Director - Supply Chain and Demand Planning

Talabat; Dubai; On-site; AED 480,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

talabat in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is seeking a Director - Supply Chain and Demand Planning to lead end-to-end planning, forecasting, inventory, and logistics for tMart UAE. You will align forecasting, replenishment, warehousing, transportation, and network capacity to maximize product availability and GMV growth.

The role demands 8–12 years of experience across Demand Planning, Supply Chain, and Logistics, with a track record in transformation, analytics, and 3PL partnerships.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of experience across Demand Planning, Supply Chain, Logistics, or related fields.
• Proven leadership of multifunctional supply chain teams.
• Strong financial acumen and working capital understanding.
• Experience with transformation, automation, and systems implementation.
• Excellent communication with senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end demand forecasting across all tMart UAE categories and sales channels.
• Establish forecasting accuracy and product availability as core business measures.
• Improve replenishment strategies to reduce out-of-stock while controlling excess inventory.
• Manage inventory health and Days on Hand targets across stores and DCs.
• Optimize stock allocation based on demand, capacity, availability, and priorities.
• Lead analytics, AI, and Intelligent Demand Planning tools to improve forecast quality.
• Monitor On-Time Delivery, logistics costs, and service levels; drive improvements.

Skills

Supply chain leadership

Demand planning

Demand forecasting

Forecast accuracy

Inventory planning

Inventory optimization

Replenishment strategy

Product availability

Days on Hand

Warehouse operations

Transportation management

Network optimization

3PL management

Grocery supply chain

AI-enabled forecasting

Job description

Director - Supply Chain and Demand Planning Job Snapshot Role: Director - Supply Chain and Demand Planning Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Industry: Grocery Function: Supply Chain Experience: 8-12 years Job Type: Full-time Position Overview Director - Supply Chain and Demand Planning in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a Grocery leadership opportunity focused on demand forecasting, inventory optimization, warehouse operations, transportation, network design, working capital, and supply chain transformation. talabat is hiring an experienced supply chain leader to oversee end-to-end planning and logistics for tMart UAE, improving product availability, reducing operational costs, strengthening inventory health, and supporting profitable GMV growth. Job Details Country: United Arab Emirates City: Dubai Industry: Grocery Function: Supply Chain Salary: 40000-60000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full-time

Role Context

The Director - Supply Chain and Demand Planning will hold end-to-end responsibility for the planning and physical supply chain supporting tMart UAE. The position brings Demand Planning and Supply Chain under one leadership structure, creating tighter alignment between forecasting, replenishment, inventory, warehousing, transportation, and network capacity. The role has direct influence on product availability, customer experience, waste, logistics cost, working capital, free cash flow, and profitability. It requires a leader who can design scalable operating models while remaining close enough to day-to-day performance to identify bottlenecks and drive corrective action quickly.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end demand forecasting across all tMart UAE categories and sales channels.
• Establish forecasting accuracy and product availability as core business performance measures.
• Improve replenishment strategies to reduce out-of-stock situations while controlling excess inventory.
• Manage inventory health and Days on Hand targets across stores and distribution centers.
• Optimize stock allocation based on demand, capacity, availability, and commercial priorities.
• Introduce advanced analytics, AI, and Intelligent Demand Planning tools to improve forecast quality.
• Balance service levels, inventory investment, shrinkage, waste, and profitability.
• Partner with Commercial, Operations, and Inventory teams to anticipate demand changes and capacity requirements.
• Build forward-looking inventory plans that support campaigns, assortment changes, and business growth.
• Own the design and continuous optimization of the UAE supply chain network.
• Evaluate warehouse, store, cross-dock, and transportation flows to improve cost and service performance.
• Optimize transportation routes, fleet utilization, truck capacity, and delivery frequency.
• Review transport contracts and commercial structures to improve cost efficiency.
• Identify opportunities to reduce logistics expenditure without compromising fill rates or service levels.
• Lead warehouse optimization programs covering productivity, capacity, automation, and process design.
• Map new operational flows as the business expands into additional locations or higher volumes.
• Serve as the senior operational owner for warehouse and transportation 3PL relationships.
• Monitor third-party logistics performance against contractual service requirements.
• Track On-Time Delivery, damage rates, service compliance, fill rates, and cost efficiency.
• Lead performance reviews with external logistics providers and drive structured improvement plans.
• Maintain high inventory accuracy through reconciliation between warehouse systems and operational platforms.
• Oversee cycle count programs across distribution centers and tMart stores.
• Strengthen inventory control processes to minimize discrepancies, shrinkage, and valuation errors.
• Ensure Standard Operating Procedures are consistently followed across supply chain activities.
• Improve storage density, slotting, space utilization, and stock positioning.
• Monitor inventory valuation and support accurate financial reporting of stock positions.
• Develop and continuously improve SOPs covering planning, warehousing, transportation, inventory, and replenishment.
• Lead supply chain innovation initiatives using technology, automation, and data-driven decision-making.
• Introduce relevant external best practices that improve scalability and operational productivity.
• Build proactive planning capabilities that identify future constraints before they affect service.
• Lead large-scale transformation and systems implementation programs across the supply chain.
• Establish clear business cases for automation, process redesign, and network investments.
• Lead and develop Supply Chain and Distribution Center teams across the UAE.
• Build clear accountability structures, ownership models, and succession plans.
• Establish shared OKRs that encourage cross-functional performance rather than isolated functional optimization.
• Conduct executive-level business reviews covering supply chain performance, risks, financial impact, and strategic priorities.
• Present recommendations and investment requirements to senior leadership.
• Influence stakeholders across Commercial, Finance, Operations, Technology, Inventory, and other functions.
• Resolve business-wide supply chain problems that span multiple departments.
• Ensure supply chain decisions support GMV growth, free cash flow, customer satisfaction, and long-term profitability.

