Regional Planning Manager
Mars
Regional Planning Manager
Mars
Global confectionery, food, and petcare company
Job Description:
Inventory Strategy & Policy Governance
· Develop and define the overall inventory strategy for the region, aligning with business objectives and market dynamics and global standards.
· Establish segmentation-based inventory policies and target-setting frameworks that balance service levels, stock exposure, and working capital.
· Guide markets and factories in applying inventory policies and planning parameters, including safety stocks, lead times, and demand forecast adjustments.
· Review mid- to long-term strategy execution and align policy changes through the regional SMR process.
Inventory Health Management & Performance Management
· Manage regional inventory reporting, dashboards, and regular performance reviews using global standard tools.
· Run analysis to manage inventory health. Analyze inventory trends and planning parameters to identify unhealthy stock, performance gaps, and emerging risks.
· Coordinate and track corrective actions with markets and factories to improve inventory health and minimize short-term stock exposure.
· Oversee inventory dashboards to track performance and identify improvement opportunities.
Inventory Optimization & Continuous Improvement
· Conduct scenario analyses and benchmarking to identify structural inventory improvement opportunities.
· Lead cross-market and factory inventory optimization projects, defining scope, targets, and improvement actions.
· Improve inventory efficiency and reduce excess stock while maintaining agreed service levels.
· Review and guide Markets and Factory to set key inventory parameters including safety stock targets, lead times, and Deman Forecast Adjustments.
· Lead inventory optimization projects for both markets and factory operations.
Inventory Annual Execution Plan (AEP)
· Coordinate annual inventory planning and replanning with market teams, translating regional strategy into aligned inventory targets and plans.
· Support inventory modeling to assess assumptions and align annual plans with business objectives.
Regional Demand & Supply Alignment & R-SMR
· Consolidate regional demand and supply forecasts to provide an integrated view of requirements, availability, and planning risks.
· Coordinate regular alignment with market and factory teams, highlighting gaps and facilitating actions through R-SMR.
Supply Matrix Management & Service Level Agreements for Finished Goods (FG)
· Maintain the regional supply matrix, ensuring supply-related data is accurate, validated, and current.
· Coordinate planning-related master data transitions with relevant data and system owners.
· Review and maintain finished goods SLAs with factory and market supply chain teams, ensuring coverage of co-manufacturing and other applicable supply arrangements.
Digital Enablement & Capability Development
· Lead the deployment and adoption of the Control Tower (Wit-eye) and Standard tools related to Inventory Management & Supply Matrix.
· Identify and implement automation opportunities across supply matrix maintenance and inventory reporting.
· Coordinate regional communities of practice to embed best practices and strengthen inventory management capabilities.
Mars makes confectionery, food, and petcare products and also operates pet health services through networks like Banfield, VCA, BluePearl, and Royal Canin. Its products are marketed under familiar brands such as M&M’s, Snickers, Milky Way, Skittles, Dove, Orbit, Pedigree, Royal Canin, Whiskas, and Cocoavia, sold globally to consumers and pet owners. The company differs from competitors by combining a broad, diversified portfolio with a global, family-owned structure guided by the Mars Principles (Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency, Freedom), which drives its operations and partnerships. Mars aims to help communities prosper and to grow its business while improving social and environmental outcomes, using its scale to support responsible practices across the world.
Explore more opportunities at Mars