Supply Planning Manager - South Africa

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.