Ideal Profile

Candidates should bring 8-12 years of experience across Demand Planning, Supply Chain, Logistics, Warehouse Operations, Inventory Management, or Network Optimization, with substantial leadership responsibility. Proven experience managing multifunctional supply chain organizations is essential. The successful candidate should understand how forecasting, replenishment, warehouses, transportation, inventory, stores, and third-party logistics providers interact within a complex distribution network. A strong background in demand forecasting, inventory optimization, transportation planning, warehouse operations, and supply chain network design is required. Experience managing multiple warehouses, stores, cross-docks, and 3PL partners will be especially relevant. Candidates should have demonstrated success leading transformation, automation, process redesign, or major systems implementation initiatives. Strong financial and commercial acumen is important. The role requires understanding how inventory, transportation, service levels, working capital, P&L, and cash flow interact and how operational decisions ultimately affect profitability. The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution, communicates confidently with senior executives, and can lead through ambiguity while solving problems across the wider business rather than within a single function.

Skills Set

• Supply chain leadership
• Demand planning
• Demand forecasting
• Forecast accuracy
• Inventory planning
• Inventory optimization
• Replenishment strategy
• Product availability
• Days on Hand
• Stock allocation
• Working capital management
• Grocery supply chain
• Quick commerce operations
• Warehouse operations
• Distribution center management
• Transportation management
• Network optimization
• Supply chain network design
• Route optimization
• Truck utilization
• Cross-dock operations
• Third-party logistics
• 3PL management
• Logistics contract management
• On-Time Delivery
• Fill rate optimization
• Damage rate reduction
• Inventory accuracy
• Inventory reconciliation
• Cycle counting
• Inventory controls
• Warehouse automation
• Space utilization
• Stock positioning
• Inventory valuation
• Standard Operating Procedures
• SOP development
• Continuous improvement
• Supply chain transformation
• Supply chain technology
• Intelligent Demand Planning
• AI-enabled forecasting
• Advanced analytics
• Systems implementation
• Operational excellence
• Cost optimization
• Free cash flow
• P&L management
• Financial forecasting
• Strategic planning
• Executive reporting
• OKR management
• Team leadership
• Succession planning
• Stakeholder management

Why Join Us

Supply chain leadership in rapid grocery delivery sits directly at the intersection of customer experience, product availability, capital efficiency, logistics economics, and business growth. This role offers significant ownership over the systems and operating decisions that determine how effectively tMart UAE can scale. At talabat, the position provides exposure to large-scale demand planning, complex distribution networks, warehouse automation, AI-supported forecasting, transportation optimization, 3PL management, and supply chain transformation. The scope offers a strong platform for further progression into senior operations, regional supply chain, grocery leadership, or broader executive roles.

About the Company

talabat is a leading online food, grocery, and local delivery platform in the Middle East and part of the Delivery Hero Group. Through tMart and its wider marketplace operations, the company combines technology, grocery retail, logistics, supply chain, and commercial capabilities to provide fast and convenient delivery services across multiple regional markets.