Supply Chain Excellence & Productivity Lead

Kimberly-Clark; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global consumer goods company in Cape Town is looking for a Supply Chain Excellence & Productivity Lead. This role focuses on driving continuous improvements and overseeing productivity in the supply chain. Candidates should have a Bachelor's degree and at least 10 years of experience in CPG Manufacturing and Logistics, along with strong leadership and communication skills. The company supports an innovative and data-driven approach to supply chain management.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of experience in CPG Manufacturing, Transportation & Logistics.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to influence leadership.
• Exceptional interpersonal, analytical and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop productivity goals for the MEA region.
• Implement advanced analytics and digital technologies to improve operations.
• Orchestrate gross productivity ideation across the supply chain.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Problem solving

Leadership

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business Administration, Engineering

Tools

Lean

Six Sigma

Advanced analytics

Automation

Job description

Overview

Job title : Supply Chain Excellence & Productivity Lead

Job Location : Western Cape, Cape Town

Deadline : September 14, 2025

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This is a critical role within the MEA Supply Chain which encompasses the entire supply chain footprint in MEA – Plants and distribution centers. The individual will be the thought leader across supply chains to ensure we drive continuous improvements driving gross productivity across mills, supply chains, procurement and DTV. The individual is expected to bring the outside in thinking, and act as a self-driven change agent.

In this role, you will

• Develop a comprehensive mill strategy and establish three-year productivity goals for the MEA region to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of our supply chain
• Foster a culture of innovation by continuously exploring and implementing cutting-edge technologies, practices, and methodologies to drive supply chain excellence and deliver breakthrough results
• Harness the power of digital technologies to improve supply chain operations, such as implementing advanced analytics, automation, and predictive modeling to enhance decision-making – whilst upskilling the workforce
• Spearhead key initiatives to improve Gross Margin across various product categories, focusing on areas such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Conversion cost, Energy, Waste, and Manpower
• Influence and drive regional cost benchmarking strategy by conducting in-depth analyses of cost elements in collaboration with Plant operations, Transportation, Warehousing, and Customer teams.
• Manage a team of dotted line CI leaders in mill and SC to implement various productivity programs at mills, warehouses, and other operational levels, guiding them through ambiguity and empowering them to create innovative solutions for complex challenges.
• Develop problem-solving capability by leveraging industry tools, digital solutions, and methodologies, and collaborate with Engineering teams to enhance technical capabilities.
• Champion regional initiatives / programs to build World Class Manufacturing Culture in the organization (LEAN, Reliability, OPEX, LSS, Sustainability, Digital Manufacturing, Maturity Assessment, P2030).
• Drive Operational benchmarks and implement best practices for continuous improvement through application of technical knowledge, skills and capability.
• Orchestrate gross productivity ideation and activation across mill, SC, DTV and Procurement – focusing both on in-year results as well as outer year pipeline – targeting 5% of gross productivity every year.
• Full ownership of Wave as the single source of truth for gross productivity savings across the sector, ensuring data accuracy, hygiene and timeliness of data completion collaborating with functions.
• Chair monthly productivity forums to update all key stakeholders on gross productivity.
• Work closely mill finance, SC finance and business finance functions to develop a high degree of business financial acumen, providing solid inputs to ABP and Quarterly forecasts for both Gross and Net productivity.
• Build a partnership with the IFP TO Team to support the implementation of regional Lean initiatives (adopt and adapt mindset)
• Create networking channels within EM and global connections to identify opportunities, share knowledge, and utilize our global presence.

Dimensions

• Businesses : Baby Care, Feminine Care, Family care and KCP
• Organization : Manage gross productivity leads in plants and distribution network
• Scope : EM plants in GCC and South Africa, External contract mfg, MEA SC network
• Supply Chain Excellence & Productivity leader will be core member of the MEA SC leadership team
• Stakeholders to regularly interact with and influence SC VP, MEA CFO, Regional MD, Mill Managers and CS&L leaders – as well as connections to the global CI / Digital and VS teams.
• Key Metrics : Gross productivity, Cost to serve, Energy Efficiency, OEE optimization

Core role competencies

• Strategic thinker with a bias for action built on hypothesis-based approach
• Problem solving (DMAIC) and decision-making skills integrating thinking as business & supply chain owner
• Proven expertise in driving Gross Margin improvement
• Relevant leaderships skills related to taking accountability; Strong influencing skills are a prerequisite for this central role.
• Cultural and operational change management in organizations which are resistant to change
• Digital expertise and knowledge of emerging technologies in the supply chain space, such as advanced analytics, automation, and predictive modelling.
• Collaboration and relationship-building skills to influence a matrix organization
• Ability to view a complete supply chain with their interdependencies of procurement, manufacturing, distribution, DTV, planning along with capital management
• In this manufacturing role, you’ll focus on winning with consumers and the market, while putting safety, mutual respect, and human dignity at the center.

To succeed in this role, you will need the following

JOB REQUIREMENTS :

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business Administration, Engineering
• At least 10yrs of experience in CPG Manufacturing, Transportation & Logistics
• Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to influence leadership
• Exceptional interpersonal, analytical and communication skills
• Business and financial acumen with the ability to work with business stakeholders
• Strong expertise in lean, six sigma in continuous improvement
• Evidence of background of specialized knowledge / experience in the particular discipline
• Proven records of working with stakeholders in a matrix organization and cross function
• Experience across personal care categories will be an added advantage
• Store Keeping / Procurement jobs