Innovation Planner

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a world leading global organisation, our Global FMCG Client , the powerhouse behind Magnum, Solero, Cornetto and Ben & Jerry's, are currently seeking an Innovation Planner to be based at their UK HQ in Leatherhead. This is a full-time temporary role for 12 months (Maternity Cover) paying up-to £41,000 depending on experience per annum, pro rata.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE JOB

This role is an exciting opportunity to join the UK&I Local Portfolio and Innovation team. You will be responsible for delivering the Supply Chain aspects of new product development. You will develop relationships with cross-functional teams including Marketing, Research & Development (R&D), Planning, Procurement. You will contribute to project timelines, advocate design for supply chain, engage relevant partners and manage system/network set up for the launch of new products. The key deliverables are 1) Delivering innovations on-time and in-full 2) SAP/Item setup execution 3) Waste mitigation - materials & FG 4) Continuous improvement - product lead times and 5) Flawless project hand-offs to production/Supply Planning team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure OTIF delivery of innovation/renovation projects.
• Represent Supply Chain and act as business partner within cross-functional teams.
• Ensure effective communication with project team & stakeholders in Marketing, Research & Development (R&D), Planning, Procurement, Quality Assurance, Factories.
• Coordinate different Supply Chain functions to ensure that all Supply Chain aspects are delivered during different project phases and gates (scoping/sourcing/capabilities/capacity/capex).
• Support Supply Chain Risk Assessments for all projects at each project stage.
• Provide Supply Chain input on overall innovation business case & support transfer price delivery from contract to market ready.
• Ensure post launch reviews take place to capture learnings and help the business continually improve how innovations are launched.

• Identify the key drivers of complexity in the category across the end to end (E2E) Supply Chain.
• Monitor with detailed analysis the portfolio healthiness in terms of number of products in/out, critical volumes & technical aspects in alignment with aligned thresholds.

III. Change Management

• As a key member of the UK P&I team will own, drive and lead a key metric/capability across the full team.

SKILLS, COMPETENCIES AND EXPERIENCE YOU SHOULD HAVE:

• Project management experience, preferably innovation
• Planning experience, analytical, structured and process oriented
• 3+ years of relevant supply chain experience eg. market operations, manufacturing, procurement, quality
• A technical background, degree level or equivalent
• Team player with integrity, resilience, growth mindset and a bias for action
• Excellent communication skills, including stakeholder management
• Experience in Microsoft office, especially Excel/MS project & SAP