Planning & Inventory Manager

Recruitpartners; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Recruitpartners in Gauteng seeks a hands-on Planning & Inventory Manager who can keep production moving, control stock levels and ensure warehouse operations run smoothly. You will link production planning, inventory, purchasing and warehouse functions to meet customer demand while avoiding excess stock.

You will balance capacity, demand and costs, monitor KPI reports, and drive continuous improvement across planning, inventory, and warehouse activities in a fast-paced FMCG environment.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Inventory Management, Operations Management or a related field.
• APICS and/or CPIM certification would be advantageous.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in production/manufacturing, planning, inventory and supply chain roles, ideally within an FMCG environment.
• Experience working with customers and a sound understanding of the demands of a fast-paced manufacturing operation.
• Exposure to international audit requirements and inventory controls.
• Proven leadership and people-management skills, with a track record of driving continuous improvement and delivering measurable results.
• Strong production planning, scheduling, inventory management and demand forecasting capabilities.
• Experience with SAP and other planning tools, with the ability to use data and reporting to drive sound operational decisions.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to manage costs, assess suppliers and make sensible purchasing decisions.
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to spot potential issues before they disrupt the production line.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills, with the ability to juggle competing priorities, manage multiple stakeholders and keep everyone aligned.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach and the confidence to challenge inefficient processes and find better ways of doing things.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage short- and long-term production plans in SAP, balancing customer demand, production capacity, inventory targets and operational constraints.
• Prepare, communicate and monitor production schedules, ensuring plans are distributed on time and production stays on track.
• Monitor production plan adherence, ATP and SKU-level MPS performance, highlighting constraints and working with plant leadership to resolve capacity challenges.
• Maintain visibility of production workloads over a rolling 52-week period, helping the business plan ahead rather than firefighting at the last minute.
• Manage inventory levels to ensure stock is available when needed, while reducing excess, slow-moving and obsolete inventory (SLOB).
• Forecast inventory requirements, contribute to annual inventory budgets, investigate variances and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain accurate inventory records and support audit requirements, internal controls and effective stock-management processes.
• Prepare and communicate KPI reports covering service levels, production adherence, losses, efficiency and inventory performance.
• Monitor finished-goods SLOB and potential write-offs, coordinate new product introductions and discontinuations, and maintain an up-to-date write-off tracker.
• Work closely with production teams to monitor Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), improve production stability and support efficient, lean manufacturing practices.
• Identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives across planning, inventory, purchasing and warehouse operations, with a focus on productivity, efficiency and total factory cost.
• Coordinate sourcing and purchasing of raw materials, packaging and components, ensuring materials are available when production needs them.
• Oversee warehouse activities, including raw material movements, workflows, staffing, storage space and the effective use of equipment and resources.
• Collaborate with Planning, Scheduling, Distribution, Procurement, Finance, Quality Assurance, Research and Development, customers and other stakeholders to keep operations running smoothly.
• Analyse performance data, identify root causes, implement action plans and coach team members to continuously improve their planning, inventory and capacity management skills.

Job description

Planning & Inventory Manager | Gauteng

Our cient is looking for a hands-on, commercially minded Planning & Inventory Manager who knows how to keep production moving, stock levels under control and the warehouse running like a well-oiled machine. You will be the person connecting the dots between production planning, inventory, purchasing and warehouse operations, ensuring customer demand is met without filling the factory with stock nobody needs. Working with SAP and other planning tools, you will balance capacity, demand, costs and inventory levels while keeping a close eye on performance. If you enjoy solving problems before they become full-blown production dramas, finding smarter ways of working and getting different teams pulling in the same direction, this could be perfect for you!

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage short- and long-term production plans in SAP, balancing customer demand, production capacity, inventory targets and operational constraints.

• Prepare, communicate and monitor production schedules, ensuring plans are distributed on time and production stays on track.

• Monitor production plan adherence, ATP and SKU-level MPS performance, highlighting constraints and working with plant leadership to resolve capacity challenges.

• Maintain visibility of production workloads over a rolling 52-week period, helping the business plan ahead rather than firefighting at the last minute.

• Manage inventory levels to ensure stock is available when needed, while reducing excess, slow-moving and obsolete inventory (SLOB). Because stock sitting around doing nothing is not exactly a winning strategy!

• Forecast inventory requirements, contribute to annual inventory budgets, investigate variances and implement corrective actions.

• Maintain accurate inventory records and support audit requirements, internal controls and effective stock-management processes.

• Prepare and communicate KPI reports covering service levels, production adherence, losses, efficiency and inventory performance.

• Monitor finished-goods SLOB and potential write-offs, coordinate new product introductions and discontinuations, and maintain an up-to-date write-off tracker.

• Work closely with production teams to monitor Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), improve production stability and support efficient, lean manufacturing practices.

• Identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives across planning, inventory, purchasing and warehouse operations, with a focus on productivity, efficiency and total factory cost.

• Coordinate sourcing and purchasing of raw materials, packaging and components, ensuring materials are available when production needs them.

• Oversee warehouse activities, including raw material movements, workflows, staffing, storage space and the effective use of equipment and resources.

• Collaborate with Planning, Scheduling, Distribution, Procurement, Finance, Quality Assurance, Research and Development, customers and other stakeholders to keep operations running smoothly.

• Analyse performance data, identify root causes, implement action plans and coach team members to continuously improve their planning, inventory and capacity management skills.

Key Requirements:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Inventory Management, Operations Management or a related field.

• APICS and/or CPIM certification would be advantageous.

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in production/manufacturing, planning, inventory and supply chain roles, ideally within an FMCG environment.

• Experience working with customers and a sound understanding of the demands of a fast-paced manufacturing operation.

• Exposure to international audit requirements and inventory controls.

• Proven leadership and people-management skills, with a track record of driving continuous improvement and delivering measurable results.

• Strong production planning, scheduling, inventory management and demand forecasting capabilities.

• Experience with SAP and other planning tools, with the ability to use data and reporting to drive sound operational decisions.

• Commercial awareness and the ability to manage costs, assess suppliers and make sensible purchasing decisions.

• Strong analytical, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to spot potential issues before they disrupt the production line.

• Excellent organisational and communication skills, with the ability to juggle competing priorities, manage multiple stakeholders and keep everyone aligned.

• A proactive, solutions-focused approach and the confidence to challenge inefficient processes and find better ways of doing things.

If you are someone who can turn production plans into action, keep inventory in check and bring people together to get the job done, we would love to hear from you. We are looking for a practical, forward-thinking leader who enjoys improving how things work and understands that great planning is about more than spreadsheets - it is about keeping the entire operation moving in the right direction. After all, the best production surprises are the ones that never happen!