Inventory Leader - Value Chain Management (m/f/d) - 884353/1

For our international client we are looking for an Inventory Leader - Value Chain Management (m/f/d).

Duration: 24 months (possibility of extension)

Location: Spain (Alicante or Barcelona) or Poland (Warsaw)

Workload: 100%

Hybrid role

Purpose of the role

• Ensure inventory, DRP, replenishment, material master data and daily operational processes are followed, and act as the subject matter expert for global standards.
• Lead cross-functional daily management and escalations to protect service, production continuity, cash flow and inventory health.
• Drive Materials Management improvement programs using SAP, data warehouse insights, analytics, Lean and Six Sigma continuous improvement methods.
• Drive Launch Material Readiness at the DCs
• Support Ad-Hoc Information Requests

Responsibilities

• Ensure global inventory management processes are followed and act as the SME for SAP-enabled inventory, DRP, replenishment and material master data standards.
• Facilitate daily Supply Chain Operations management meetings, including preparation of inventory and shortage inputs, documentation of decisions, action tracking and escalation follow-up.
• Manage shortage escalations by assessing root cause, potential shortage impact, customer/service risk and production risk, then coordinating mitigation actions with Planning, Manufacturing, Procurement, Customer Service, Quality, Finance and regional Materials Managers.
• Coordinate raw material and production allocation decisions when demand/supply constraints require prioritization across plants, markets, customers or product families.
• Review, challenge and approve scrapping requests for obsolete, surplus or non-conforming inventory in line with finance, quality and inventory governance requirements.
• Work closely with Regional Materials Managers to develop and execute annual inventory plans that support service, business cash flow and risk objectives.
• Manage and continuously improve global Materials Management dashboards and ad hoc reporting, including DC inventory coverage, potential shortage impact, inventory risks/opportunities and monthly supply chain variance analysis.
• Use SAP, data warehouse and other reporting tools to support demand netting, multi-plant DRP, replenishment decisions, scenario analysis and root-cause analysis.
• Build and lead communities of practice and indirectly influence cross-functional stakeholders without formal authority to sustain global inventory standards and drive adoption.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business Administration, Finance, Engineering or relevant field.
• Training in inventory management, supply chain planning, Lean/Six Sigma problem solving or equivalent practical experience.
• Master’s degree or APICS CPIM/CSCP certification (nice to have).
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt / Black Belt; additional data analytics or project management training (nice to have).

Work experience

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a global or regional supply chain, materials management, inventory management or planning role.
• SAP experience in inventory, planning or replenishment processes.
• Understanding of multi-plant DRP networks and manufacturing environments (GC, DC, OC) for demand netting and replenishment.
• Hands-on experience with inventory management, shortage escalation, raw material/production allocation and replenishment execution.
• Data warehouse experience and ability to use reporting data to support business decisions.
• Solid understanding of Material Master Data and it’s impact on operations
• Lean and Six Sigma continuous improvement experience.
• Experience with PFEP deployment, Kanban and pull-based replenishment (nice to have).
• Experience with global standards deployment, training and cross-regional process governance (nice to have).

Personal competencies

• Strong analytical skills and ability to think strategically across the end-to-end value chain.
• Structured problem-solving mindset with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritize under pressure and make fact-based recommendations during shortage or allocation situations.
• Strong ownership, follow-through and results orientation.
• Scenario planning and risk/opportunity management capabilities (nice to have).

Social competencies

• Indirect leadership and influencing skills.
• Skills and experience with leading without authority across functions and regions.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with training, presentations and deployment of global standards.
• Internal networking skills and community-building capabilities.
• Conflict management and negotiation skills in high-priority supply situations (nice to have).

Leadership competencies

• Functional leadership experience in cross-functional projects, communities of practice or daily management routines.
• Ability to align stakeholders, clarify decisions and follow up actions across planning, manufacturing, procurement, finance, quality, customer service and regional teams.
• Direct people leadership experience (nice to have).

Professional competencies

• Inventory Management, Inventory Entitlement and replenishment expertise.
• SAP, Data Warehouse and reporting experience; knowledge of BW, SAP or IRIS as reporting tools.
• Understanding of multi-plant DRP, demand netting, manufacturing constraints and replenishment logic.
• Material Master Data Management and planning parameter governance.
• Advanced analytical skills and ability to translate data into actionable inventory decisions.
• Proficient with Microsoft Excel, including advanced pivot tables and macros.
• Lean and Six Sigma continuous improvement methods.
• Power BI, SQL, Looker or equivalent analytics/reporting tool experience (nice to have).
• Knowledge of SAP S/4HANA or advanced planning tools (nice to have).

Languages

• English: Excellent
• German (nice to have)

IT skills

• MS Office, advanced Excel, SAP R/3 or equivalent SAP ERP, SAP BW / Business Warehouse or other data warehouse/reporting environment.
• Power BI, IRIS, SQL/Looker or other visualization and analytical tools (nice to have).

Further requirements

• Ability to travel internationally as required and work across time zones with global and regional stakeholders.
• APICS CPIM/CSCP certified and/or Lean Six Sigma certified (nice to have).