Regional Planning Lead (Egypt & Africa)

Job Title: Regional Planning Lead, Supply Chain, ekaterra Lipton Tea, Egypt &
Africa - (Short-term Contract) - Immediate Hire
Work Location: Egypt
About ekaterra:
With an annual turnover of around €2bn, ekaterra is the world's largest tea
business, with world-class, purpose-driven brands such as Lipton, Pukka, Tazo,
T2 and PG Tips. 'eka' is a word taken from the Sanskrit language which means
unity and one purpose, while 'terra' represents the earth and nature. As
ekaterra we are truly united in one purpose: growing a world of wellbeing
through the regenerative power of plants.

In July ‎2022, CVC Capital Partners Fund VIII took over the full ownership of
the ekaterra business from its previous owner, Unilever. As a standalone
entity with a dedicated single-category focus, ekaterra is even better
positioned to lead the tea industry, delivering higher growth and value, and a
greater impact on the wider world. With ‎11 production factories in four
continents and tea growing estates in three countries, ekaterra is a
profitable and growing business whose brands reach hundreds of millions of
consumers. It has a presence in over ‎100 countries.

Under the ownership of CVC, ekaterra has an exciting future ahead with
opportunities for increased investments in our iconic brands, our people, and
our capabilities. Combining the strength and scale of our brands with a focus
on speed and agility, ekaterra is brewing a corporate start-up mindset that's
opening-up new opportunities for its people to flourish every day.

At ekaterra, we put consumer love at the heart of every decision. We celebrate
diverse thinkers who take personal ownership to connect ideas and make
impactful things happen; people who share our values around humanity and
courage and give their commitment to nurturing the wellbeing of all. In
return, we offer a working culture that gives our people freedom and
flexibility, and where they can grow both personally and professionally to
master their field.

Be part of our amazing blend. Come and grow yourself and, in turn, help us to
grow a world of wellbeing.
Your Role
This position is responsible for supporting the planning processes of a ~$XXMM
beverage portfolio including Lipton & other brands within ekaterra. This
individual will influence and coordinate growth delivery in AMET region for
the tea business. He/she is responsible for leading the discussions and
gathering proper inputs of key business activities over next ‎6 months and
supports cross functional alignment towards both tactical and strategic
business objectives. This individual also supports key roles within the supply
chain to ensure operational effectiveness and efficiencies. ekaterra supply
planning team is looking for someone who is enthusiastic and innovative in
their approach to supply chains during this transformative time for our
business.
Your Key Tasks:
* Collaborative "bottom-up" planning with Customer Development, Brand, and Customer Supply Chain building to a rolling ‎18-month plan to meet and deliver our growth targets.
* Assist key planning activities and govern weekly and monthly processes, interacting with key business units (Brand Building, Customer Development, Sales, Customer Service, Operations) to ensure key activities are aligned and delivered.
* Manage and maintain master data elements for our portfolio to ensure system capabilities, visibility, and accuracy for cross functional processes.
* Delivery of agreed service levels across our wide customer base.
* Provide long-term inputs and insight to support our strategic team on manufacturing capabilities for the years ahead.
* Support and lead continuous business reviews on overall supply chain health. Bringing together cross functional teams to support waste and complexity reduction in the current landscape as well as supporting new item launches to ensure flawless delivery to our consumers.
* Support digitization for planning tools such as RPAs and ML. Improve productivity through automation, eliminate redundant tasks that can be applied across multiple categories.
* Support development of ekaterra processes and technologies that are fit for purpose in the digital agenda.
Skills and Experience
* Bachelor's Degree with focus in an analytical discipline (eg. Logistics, applied sciences, computer science, math, statistics, economics, operations, engineering, etc.); advanced degree a plus
* A minimum of ‎7 years' experience in operational planning, ideally demand / supply planning or customer service roles
* Knowledge of planning systems, (SAP APO) and O2C (SAP ECC) and Kinaxis Rapid Response are a plus
* Ability to analyze complex data sets, create strategic recommendations
* Advanced Excel experience required
* APICS involvement/certification a plus
* Ability to effectively communicate complex concepts in straight-forward ways to multiple levels of the organization
* Strong interpersonal skills
Who we are looking for
* A big-picture thinker, confident in taking strategic decisions that will impact culture, policy and ways of working
* To be agile and drive simple process design and continuous improvement
* Driven by innovation and strong change affinity
* Have strong communication, negotiation and influencing skills with diverse, multi-functional stakeholders
* Independent, self-starter, ability to discover opportunities and grow the business
* Must be passionate about Tea
* A passionate Networker and a natural relationship builder
Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to
drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our
diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a
diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion
across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual
bringing their 'Whole Self' to work and this includes you! Thus if you require
any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time
of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment
journey.