Job Overview
The Head of Supply Chain will lead regional supply chain planning, demand forecasting, inventory management, commercial planning, and business performance activities across GCC markets. The role will focus on improving product availability, inventory productivity, forecast accuracy, working capital efficiency, and commercial decision-making.
Working closely with Merchandising, Retail, Finance, Marketing, Regulatory, Business Technology, and international supply chain teams, the position will develop data-driven planning strategies that support business growth and operational performance.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Planning and Business Performance
- Lead the regional merchandise planning and demand planning strategy across GCC markets.
- Partner with Merchandising, Retail, and Finance teams to improve category, collection, and SKU-level performance.
- Provide commercial insights to support assortment planning, new product launches, promotions, and pricing decisions.
- Develop executive dashboards and business performance reports for senior management.
- Analyze sales, inventory, and market trends and translate findings into practical business recommendations.
- Identify commercial opportunities, supply risks, and performance gaps through data analysis.
- Support initiatives designed to improve sales, profitability, inventory productivity, and overall business performance.
Demand Planning and Forecasting
- Own the regional demand forecasting and planning process across markets and sales channels.
- Lead monthly demand reviews and coordinate forecast alignment with Commercial, Retail, Marketing, and other relevant teams.
- Improve forecasting methodologies using historical sales data, market trends, commercial insights, and product lifecycle information.
- Monitor forecast accuracy, forecast bias, and planning performance.
- Develop and implement initiatives to improve demand forecasting reliability and responsiveness.
- Ensure demand forecasts reflect product launches, promotional campaigns, seasonal trends, and changing business requirements.
Inventory and Supply Planning
- Develop regional inventory planning strategies to maintain product availability while optimizing working capital.
- Balance customer service requirements, inventory investment, commercial targets, and profitability.
- Manage replenishment planning from European distribution centers to Middle Eastern markets.
- Monitor stock availability, weeks of cover, ageing inventory, replenishment performance, and inventory health across GCC markets.
- Identify slow-moving and obsolete stock and implement strategies to improve sell-through.
- Support inventory optimization initiatives while protecting product availability and gross margin.
- Establish appropriate planning parameters to improve stock productivity and supply chain efficiency.
Business Analytics and Reporting
- Lead the regional supply chain planning and performance reporting framework.
- Prepare regular management reports covering category performance, inventory health, forecast accuracy, stock productivity, and key commercial KPIs.
- Provide data-driven insights to support investment decisions, assortment optimization, and business growth.
- Develop dashboards and analytical tools that improve supply chain visibility and decision-making.
- Use business and supply chain data to identify trends, performance gaps, and improvement opportunities.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Develop effective working relationships with European Supply Chain teams to support product availability and successful market launches.
- Collaborate with Merchandising, Retail, Finance, Regulatory, Marketing, and Business Technology teams to align planning priorities.
- Support strategic business reviews through detailed analysis, forecasting, performance reporting, and actionable recommendations.
- Ensure supply chain planning priorities are aligned with commercial and operational objectives across GCC markets.
Supply Chain Transformation and Continuous Improvement
- Lead the improvement of supply chain planning processes, systems, and reporting capabilities.
- Identify opportunities to automate reporting, streamline planning activities, and improve operational efficiency.
- Promote the use of data and analytics in supply chain and commercial decision-making.
- Lead continuous improvement projects focused on forecast accuracy, inventory productivity, planning efficiency, and business performance.
- Evaluate new planning tools, technologies, and methodologies that can strengthen regional supply chain capabilities.
Leadership and Team Development
- Lead, develop, and motivate a high-performing Supply Chain Planning team.
- Build a collaborative and accountable culture focused on commercial performance and operational excellence.
- Coach team members to strengthen analytical skills, business partnering, planning expertise, and strategic thinking.
- Establish clear objectives and performance expectations for the supply chain planning function.
- Encourage ownership, continuous improvement, innovation, and effective cross-functional collaboration.
- Provide leadership in a fast-paced, data-driven, and continuously evolving business environment.
Key Skills and Competencies
- Regional supply chain planning
- Demand planning and forecasting
- Inventory and replenishment management
- Merchandise and assortment planning
- Supply chain analytics and reporting
- Commercial performance management
- Forecast accuracy and inventory optimization
- Working capital management
- Cross-functional stakeholder management
- Supply chain transformation and automation
- Data-driven decision-making
- Team leadership and talent development
- Strategic planning and business partnering