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Döhler

Global supplier of natural food ingredients

Manager Group Inventory Management

Inventory ManagementUpdated on Nov 14
Full-timeDarmstadt, GermanyNo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

  • A university degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Operations Management, Logistics, Finance, or a comparable discipline is required.
  • At least 7 years of professional experience in Supply Chain Management, focused on inventory management, supply or demand planning, production planning, S&OP / Integrated Business Planning, logistics, or related functions is required.
  • A sound understanding of end-to-end Supply Chain processes and the interdependencies between demand, supply, production, capacity, inventory, distribution, customer service, cost, working capital, quality, and resilience is required.
  • Proven experience analyzing inventory drivers, developing improvement measures, and supporting implementation in a complex operational environment is required.
  • Experience leading cross-functional improvement initiatives and influencing stakeholders in an international matrix organization is required.
  • Strong expertise in inventory and planning KPIs, analytical methods, scenario development, root-cause analysis, and business-case preparation is required.
  • Experience with SAP S/4HANA and relevant planning or inventory-management modules is required.
  • The role requires the ability to lead through functional expertise, credibility, structured problem solving, and constructive challenge without direct operational authority.
  • The role requires the ability to mobilize stakeholders, facilitate cross-functional decisions, and drive initiatives from analysis through sustained implementation.
  • Strong analytical, strategic, and systems-thinking skills, combined with a pragmatic, hands-on, and solution-oriented approach, are required.
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills, business-fluent English, and willingness to travel internationally on a selective basis are required.

Responsibilities

  • Establish and maintain a consolidated view of global inventory performance, including inventory levels, inventory days, inventory turns, service availability, excess and obsolete inventory, aging, and other relevant indicators.
  • Analyze inventory across material groups, product portfolios, locations, regions, customers, and supply chain stages to identify risks, root causes, and improvement opportunities.
  • Develop and continuously improve the Group inventory KPI framework, reporting logic, analytical standards, and performance-review routines.
  • Identify, assess, and prioritize inventory-optimization opportunities across operational, tactical, and strategic levers.
  • Evaluate and quantify measures involving planning parameters, service policies, safety stocks, replenishment approaches, lead times, batch sizes, minimum order quantities, production strategies, network flows, sourcing models, and product lifecycles.
  • Develop scenarios, recommendations, business cases, and implementation approaches that make trade-offs between inventory, service, cost, capacity, quality, and resilience transparent.
  • Initiate and facilitate cross-functional problem solving for material inventory issues, structural drivers, and improvement opportunities.
  • Translate opportunities into pragmatic initiatives with clear owners, expected impact, milestones, risks, and dependencies, while supporting accountable teams without taking over their operational responsibilities.
  • Define and improve global inventory-management standards, methodologies, decision principles, and governance routines.
  • Integrate inventory considerations into relevant planning and decision-making processes, including S&OP / Integrated Business Planning, demand and supply planning, capacity planning, production planning, network allocation, and portfolio management.
  • Define requirements for inventory-related data, reporting, analytics, master data, planning parameters, and system improvements in cooperation with relevant process owners.
  • Prepare clear management reports and decision materials, promote best-practice sharing across regions and plants, and escalate material risks or unresolved trade-offs through the appropriate governance forums.

Desired Qualifications

  • Knowledge of SAP IBP, advanced planning and scheduling solutions, or reporting platforms is advantageous.
  • Industry experience in Food & Beverage, Ingredients, FMCG, process manufacturing, or a comparable environment is advantageous.
  • German language skills are advantageous.

About the Company

Döhler

Global supplier of natural food ingredients

Döhler is a global supplier of natural ingredients for the food and beverage industry. Its products include natural colors, specialty ingredients, flavoring compounds, and fruit preparations that manufacturers use to color, flavor, and shape the texture of foods and drinks. Döhler’s offerings work by providing ready-to-use ingredients and formulations that integrate into food and beverage production, helping brands achieve consistent taste, appearance, and mouthfeel. The company differentiates itself through a long, private family history dating back to 1838, a steady strategy of growth via acquisitions, and a global footprint, reinforced by a 2024 strategic partnership with a major international ingredient supplier. Its goal is to be a leading global provider of natural ingredient solutions for the food and beverage industry, supporting manufacturers from formulation to finished products.

Company size
1,001-5,000
Company stage
Not listed
Total funding
Not listed
Headquarters
Darmstadt, Germany
Founded
1838

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