Assistant Manager

Job Description Imagine working at the forefront of innovation in fluid-flow technology, with over 1,400 colleagues across the globe, and contributing to a legacy of excellence that spans eight manufacturing facilities on four continents. Armstrong Fluid Technology is more than just a leader in our industry; we are a community of the brightest and most creative minds, driven by a shared mission to engineer the future and safeguard our planet. As part of our team, you'll be immersed in an environment that fosters growth, creativity, and collaboration. Here, you'll have the opportunity to push boundaries, tackle exciting challenges, and develop cutting-edge solutions that promote energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Every day offers the chance to make a meaningful contribution to a more sustainable future, driving innovations that help lower global carbon footprints. Together, we're creating a legacy that goes beyond businessone that's changing the world for the better. In this role, you will lead demand planning across Romania, UK, India, and China by partnering with Sales and Offering teams to build forward-looking forecasts, align with historical order trends, and minimize variability between bookings and forecasts. You will strengthen forecasting processes by incorporating customer insights, market intelligence, and advanced analytics, ensuring robust demand signals to guide supply chain decisions. Regular demand reviews will be facilitated to drive cross-functional alignment, improve predictability, and enable business agility. On the supply side, you will manage APAC-sourced materials by defining and optimizing supplier min-max levels, monitoring supply-demand imbalances, and executing mitigation actions to maintain continuity. Collaboration with APAC buyers, suppliers, logistics, and site planners will be critical to achieving service-level targets while balancing cost and working capital. Leveraging digital tools such as Kinaxis Rapid Response, you will enable scenario simulations, exception-based decision-making, and automation of reporting to drive continuous improvement in global supply chain performance. Key Accountabilities Global Demand Planning - Partner with Sales and Offering teams across Romania, UK, India, and China to develop accurate, forward-looking demand forecasts that minimize variability between bookings and forecasts. - Integrate historical order trends, customer insights, and market intelligence into forecasting models to improve predictability and robustness. - Facilitate regular demand reviews with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure alignment, calibration, and consensus on demand signals. - Leverage advanced planning tools to track forecast accuracy, identify gaps, and drive continuous improvement in demand planning performance. Supply Planning & Execution - Develop and maintain supply plans for APAC-sourced materials to ensure continuous support for Armstrong Global Plant production. - Share rolling forecasts with all APAC suppliers on a regular cadence to ensure alignment, capacity planning, and timely replenishment. - Monitor supply-demand imbalances and recommend corrective actions (expedite, reschedule, reallocation) to maintain service levels. - Collaborate with APAC Buyers, suppliers, and logistics teams to resolve shortages and delivery constraints. Supplier Min-Max & Inventory Management - Define, monitor, and continuously optimize APAC supplier min-max levels to ensure uninterrupted replenishment, prevent stockouts, and maintain optimal inventory levels. - Set up system-driven alerts and automated monitoring in Kinaxis to proactively flag potential breaches of min or max levels. - Collaborate with procurement and suppliers to adjust reorder points, lead times, and MOQ based on consumption trends and forecast changes. - Monitor inventory health at distribution hub and plants implementing actions to minimize excess and obsolete stock. Consignment Stock Oversight - Manage and track consignment stock agreements with suppliers to optimize working capital and improve availability. - Develop automated dashboards and report to track consignment stock usage, inventory levels, and replenishment needs in real time. - Reconcile consignment stock ageing, ensuring accurate reporting and timely settlements. - Drive process improvements for visibility, traceability, and cost efficiency in consignment inventory programs. Material Risk Analysis & Mitigation - Conduct material risk analysis for critical components and suppliers, identifying potential disruptions (capacity issues, geopolitical risks, long lead times). - Leverage Kinaxis to perform scenario simulations and automated risk tracking, providing early visibility of potential shortages. - Develop and implement mitigation strategies such as dual sourcing, safety stock builds, or alternate supplier - Maintain an automated risk dashboard to track open risks, status, and mitigation progress, providing stakeholders with real-time visibility. Digital Transformation & Process Improvement - Identify and drive process automation opportunities across supply planning, inventory management, and supplier collaboration. - Partner with IT and global planning teams to implement system enhancements and digital tools that improve planning accuracy and responsiveness. - Champion continuous improvement projects that reduce lead time, increase visibility, and enhance decision-making efficiency. - Drive Digital Supply Chain Enablement by standardizing dashboards, automating min-max monitoring, consignment tracking, and material risk reporting to enable exception-based and data-driven planning. Stakeholder Collaboration - Work closely with APAC Buyers, Global Site Planners, Suppliers, Distribution Hub, and Logistics Teams to align on material availability, lead times, and replenishment strategies. - Provide timely communication of supply risks, recovery plans, and performance metrics to global stakeholders. What We're Looking For To thrive in this role, you should bring: Education and Experience - Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, Operations, Engineering, or related field - 812 years of experience in global or regional supply planning within a manufacturing environment. - Hands-on experience with Kinaxis Rapid Response, Blue Yonder, SAP IBP, or equivalent advanced planning systems. - Proven track record in supplier min-max management, consignment stock programs, and material risk mitigation. - Strong analytical skills with experience in automation of reporting, dashboard creation, and data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau). - Experience driving supply chain digitalization projects and implementing process automation initiatives. Technical Skills - Advanced Planning Systems: Kinaxis Rapid Response, Blue Yonder, SAP IBP (or similar). - ERP Systems: SAP, Infor LN, or equivalent. - Analytics & Reporting: Power BI, Tableau, or similar tools for dashboarding and automation. - Strong Excel (pivot tables, lookups, macros) and data modeling skills. Soft Skills - Strong Communication Skills Ability to clearly convey plans, updates, and issues across global teams and suppliers. - Collaboration & Stakeholder Management Work effectively with cross-functional teams (buyers, logistics, Planners, production, finance) to drive alignment. - Analytical Mindset Use data-driven insights to optimize supply plans and decision-making. - Continuous Improvement Mindset Seek opportunities to streamline processes and improve efficiency. Why Armstrong Fluid Technology By joining us, you'll become part of a global community dedicated to pushing the boundaries of fluid-flow technology while upholding Armstrong's commitment to sustainability. You'll have endless opportunities to learn, grow, and make a significant impact on the world. Together, we'll build tomorrow's solutions today.