Category Supply Planner

**Job Title: Category Supply Planner**

Career Level D3

Introduction to role

Be part of shaping the future of Operations here at AstraZeneca. We are driven by our commitment to deliver accelerated growth for AstraZeneca and to make people’s lives better. It pushes us to keep building on our foundations and progressing as we turn our ever-growing and increasingly complex pipeline from molecule to medicine. Be part of evolving how we work with Lean, innovative science, digitalization, and sustainable practices. Global Supply Chain and Strategy (GSC&S) leads the design, development, planning, and governance of AstraZeneca’s supply chains to ensure we have the most efficient and effective ways of getting life-changing medicines to patients. GSC&S works closely with our manufacturing sites, External Supply & Manufacturing, Raw Material Suppliers, and many other areas of the business to ensure we use our manufacturing sites in the best way and have a joined-up approach across our global supply chain.

**Accountabilities**

This above-site planning role, part of Global Supply Chain & Strategy, reporting into the Value Stream Optimization, typically spans a 3-to-24-month tactical planning horizon. It’s held accountable for the delivery of a number of core planning processes within a particular critical material category, ensuring that mid to long-term supply is effectively balanced against demand. Furthermore, the role partners with the External Supply Lead and External Operation Managers/Leads to be responsible for leading the execution of the agreed strategy within the above horizon. As a Category Supply Planner, you will also work very closely with Production / Material Planners in the sites, to ensure a continuity of supply is also maintained in the 0-13-week horizon.

**In this role, you will**:

- Ensure that supply within the 3 - 24 month horizon is secure, ensuring that customer service levels are achieved and inventory levels are optimized
- Partner with Global Planning and the internal manufacturing sites to deploy key business planning processes, including Inventory design/management, global forecasting, supply chain visibility, capacity planning, and scenario planning
- Manage the Critical Materials Supply Consensus meeting in-line with the global planning calendar in order to manage demand and supply exceptions and raise issues where necessary and accountable that the local site plan is updated based on agreed solutions
- Support resolution of supply or capacity issues at supplier where multiple AZ sites and brands are impacted. Drives alignment with Network Planning to propose required scenario plans to support decision making
- Responsible for global materials requirement planning and capacity outlook for the materials supplied by the Critical Materials suppliers
- Work closely with the Critical Materials suppliers and the AZ supply sites to ensure robust supply of Critical Materials with accountability for collating the data for the OTIF KPI and assessing suitability of safety stocks for high-risk materials across the network
- Facilitate a robust supplier performance management governance with Weekly & Monthly drumbeat
- Actively participate/understand BCP strategies and implement BCP actions for Critical materials
- Establish good communication links with the AZ Site planning network. Facilitate regular Supply and Demand meetings with the AZ Sites to understand the brand, site, and market dynamics impacting the consumption and future requirements of materials. Ensuring this is accurately reflected into the sites forecasts and the intelligence shared with suppliers via the Supplier S&OP meeting
- Work in collaboration with the External Operations Manager/Lead to contribute to the Supplier IRM process, identifying and documenting potential risks to supply and working with the External Operations Manager/Lead and AZ Supply Site to implement suitable mitigations
- In supply constraint situations you will also be accountable for the development of network scenarios and following endorsement from the External Supply Lead, have the oversight of execution of supply solutions within the AZ Network, communicating the associated risks
- Participate in projects and continuous improvement projects both internally and with external suppliers
- Collaborate and influence across AstraZeneca sites to manage supply of critical materials shared across sites and brands, leading material allocation as appropriate in collaboration with the External Operations Manager/Lead and External Supply Lead

**Essential Skills/Experience**
- A degree or equivalent in Business, Logistics, Sciences or Engineering is preferred; equivalent experience will be taken into account.
- 7-10 years of prior experience in Supply Chain Environment (Manufacturing, Planning, & Procurement)
- Advanced supply chain (inventory, capacity and network) planning skills
- Capacity management & modelling
- Operational experience with ERP/APS system
- Un