Category Manager - Packaging (Supply & Demand Planning), Partnerships, Scommerce

About the team

The Packaging Category Manager (Supply & Planning) owns the end-to-end strategy, commercial management, and supply continuity of packaging consumables nationwide.

 

This role combines category leadership, commercial strategy, supplier governance, and supply planning oversight to ensure uninterrupted operations at optimal cost, quality, and inventory levels. The position carries full accountability for budgeting, sourcing, negotiation, market benchmarking, inventory optimization, and cross-functional alignment, while leading a distributed planning and warehouse coordination team.

What you'll do

Category Strategy & Commercial Leadership

• Own and drive the end-to-end packaging consumables category strategy.
• Lead budgeting, cost forecasting, and financial performance management of the category.
• Conduct market benchmarking and industry analysis to ensure suppliers are best-in-class in pricing, service and quality.
• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives, exploratory sourcing, and competitive bidding activities.
• Negotiate commercial terms, service levels, and long-term agreements to optimize total cost of ownership.

 

Demand & Supply Planning Ownership

• Lead demand and supply planning to ensure alignment with operational volume projections.
• Maintain optimal inventory levels across all warehouses while minimizing working capital exposure.
• Establish planning governance, controls, and forecasting accuracy standards.
• Implement proactive risk mitigation strategies to prevent stockouts and excess inventory.

 

Supplier Performance & Governance

• Lead structured business reviews and supplier performance management (KPIs, SLAs, scorecards).
• Ensure compliance with material specifications and packaging standards.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives with suppliers to enhance reliability and cost efficiency.
• Partner with Legal on contract governance and risk management.

 

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with Operational Excellence on packaging standards and material guidelines.
• Partner with FP&A on annual planning and budget tracking.
• Align with Supply & Demand Planning teams on order projections and volume trends.
• Coordinate with Local Procurement on sourcing execution and vendor onboarding.
• Work closely with warehouse teams on consumption declarations, stock accuracy, and replenishment discipline.

 

Team & Operational Leadership

• Lead two (2) Material Planners managing stock across all warehouses.
• Oversee and provide governance to Warehouse Custodians to ensure accurate inventory control, consumption reporting, and stock discipline at site level.
• Establish performance metrics, accountability frameworks, and continuous improvement practices for both planners and custodians.

 

Business Continuity & Escalation Management

• Lead emergency response during out-of-stock situations caused by vendor issues or demand volatility.
• Develop contingency sourcing and buffer strategies to ensure operational continuity.
• Act as escalation point for critical supply risks affecting warehouse operations.

 

Success Measures

• Zero or minimal stockout incidents across all warehouses.
• Optimized inventory turns and working capital efficiency.
• Competitive supplier cost positioning vs. market benchmarks.
• Strong supplier performance and contract compliance.
• High planning accuracy and disciplined warehouse stock management.
• Effective team leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Logistics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in supply chain, procurement, or category management, preferably in fast-moving consumer goods, e-commerce, logistics, or multi-warehouse operations.
• Proven track record in category management, supplier performance management, and end-to-end supply planning.
• Experience managing multi-site inventory and material requirement planning teams.
• Strong exposure to budget ownership, cost management, and commercial negotiations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects involving procurement, operations, finance, and legal teams.
• Experience in emergency stock management and business continuity planning is highly desirable
• Commercial acumen: supplier sourcing, negotiation, cost benchmarking, and market analysis.
• Analytical & planning skills: demand forecasting, inventory optimization, supply risk mitigation, and scenario modeling.
• Operational excellence: warehouse stock control, material planning, and emergency response management.
• Leadership & people management: ability to lead planners and warehouse custodians, set KPIs, and drive performance.
• Cross-functional collaboration: works effectively with finance, legal, operational excellence, procurement, and warehouse teams.
• Communication skills: clear, concise, and persuasive in reporting to senior management and suppliers.
• Technical proficiency: experience with ERP, inventory management systems, and Excel/BI tools for analysis and reporting.
• Problem-solving: proactive, data-driven, and able to handle high-pressure situations without compromising quality or timelines.
• Continuous improvement mindset: identifies opportunities to enhance supply reliability, cost efficiency, and supplier performance.