Category Supply Chain Manager - 12 months FTC

Wickes are a digitally led, service enabled organisation with a project in every home.

We are looking to recruit a Category Supply Chain Manager to join our Head Office Team here in Watford, for a period of 12 months.

Role Purpose:

• To support senior supply chain management in achieving business targets.

• To lead best practice across a working group to achieve availability, cost and service to ensure departmental targets are met and exceeded.

• To deliver outstanding customer service whilst working within the company framework and objectives

• To represent Supply Chain in promotional, range change and natural work team meetings to ensure data capture and necessary input from Supply Chain.

• To challenge and improve the business processes and systems, completing projects, tracking and reporting the resulting benefits.

• To help develop talent and create leaders of the future, to ensure minimal disruption within departments and to keep knowledge within supply chain.

Key Responsibilities: 

Availability

• To manage the product supply processes to ensure all orders are placed accurately and timely to drive optimum minimum project quantity availability in store

• To ensure DC, Store stock-holdings and inbound plans support achieved sales to ensure maximum order fulfilment.

• To ensure forecasts and supplier orders are accurate and timely for all lines to drive full availability.

• To ensure forecast processes are correct and systems reflect anticipated demand to plan for major spikes.

• To resolve or escalate all supplier performance issues impacting availability.

• To assist in the management of total business unit stock and availability to identify any under-performing areas and investigate and take action within the category as appropriate.

• To manage seasonal uplifts and seasonal system inputs to ensure maximum availability and efficient usage of the system, supporting the Head of Supply, ensuring that stock-holding is kept in line with budget / AOP.

• To lead and support Category Management with supplier meetings, to produce reporting packs and recommendations for improvement and ensure full root cause analysis is completed with the appropriate action to resolve

• Manage range change activity from discontinued SKUs to new line introduction – ensuring the working and steering groups have timely information ensuring reporting to the business is clear, any issues highlighted well in advance to budget (stock) and is delivered to store within the company processes

Cost 

• To review replenishment parameters with suppliers that will minimise supply chain costs. (E.g.: ordering frequency, vehicle drop size, route to market, order multiples) and implement improvements with suppliers.

• To work with other supply chain colleagues to ensure optimum solutions and best practises are followed to drive availability and minimise stock and supply chain costs.

Communication

• To communicate to all relevant external and internal teams on all availability issues with action taken to resolve any issues that may impact sales or service.

• To work closely with the Commercial teams to identify areas to drive sales, reduce stock and improve availability.

• To identify and implement agreed process improvements.

Administration

• To support the department budgeting process

• Provide period performance review information identifying opportunities and risks

Quantitative Information

• Responsible for the supply co-ordination of ~1000 SKUs 

• Stock holding up to £15m

• 1 Key supplier to manage ~20 suppliers in total.

Freedoms and Constraints

• Freedom to recommend process enhancements 

• Freedom to liaise with suppliers to optimise performance, stock availability whilst minimising supply chain costs.

• Freedom to investigate methods of improved supply chain performance with the cooperation of other functional departments and suppliers.

What are we looking for?

• Previous experience in Product Supply / Logistics (stock management or forecasting) - ideal 4 years.

• Experience of fast moving or complex Supply models preferable

• Ability to manage self through proven prioritisation and ability to cope with peaks in workload both increase and decrease.

• Ability to work in a diverse supply chain environment (i.e., constant changing environment).

• High level of analytical and system skills; Intermediate Excel skills, PC literate.

• Decision-making skills – ability to escalate when appropriate.

• Ability to forward plan – for promotions / range reviews and manage self to accommodate when workload increases/decreases.

• Good communication skills

• Ability to communicate with stakeholders at various levels of seniority across the business

• Ability to work in a pressurised daily routine environment

• Ability to prioritise and methodically structure own workload

• Ability to adhere to defined processes and procedures – can also design and implement improvements to processes

• Has a "can-do" attitude

What can we offer you?

Wickes is more than just the nation’s favourite DIY store. We’re currently part of the Travis Perkins Group one of the UK’s top employers. We will be going alone in the near future for more autonomy and better decision making for Wickes in the retail industry. One of the first things you’ll notice at Wickes is the way everyone pulls together.  It’s a place where we’ll ask for your ideas, listen to your opinions and value the contributions you make. Chances are you’ve never experienced anything quite like our culture.  All our colleagues come from different backgrounds, but what we all have in common is a determination to succeed and a passion for being the best we can be. If that sounds like you, we’ll make you feel right at home.