  
• Align medium‑ to long‑term capacity needs with capex and resource planning.
  

4. Integrated Business Planning & Financial Alignment

• Ensure the S&OP process is tightly integrated with financial planning (revenue, margin, and working‑capital targets).
  
• Provide a rolling 3–18‑month view of volume/value, highlighting gaps to budget and scenario options.
  
• Work closely with Finance to translate volume plans into financial projections and support decision‑making on trade‑offs (service vs. cost vs. cash).
  

5. Inventory and Service Optimization

• Define and maintain inventory policies (safety stock, reorder points, minimum order quantities, coverage days) for raw materials, WIP, and FG.
  
• Balance customer service levels (OTIF) against inventory and operating costs, using data‑driven segmentation (ABC/XYZ, make‑to‑stock vs. make‑to‑order, etc.).
  
• Monitor and improve key metrics: OTIF, stockouts, excess and obsolete stock (E&O), days of inventory (DOI), and expedited freight.
  

6. Data, Systems, and Analytics

• Own the data and assumptions feeding the S&OP process (historical sales, pipeline, capacities, lead times, yields, BOMs).
  
• Drive effective use and continuous improvement of planning tools (ERP/MRP, APS, demand planning software, BI dashboards).
  
• Develop and maintain dashboards and reports that provide clear visibility on demand, supply, inventory, and S&OP performance.
  
• Champion data quality and master data governance in collaboration with IT, Supply Chain, and Finance.
  

7. Stakeholder Management and Change Leadership

• Act as the central orchestrator between Commercial, Operations, Procurement, Finance, and Logistics to ensure alignment and ownership of the plan.
  
• Facilitate S&OP meetings at all levels, ensuring they are decision‑focused, time‑efficient, and supported by clear analyses.
  
• Drive a culture of accountability and transparency, where assumptions, risks, and decisions are clearly documented.
  
• Lead change management for S&OP‑related initiatives, ensuring adoption of new processes, tools, and behaviors.
  

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

Education:

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

Postgraduate degree (MBA/MSc) is an advantage; Professional Certifications (preferred)

Experience:

• 6+ years in Supply Chain, Planning, or Operations, with at least 3–5 years directly leading S&OP or integrated planning.
  
• Experience in manufacturing/FMCG/CPG or similar high‑volume, SKU‑rich environment.
  
• Proven track record improving forecast accuracy, service levels, and inventory performance.
  

Technical Skills:

• Strong knowledge of demand and supply planning concepts (MRP, DRP, RCCP, safety‑stock methods, ABC/XYZ, etc.).
  
• Hands‑on experience with ERP systems (e.g., Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics) and planning tools (APS, demand planning software).
  
• Advanced Excel and analytics skills; experience with BI tools (Power BI) is a strong plus.
  
• Comfortable building and explaining scenarios, sensitivities, and trade‑off analyses.
  

Soft Skills:

• Excellent facilitation and stakeholder management skills; able to challenge and influence senior leaders respectfully.
  
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and structured thinking abilities.
  
• Clear communication and storytelling, able to convert complex data into simple, actionable insights.
  
• High ownership, resilience, and bias for action in a fast‑changing environment.