Manager, Supply and Production Planning

Who we are:
Founded in Japan in 1887, Kao is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives with our high-quality products and services to create a Kirei Life for all – a beautiful life that respects the needs of our consumers and customers as well as the planet. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment.  As a company driven by purpose and strong corporate values, we pride ourselves to be listed among the World´s Most Ethical Companies since 19 consecutive years. Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do – acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation and treating each other with trust and respect.

The role:

***Fluent German or C2 level essential***

As a Supply & Production Planning Manager (m/f/d) you will lead an efficient, quality- and customer-focused production planning with your planning team. You will coordinate material and capacity planning and packaging components purchasing. You will drive continuous improvement initiatives, and work closely with Purchasing, Production, Quality, Product Management, Engineering, Finance, Demand Planning and Customer Logistics to meet the timing and volume requirements for our branded products.

Main Responsibilities:

• Provide rapid solutions and manage effective escalation in case of urgent production or supply disruptions, ensuring timely mitigation.
• Maintain strong communication and alignment with relevant departments.
• Monitor, analyse and report key KPIs (Out-of-Stock, Days on Hand, etc.). Conduct root-cause analyses and recommend improvement measures.
• Lead, coach and develop a planning team of 7 employees.

What you will do:

• Drive actions to achieve core objectives (service level, out-of-stock reduction, write-off minimization, inventory targets).
• Own the production plan for our German factory, including short- to mid-term capacity planning. Align with Production to resolve any capacity constraints.
• Coordinate and execute cross-departmental initiatives with Demand Planning, Engineering, Project Management, Procurement, Customer Logistics, Finance, Production, Quality and Data Management.
• Manage supplier negotiations on timings and quantities. Ensure timely availability of materials and oversee phase-in/phase-out planning in line with project timelines.
• Optimise finished-goods production planning using forecasts, balancing stock availability with inventory efficiency. Adjust production plans proactively based on capacity and procurement constraints.
• Prepare insightful analyses, reports and recommendations for monthly performance meetings.
• Support the continuous improvement of planning processes through efficiency gains, automation and workflow redesign. Lead the development of individual team members.
• Own planning parameters, conduct master-data audits and implement corrective actions. Ensure an effective write-off management process.
• Support the Head of Planning in representing the Planning function in selected NPD projects, ensuring launch readiness and timely availability of finished goods.

What you will need:

Education

• University degree (e.g., Business administration or numerical subjects) or equivalent commercial/technical training with relevant experience.
• APICS CPIM or other SCM certification would be an advantage

Professional Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in planning, ideally in capacity & production planning and/or purchasing.
• Minimum 3 years of leadership experience.
• Solid SAP knowledge (preferably SAP S/4HANA – PP/MM).
• Strong analytical skills and advanced Excel capabilities.
• Business-fluent German and English (spoken and written)

Other Requirements

• Project management experience (change management, process implementation).
• Strong communication, stakeholder-management and negotiation skills, including conflict resolution.
• Proven leadership skills and ability to foster a collaborative team environment.
• Flexibility and resilience to manage short-term changes, supply disruptions or urgent business needs.

How we work: Having been selected among the World´s Most Ethical Companies for 16 consecutive years, we are a company with a purpose and strong corporate values. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. At Kao, each employee can actively shape their job and their career. We work collaboratively to achieve our common goals, always aiming to deliver the best for our customers.
What we offer: A friendly and flexible work environment with competitive salaries, benefits package, ongoing development and the opportunity to enhance your skills and deliver tangible results. At Kao your voice will be heard. Your opinion really counts. We believe that change comes from taking opportunities into your own hands, so we value and reward entrepreneurial thinking and innovation.
Hiring Process: Kao embraces the diversity and the individual personalities of its people because we believe it is diversity that makes us strong. This is why we welcome applications from all areas of the global community. 
Want to learn more: If you feel you are as unique as our products and want to find out why 33,000 people across the globe opted for a career with us please visit https://www.kao.com/emea/en/