Job Overview
China IBP Lead is accountable and responsible for the architecture of the demand and business planning processes in China, establishing a sustainable Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process that supports Opella's transformation journey. This IBP aligns business activities with strategic growth plans and provides a foundation for effective decision-making based on unified data. The position involves implementing IBP across all Chinese channels, ensuring process alignment and continuous improvement of key metrics (service, forecast accuracy, inventory, destruction) across markets.
The China IBP Lead will drive the implementation of IBP in all channels in China, ensure process alignment, adherence and maturity in all markets, and ensure attainment and continuous performance improvement on key metrics (service, forecast accuracy, inventory, destruction) jointly with all markets.
The successful candidate will facilitate mid- and long-term business planning and operations planning on 24-36 month business planning horizons, collaborating with local and regional teams in Marketing & Sales, Finance, Commercial, Regulatory and Quality, as well as with the Global SC COEs.
The China IBP Lead will be responsible for leading the monthly China IBP meetings and working with Regional IBP and COE teams to prepare for the Regional Sales reviews.
Key Responsibilities
Ensure and safeguard the quality of the IBP process in all markets by doing the following:
- Articulate and champion the IBP vision and strategy
- Ensure adherence to the IBP process covering portfolio management, demand review, supply review, integrated reconciliation and the management business review, with very clear accountabilities of all functions/individuals involved in the completion of the monthly cycle
- Actively participate in setting up and/or strengthening the end-to-end linkages of all functions involved in the fulfillment of demand, from demand generation to production to deliver to our consumers
- Actively lead in the monthly IBP process, coordinate a regional consolidation of the plans and numbers over a 36-months horizon
- Set-up operational action plans to improve performance of launch management, sell in sell out forecasting, statistical forecasting and inventory management
- Spearhead the continuous improvement of the forecasting processes and systems, ensuring that forecast accuracy is consistently improving in all markets
- Lead the China MBR/Sales review meeting, preparing all data and metrics for review, identifying gaps and scenarios that must be presented, guiding final decision making on open items and trade-offs, which will be presented to the China leadership team
- Work closely with the China Finance team to ensure accurate valorization and alignment between forecast and budget
- Work closely with regional and global M&S, Quality and Regulatory to ensure supply issues have the appropriate mitigation plans
- Drive continuous improvement on key metrics, including service, forecast accuracy, inventory and destruction
- Facilitate the sharing and application of best practices
- Animate and promote best practice sharing across the region, drawing from regional counterparts and global COEs
- Drive the portfolio rationalization programs and make the bridge between Corporate Guidelines and local (SC, Quality, Medical, Marketing…) strategy.
- Drive inventory optimization on a monthly basis with efficient results
Core Competencies
- Sets ambitious objectives while knowing how to take risks
- Acknowledges the right to experiment and make mistakes
- Develops innovative solutions and ways of doing things
- Makes decisions & drives necessary changes for performance
- Knows how to deal with conflict
- Respects & exhibits the Opella values
Requirement
- Bachelor / Master's Degree in related field
- 8+ years in Supply Chain management (5+ years in management positions), preferably in multinational companies
- Prior experience in demand planning, forecasting and/or running an S&OP or IBP in a market, zone or region
- Deep knowledge and understanding of S&OP/IBP processes and best in class practices
- Strong data analytical skills and ability to draw actionable insight from the numbers
- Results-driven team player, able to balance global and regional objectives and requirements with local market demands
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills to build and sustain a vast range of working relationships across multiple levels, functions and nationalities, be flexible in approach, adept at networking & influencing at all levels
- Driven by execution excellence with customer-focused mindset
- Skilled at facilitating change management and disruptive innovations
- Proficient in MS software including Word, Excel and Power Point, with experience with SAP and Forecasting tools
- Excellent command of English and of Chinese