AB InBev - Senior Manager - Commercial Planning

About Us:

Dreaming big is in our DNA. It's who we are as a company. It's our culture. It's our heritage. And more than ever, it's our future. A future where we're always looking forward. Always serving up new ways to meet life's moments. A future where we keep dreaming bigger.

Being the best beer company starts with finding the best people. While we have big brands, we have bigger opportunities as well. We look for people with passion, talent, and curiosity, and provide them with colleagues, resources, and opportunities to unleash their full potential. The power we create together, when we combine your strengths with ours, is unstoppable. Are you ready to join a team that dreams as big as you do?

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The role holder will lead Commercial Planning for a designated sales region, ensuring optimal inventory deployment, replenishment planning, and service excellence across the distribution network. The incumbent will act as the logistics business owner for the region, balancing product availability, working capital efficiency, and cost optimization while enabling business growth. The role requires close collaboration with Sales, Supply Planning, Brewery Logistics Operations, Finance, and external partners to drive operational excellence, stakeholder alignment, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Lead regional distribution and replenishment planning to ensure uninterrupted product availability and superior customer service levels.
• Own regional inventory management and stock deployment strategies to optimize working capital while minimizing stock-outs and excess inventory.
• Monitor and drive key service level KPIs including product availability, inventory health, order fulfillment, and logistics efficiency.
• Partner with Demand Planning, Supply Planning, and Material Planning teams to align supply plans with market requirements and demand fluctuations.
• Drive S&OP execution by ensuring timely communication of market requirements, risks, and opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with Sales teams and distributors to improve forecast accuracy, inventory visibility, and execution effectiveness.
• Identify, track, and implement logistics cost optimization opportunities without compromising service levels.
• Ensure adherence to excise regulations, bonded warehouse requirements, and all relevant compliance standards applicable to the beer and alcoholic beverages industry.
• Manage relationships with transporters, distributors, and third-party logistics partners to achieve operational excellence.
• Lead root cause analysis and resolution of supply chain disruptions to ensure business continuity.
• Leverage analytics, business intelligence, and KPI dashboards to generate insights and support strategic decision-making.
• Lead and develop team members while fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Drive regional logistics and planning transformation initiatives, process standardization, and best-practice implementation.

Key Stakeholders:

Internal:

• Supply Planner
• Demand Planner
• Material Planner
• Regional Logistics Manager
• National Transport Manager
• T2 Depot Operations Lead
• Depot Logistics Operations
• Brewery Logistics Operations
• Government Affairs
• Finance
• Field Sales
• Plant Heads
• Market Sales Leads

External:

• Sales Distributors
• C&F / Corporation Managers
• Transporters
• Third-Party Logistics Providers

Required Qualifications:

• MBA or Postgraduate degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Logistics, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in supply chain planning, inventory management, logistics, or commercial planning.
• Experience within FMCG, Consumer Goods, Beverage, or Alcoholic Beverage industries preferred.
• Strong experience working with SAP or similar ERP platforms and data analytics tools.
• Proven track record of managing complex regional supply chains and stakeholder networks.
• Experience leading teams and driving cross-functional initiatives.

Preferred Skills / Knowledge:

• Strong understanding of inventory optimization and service level management.
• Knowledge of excise regulations, bonded warehouse operations, and compliance requirements in the alcobev industry.
• Deep understanding of S&OP processes and integrated business planning.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving capability with a data-driven mindset.
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of supply chain financial drivers.
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in dynamic and ambiguous business environments.
• High resilience, adaptability, and execution focus.
• Proficiency in SAP, Power BI, Excel, and planning analytics tools