Demand Planner - Hospital Vaccines

• Responsible for creating 24 monthly rolling demand plans for the respective business unit to provide the business with a forward outlook on revenue/profit trajectory as well as ensuring supply plan generation to service the demand plan.

Demand Plan Generation & Maintenance

• Develop the 24-monthly rolling plan through analytical forecasting, collaboration with business unit heads, brand managers, and sales, and generate and maintain a 24-month rolling forecast.
• Develop a clear set of assumptions that underpins the forward demand plan. Keep and track the assumptions in the planning log to drive the forward development of the demand plan.
• Prepare and generate Forecasts to determine and provide the latest opportunity and risks within the demand plan. Provide evidence and scenarios to support decisions and actions.
• Adopt or enhance the latest demand templates including impact on financials to support demand plan discussions.
• Coordinate forecast meetings with Sales & Marketing to highlight risks/opportunities from forecast preparation and update the latest Commercial assumptions, and action plans to derive an agreed accurate demand plan with the Sales & Marketing team.
• Coordinate portfolio optimization using the segmentation model to remove unproductive products. Account for the removals in the demand plan by establishing the write-off costs and run-down plans.
• Maintain the demand plan and track supply supportability for new product launches, accurately reflect the latest agreed plan based on launch timelines
• Maintain the demand planning systems (SAP, JE) to reflect the latest forecast, including the unconstrained plan, committed plan, and consensus plan.
• Ensure master data integrity and code updates to generate an accurate demand plan as well as a stock requirement plan to supply points.
• Translate the JE demand plan into SAP accurately and timeously to ensure forward stock supply.
• Ensure correct demand plan download to the various supply points, including SA OPS, Aspen Global, Outsource, and other 3rd parties.
• Support Demand planning leads with the preparation of Demand review (newly introduced process), including the development of a methodology to simplify the process and preparation.
• Highlight and articulate key changes to the demand plan and its impact on supply and inventory levels to the Commercial and Supply chain team through Pre-dem and demand reviews processes.
• Demand and Supply Plans for Vaccines
• Determine and draft the existing process flows for Vaccines allocations, including lead time, quantity, and planning processes
• Prepare demand and supply reconciliation based on the time frame for allocations
• Actively engage GSK to determine allocation rules and mitigate supply or excess gaps based on reconciliation.
• Support Marketing and Sales and vaccines sales planning by providing a sound demand and supply plan.

Forecasting

• Determine and implement the best-fit forecasting methodology that is relevant to the sales behavior for the business unit, specifically for life-saving medications or surgical medications
• Maintain forecasting model on JE, SAP, and Excel to ensure accurate forecast input and output.
• Establish the baseline demand for each brand with the correct SKU mix based on historical sales history.
• Create a consensus forecast for events deviating from the baseline.
• Determine the forecast variations from baseline with relevant market intelligence information discussed with the Marketing team including updates on pricing, promotion, and market penetration activities.
• Prepare relevant forecast and performance data as well as research materials to drive discussions on forward forecast adjustments from the baseline
• Create building blocks for demand and provide insights into past promotional activities through analytics and share recommendations on forecast adjustments or promotion adjustments
• Coordinate cross-functional research activities with Sales and Marketing to reconcile significant variances and refine the forecast model to reflect the latest sales and assumptions

Forecasting Performance Tracking

• Monitor forecast trends & errors. Analyse forecast accuracy and bias performance through tracking sales actually and unpacking market insights and various demand drivers
• Present the forecast accuracy at the Forecast review meeting, and agreed on the root cause and corrective actions.
• Monitoring actual sales to drive continuous improvements in consensus forecasting with marketing and sales
• Budget and Financial forecasting process (Budget, FC1, FC2)
• Generate and approve a budget demand plan with Marketing and Finance.
• Attendance of Quarterly Financial Forecasting process with Brand and Finance
• Determine key changes, and process violations to frozen period/lead time as well as highlight key differences in SKU mix, sales phasing, and assumptions from current plan vs Budget plans.
• Agree with Marketing and Finance on the unconstrained plan and plan for financial commitments.
• Load the agreed plan accurately into JE to translate into supply requirements for the various supply points.
• Analyse supply plan variation based on budget requirements and engage with supply sites to address key changes.
• Engage supply sites on constraints and recovery timing. Keep record tracking and amend system forecast and item master parameters to effect the constraining of the plan
• Engage with Finance to agree on the allocation of available stock based on constraints and business unit prioritization, as well as final codes to be used.

