Pharma Source & Ostomy Source, Supply Chain Team Leader

Full-time, Permanent

City West, Hybrid

The Role

Lead, coach and challenge the Supply Chain Planning team, setting clear priorities, standards and objectively measured expectations.

• Support Business Unit gross margin and sales targets through optimum stock availability, strategic purchasing and strong execution.

• Drive a proactive stock management approach covering demand, safety stock, shortages, excess, slow-moving stock and expiry exposure.

• Create an environment of ownership, creative problem solving, collaboration and continuous improvement.

• Use data and cross-functional collaboration to identify risk early, escalate clearly and deliver practical solutions.

People Leadership & Team Development

• Provide visible day-to-day leadership to Supply Chain Planners, including clear direction, prioritisation and workload management.
• Set role expectations and measurable KPIs, review performance consistently and follow through on agreed actions.
• Develop team capability in analytical, judgement-based and scenario-led decision-making to support effective problem-solving.
• Foster open discussion and new ideas while ensuring clear accountability for decisions, actions and outcomes.
• Support the team in managing busy periods effectively, maintaining focus and prioritising urgent issues alongside routine workload.
• Identify opportunities for capability development and establish practical development plans, cross-training and succession cover.
• Create a high-performance culture based on ownership, collaboration, curiosity and continuous improvement.

Stock, Demand & Expiry Management

• Oversee stock availability in line with customer demand, service targets, lead times and company budget parameters.
• Review demand forecasts, sales trends and exception reports to reduce reactive purchasing and improve forward planning.
• Monitor out-of-stocks, excess stock, slow and dead stock, short-dated inventory and expiry exposure, ensuring actions have owners and deadlines.
• Challenge safety-stock settings, order quantities and purchasing patterns where data indicates risk or opportunity.
• Ensure planners develop and maintain credible recovery or contingency plans for supply disruptions.
• Maintain high standards of planning data and master data accuracy.

Risk, Escalation & Change

• Establish a consistent risk-management rhythm for supply continuity, including early identification, impact assessment and mitigation tracking.
• Ensure escalations are timely, evidence-based and clear on business impact, options, recommended action and decision required.
• Coordinate cross-functional responses with Operations, Quality, Finance, Sales, Customer Service and other relevant stakeholders.
• Adapt plans quickly when supply, demand, systems, processes or business priorities change, and help the team understand the reason for change.
• Lead root-cause reviews on recurring issues and embed practical corrective and preventative actions.

Commercial & Financial Delivery

• Support monthly gross margin and sales delivery through stock decisions that balance availability, cost, risk and working capital.
• Develop planner understanding of buy price, gross margin, inventory value, cash impact, write-off risk and cost-to-serve considerations.
• Identify opportunities to improve margin through purchasing choices, supplier discussions and redistribution of volume, escalating opportunities to the Strategic Procurement Manager.
• Provide concise monthly reporting on stock health, risks, expiries, escalations, service and commercial outcomes.
• Collaborate with Finance to strengthen the planning team’s understanding of financial considerations and support informed decision-making.

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Ensure effective supplier planning around availability, order fulfilment, lead times, constraints and recovery actions.
• Maintain constructive working relationships with key internal stakeholders and communicate priorities, risks and decisions clearly.
• Work closely with the Strategic Sourcing Specialist on shortages, alternative supply options and access initiatives, with clear handover back to the planner when the issue stabilises.
• Represent Supply Chain Planning at relevant daily, weekly and monthly operational meetings.