General Manager Demand Planning (Automotive Division)

Job Role:

The General Manager – Demand Planning owns and leads the Group's end-to-end demand planning function across the full automotive portfolio — passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and other product lines. converting commercial and market inputs into a single, disciplined forecasting and S&OP process.

This is a senior, end-to-end ownership role. The incumbent is expected to manage demand planning A-to-Z — from forecasting methodology, governance, and cross-functional S&OP leadership through to team leadership, systems governance, and executive reporting — reducing the Director's direct day-to-day involvement while maintaining close strategic partnership with Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, and OEM/Brand teams. Leading contractual negotiations with suppliers on NDA's, General Terms & Conditions and Production Supply Agreements; Leading RFI/ RFQ/ RFP and strategic sourcing process. Managing Logistic cycles of vehicle procurement. Driving cost model transparency to understand total cost of ownership for supplier selections; Developing cost-saving initiatives and identify other opportunities through benchmarking, competitive bidding and re-sourcing;

Job Responsibilities:

Demand Planning Strategy & Governance

• Defines and owns the Group's demand planning methodology, policies, and forecast governance framework across passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and other product lines.

Cross-Category Forecast Ownership

• Owns statistical and collaborative forecasting across all product categories, and is accountable for forecast accuracy targets.

S&OP Process Leadership

• Leads the monthly S&OP cycle, aligning Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and OEM inputs into one consensus demand plan.

Inventory & Stock Optimisation

• Translates demand forecasts into stock and order recommendations, balancing service levels against working capital and ageing-stock exposure.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Builds, leads, and develops the Demand Planning Manager(s) and analyst team; establishes structure, ways of working, and succession as the function matures.

OEM & Supply Chain Coordination

• Partners with OEM/brand and supply chain teams on allocation, lead times, and product-launch demand ramps.

Sales & Commercial Alignment

• Works with Sales and Commercial leadership to translate targets, promotions, and market intelligence into the demand plan.

Systems, Data & Process Governance

• Owns demand planning systems/tools, data quality, and continuous improvement of forecasting models and processes.

Risk & Scenario Management

• Identifies demand risk (market shifts, supply disruption, FX/tariff impact) and develops mitigation and scenario plans for CEO decision-making.

Executive Reporting & Business Partnering

• Delivers structured forecast accuracy, inventory health, and demand-risk reporting to the CEO and leadership team.

Job Requirements:

Demand Planning & Forecasting Methodology

• Mastery of statistical and collaborative forecasting techniques, S&OP design, and forecast accuracy management; sets standards for the function.

Automotive Product & Market Knowledge

• Broad working knowledge of passenger and commercial vehicle portfolios, product lifecycles, and market dynamics across active regions.

Supply Chain & Inventory Management

• Strong understanding of inventory optimisation, order planning, and OEM allocation processes.

Data Analytics & Planning Systems

• Proficient in demand planning/ERP systems, statistical forecasting tools, and data-driven decision-making.

Commercial & Financial Acumen

• Understands revenue, margin, and working-capital implications of demand and inventory decisions; contributes to business cases.

People Leadership

• Experienced in building, leading, and developing planning teams and managers.

Stakeholder & Executive Communication

• Communicates complex forecasting insights clearly to the CEO and cross-functional leadership; influences across Sales, Supply Chain, and OEM partners.

Qualifications & Experience:

Essential

• 12–15+ years of progressive experience in demand planning, supply chain planning, or S&OP, including experience in the automotive sector (dealership/distribution or OEM).

• Proven experience forecasting across multiple product categories or brands (passenger and commercial vehicles preferred).

• Demonstrated people-leadership experience — building and managing planning teams or managers.

• Strong track record leading or driving S&OP processes with cross-functional senior stakeholders.

• Advanced proficiency in demand planning/ERP systems and statistical forecasting tools.

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field

Preferred

• Master's degree or professional certification (APICS CPIM/CSCP, IBF, or equivalent).

• Experience across multiple countries/markets (Middle East like Syria & UAE , Africa, or other emerging markets).

• Prior exposure to OEM allocation and automotive product-launch planning.

• Experience reporting to or advising C-suite/board-level stakeholders.

Applicants are requested to share their most recent resume.

We thank all applicants for their interest. However, only those qualified individuals who closely meet the qualifications of the position will be contacted. The details of the position are only a summary; other duties may be assigned as necessary.