Operations/Planning Manager Europe

A world leader in innovative casual footwear for men, women and children, the company offers several distinct shoe collections, also for the professional market. As lighthearted as they are lightweight, the footwear provides profound comfort and support for any occasion and every season.

All products are sold in 90 countries. Every day, millions of the shoe lovers around the world enjoy the exceptional form, function, versatility and feel-good qualities of these shoes while at work, school and play.

The position

The Operations Planning Manager is responsible for leading the Sales Operations Department, accountable for the flow of timely, accurate and actionable business information to sales channels, supply chain, and local and regional management teams. Responsible for execution of and continued development of S&OP and forecasting processes throughout Europe, and developing analytical tools and  to ensure profitable revenue growth and cost efficient management of the supply chain.

The Operations Planning Manager reports directly to the Senior Director Supply Chain & Sales Operations Europe.

Key responsibilities

S&OP Process

Accountable for development, maintenance, and evaluation of the S&OP Process for Europe and to ensure Global requirements are also met. Accountable to drive the regional S&OP process and for on time delivery of accurate Sales and Purchasing forecasts for Europe as part of monthly global S&OP process. Liaise with Country and HQ teams to analyze impact of plans to overall business strategy for Europe region. 

Sales Analysis and Reporting

Development and maintenance of Sales reports using Cognos, MS Excel, MS Access, or other Sales related systems or software. Create sell thru analysis programs and improve response times to achieving in-seasons sales goals. Comparison of sell-through between Wholesale, Retail, and Internet channels. Coordinate reporting between channels to improve information flow on product sales. Measure success of specific product or marketing strategies. Support pre/post mortem of seasonal performance & sku/style rationalization exercise.

Inventory Analysis and Reporting

Monitor and report on inventory in order to: ensure sufficient supply of key products to achieve forecasted plans, minimize slow-moving excess inventory, and maximize inventory turns. Identify root causes of excess inventory and maintain disposition and action plans for reduction of excess inventory.

KPI’s and Performance Evaluation

Accountable for the development of KPI’s and dashboards or other reporting tools to facilitate the evaluation and analysis of the performance of the different Sales Channels, Supply Chain Functions, or other areas as designated by Management. On time delivery of required standard reporting packages for Sales and Operations as needed.

Forecasting Process

Responsible for maintenance and development of forecasting processes and methodologies in order to continuously drive improvements to the accuracy of the forecast and the efficiency of the S&OP process. This includes demand plans from the sales channels as well as inventory and purchasing forecasting of the operational teams. Benchmarking and best practice implementation of tools and process related to forecasting.

Staff Performance

Recruit, manage, train, assess and motivate direct reporting staff according to company procedures, policy and employment law. 

Candidate profile

• Understanding of planning and inventory management
• Forecasting experience 
• Strong preference for footwear or fashion/apparel industry experience.
• Evidence of leadership and people management
• Strong organizational skills and a track record of developing / managing processes in a fast growing business

Specific expertise 

• S&OP process
• Demand Forecasting tools and software
• Master degree preferred, BA required
• Solid international experience- comfort level with different cultures, languages,etc.

Salary indication

€115.000 OTE + car and usual secondary benefits.

Interesting?

You can apply to this position by using the form below.