Supply Planning & Inventory Management

• Understand and track supply constraints and communicate effectively risks to the demand plan to the Marketing and Sales team. Short-term risks are on weekly basis and longer-term constraints are updated on monthly basis.
• Track stock supply point delivery vs actual, conduct required to follow up to ensure revenue generation
• Active participation in relevant sales and operations execution meetings with suppliers and bringing forward concerns regarding supply as well as the latest short-term changes in the sales plan. Provide front-end feedback to the supply sites on the latest demand movements, and coordinate discussions on the opportunities and risks regarding demand and supply.
• Assess stock prioritization, pull forward, and deferral requests based on sales performance and the latest agreed demand plan.
• Ensure stock holding conforms with inventory policy and investigate deviations for corrective actions. Alternatively, propose changes in safety stock holding and provide scenarios for decision-making on proposed stock holding.
• Ensure and Maintain a sufficient supply for life-saving medications or surgical medications
• Identify and review items with excess inventory and propose an action plan with the Sales and Marketing team to reduce write-off risks.
• Manage short-dated stock and drive demand shaping with Marketing considering forward demand and supply risks as well as regulatory implications.
• Minimise write-off costs on slow-moving stock or idle stock by proposing a change in stock policy or demand-shaping actions to reduce write-offs.
• Providing commentary monthly on excess and shortfall stock as well as key drivers to inventory forward.
• Explore alternative supply options including sections 21 and 36 products. Manage Section 21 supply process
• Active participation in biweekly PDCA cycle with Aspen Global and monthly Closed loop meeting to link demand movement and latest supply capabilities.
• Provide input to supply points in developing inventory strategies on existing, new and phased-out products

Other Demand Planning Activities

• Manage the process for suspended and discontinued items through engagement with Marketing and Item Master Coordinator. Drive SKU segmentation in day-to-day planning activities
• Enter and modify data and ensure the correctness of product hierarchy and master data
• Manage product phase-in and phase-out for projects with changing packaging, regulatory variations, site change, etc.
• Manage new product launches and ensure all master data has been maintained to ensure upload of stock and demand.
• Generating new codes at distributors for new launches
• Ensure the Aspen item master is updated in line with GSK/Supplier Product Information List (where applicable)
• Parameters are reviewed and revised when necessary with specific reference to Safety Stock, Replenishment Cycles, and Lead times

Continuous Improvements

• Conduct ad hoc analytics required to improve forecast accuracy performance
• Support demand planning lead with defining the new process, building templates, and system streamlining to adopt new systems and implement the latest business requirements on integrated business planning
• Support Planning Leads with Onboarding of new planners with training templates and SOPs
• Supporting planning-related projects, and system upgrades/transitions. Including embedding SAP for SA Commercial, UPD, and SA Operation with UAT testing and defining new operational process flows.
• Support implementation of new Integrated Planning system (Kinaxis) and Power BI Dashboards
• Support IT to resolve any system integration and data interface issues that may impact planning activities

Skills And Attributes

• Skills and Attributes:
• Effective planning, organising, and coordinating
• Highly numerate with excellent analytical skills
• Strong capabilities in logical reasoning
• Results driven
• Effective problem-solving and decision making
• Commercial and strategic awareness
• Independent and self-directed individual that can drive execution
• Influencing capabilities
• Effective interpersonal skills, the ability to communicate effectively (written and verbal) and articulate risks with an understanding of overall impact/sensitivity to the rest of the business
• Attention to detail
• Project management skills are a plus
• Ability to think strategically and innovatively around total rewards
• Data scientist experience is a plus
• Ability to apply demand planning principles in the existing system landscape and provide opportunities for enhancement

KNOWLEDGE

• Computer skills in MS Office
• A solid understanding of S&OP, demand and supply planning
• Deep working knowledge of ERP systems
• Deep technical knowledge of demand planning & statistical forecast
• Vast experience in demand management

Education & Experience

• Matric
• Relevant University qualification in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or Engineering
• 5+ years of experience in Demand Planning including replenishment forecasting
• Previous exposure to working with a statistical forecast is a plus
• Exposure to supply chain and S&OP is a must
• Previous experience in data science is a plus
• CPF or CPIM an advantage
• Experience in the FMCG/Pharmaceutical industries is essential
• Strong knowledge of exports/imports is essential
• Good working knowledge of ERP systems (SAP) and forecasting Tools