Supply Planner

Job Title: Home Care Supply Planner

Business Function: Supply Chain, Planning

Location: Port Sunlight Factories

JOB PURPOSE

The role of Supply Planner is to deliver customer service requirements through the creation and completion of the supply plan, short term line scheduling and raw/pack material call off, in the most efficient way. 

The purpose of the Supply Planner role is to deliver a high level of customer service, whilst balancing inventory and optimising costs across the end-to-end supply chain network.

RESPONSIBILITIES

In this role the Supply Planner will support the SC Planning Leader and SC Planning Manager to execute, improve and co-ordinate various specific Planning tasks across all Port Sunlight Home Care factories to ensure Service Levels are met.  This includes a Unilever Sulphonation Plant, Distribution Centre, and a third-party bottle supplier supplying the UK HPC Factories.

Key aspects of the role include, but are not limited to:

1. Production Scheduling - Short-term detailed line scheduling and creation of weekly production plans. Creation of a medium-term master production schedule for a group of packing lines.

Creation of daily production forecasts as well as Prov1 and Prov2 forecasts to align HC factory output with DC expectations and requirements.  

2. Material Planning - Responsible for forecasting and calling-off raw and packaging materials in line with production plans and managing material flows into the factory while managing overall stock levels.

3. Innovation Planning - Responsible for planning the flow of new products and materials into the sourcing units, and the phasing out of de-listed products and materials. Management of new projects/innovations including obsolescence and write-offs.

4. Customer Service and Inventory Management - Reporting and forecasting of supply chain service metric data and project / WCM support.

5. Stakeholder Management - Communicating to key stakeholders when making important decisions that will impact product and customer service. Escalating and requesting support when needed. 

The key responsibilities for the Supply Planner are as follows:

• Co-ordinating all supply activities within the SU Planning team.
• Understanding and use of SAP APO in support of planning activities.
• Understanding and use of SAP S1P for managing all supply planning transactions.
• Executing the agreed production plans and line schedules for the Sourcing Unit.
• Liaise with stakeholders for short-medium term planning issues.
• Developing effective run strategies that balance customer service, inventory and cost.
• Adapting to plan changes e.g. incremental volume opportunities from MSO or category planners when they arise.
• Undertaking Kaizen activities to support improvements in customer service, output reliability and stock reduction.
• Being an active member of the UMS Customer Service & Agility Pillar.
• Supporting the plans (and managing downtime) for innovation change, including main plant trials.
• Assisting the coordination of obsolete provisions with category planning managers.
• Assisting the Planning team in the management of obsoletes and write-offs.
• Champion new ways of working. Including identifying and implementing best practise, aligning ways of working, particularly with plan excellence community to drive efficient and effective planning through digital and automation programmes.
• Develop capability of self and Planning team through upskilling, training and development plans.

Safety

• Ensure company safety policy, rules, and procedures are understood and always followed, encouraging everyone to behave safely and challenging unsafe behaviour.
• Actively contribute to a safe working environment and culture by identifying and reporting health or safety hazards and dangerous situations involving Unilever personnel, site contractors, third parties, and visitors.
• Participate in regular inspections/audits for good housekeeping and area safety, ensuring agreed actions are completed.

Quality

• Take immediate actions to rectify supply impact of quality issues as required.
• Support Quality team with affected stock identification, status, and retrieval, as required. 

Customer Service

The impact of the Supply Planner’s decisions will be felt quickly; therefore, an immediate response is required to address any issues which may arise.

The Supply Planner will need to:

• Anticipate and react quickly to problems in order to avoid impact to customer service.
• Escalate issues in a timely manner, where needed.

Cost

Identify improvements in materials and supply planning to reduce Cost, Waste and Energy.

Problem Solving

A proactive response to problem solving is essential to avoid service losses and to ensure the general smooth running of the operation.

Training and Development

• Ensure all relevant skills are displayed on team skills matrix.
• Take ownership to close skills gaps identified by the skills matrix by arranging and completing training activities.
• Seek feedback from others to further development of own skills and raise standards.
• Embrace training and development of the full team, supporting other team members where appropriate.
• When appropriate and relevant to your skillset, assist in training of new team members.

Change

In this role the Supply Planner will need a proactive and collaborative attitude to change, including short notice planning changes to meet customer requests.

The Supply Planner will:

• Identify improvement opportunities that benefit the business and reduce costs.
• Drive best practices in safety, quality and Customer Service by implementing efficient processes and collaborating with colleagues.
• Participate in change initiatives, such as new installations and trials. Track successes and failures where needed to provide feedback on successes and challenges. Support team members to ensuring smooth ramp-up and procedural changes for all.
  

ALL ABOUT YOU

Essential:

• GCSEs A-C or equivalent in Maths, English and Science or other.
• Strong planning and operational skills, or a strong attitude to planning (foresight, accuracy, attention for detail).
• Basic financial skills.
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills are needed.
• Ability to structure complex subjects and are interested in analysing interdependencies.
• Strong analytical, prioritisation and organisational skills including managing late plan changes within tight timescales.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills including some stakeholder management.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable:

• Experience in a manufacturing or a technical environment (FMCG).
• Previous SAP (S1P and APO) experience.
• PowerBI knowledge.
• Transformation and Project management experience & skills.
• Relevant previous experience in Supply Chain functions with experience in at least 2 areas from MSO/SU/Procurement/Logistics/Operations.

The ideal candidate for this role displays the 4 Unilever behaviours in their work:

Focus on what counts: Prioritise tasks that directly impact the safety, quality, performance and efficiency of the distribution process.  Do whatever is within their control to understand the root cause of a problem and proactively take steps to fix it.

Deliver with excellence: Strive for high standards in all aspect of work. Owning the responsibility to complete tasks in full and on time to maximise operational efficiency. Continuously look for ways to improve and suggest ways to remove non-value adding activities.

Stay 3 steps ahead: Anticipate potential issues before they arise and prepare in advance for foreseeable activities.  Be proactive in finding safer and faster ways of working to help the factory stay ahead of the competition. Be prepared for any disruptions, ensuring minimal downtime and smooth operations.

Care deeply: Show genuine concern for the well-being of colleagues, consumers and customers. Respectfully calling out any behaviour that could put safety, quality or efficiency at risk.  Be open to giving and receiving feedback enabling everyone to work at their best every day. 

By integrating these qualities, you not only embody the desired behaviours but also contribute to a more efficient, responsible, and supportive work environment.

CONTACTS

Effective communication and collaboration are essential skills for this role.  The Supply Planner will regularly interact with multi-functional teams, including:

• Safety, Quality, Operations, and Engineering teams.
• Category Planning and SC Planning teams.
• Site Management team.

• Site Visitors, Suppliers and Customers.
• The UK Distribution Centre, other UK and EU DCs, Unilever HC SUs, hauliers, and third-party teams.

What We Offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all. 

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Unilever | Unilever.

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