Demand Supply Planning Manager

About Rituals

Role overview

Demand forecasting and planning

• Own regional forecasting across channels and markets; lead monthly demand reviews and alignment with Commercial, Retail, and Marketing.
• Improve forecasting methods using historical trends, commercial intelligence, and product lifecycle analysis; monitor accuracy and bias.
• Develop monthly and seasonal forecasts by brand, SKU, country, store, and channel, analyzing sales trends, seasonality, promotions, launches, customer behavior, and market changes.
• Translate commercial plans into SKU forecasts, replenishment requirements, and inventory needs; plan for launches, promotions, festive periods, and store openings.
• Create demand scenarios and assess impacts on sales, margin, inventory, and working capital.

Inventory optimization

• Develop inventory strategies that balance availability, customer service, inventory investment, and commercial objectives.
• Manage replenishment from European distribution centres into the Middle East and monitor stock availability, weeks of cover, ageing inventory, and replenishment across GCC markets.
• Reduce obsolete inventory and manage stock cover, out-of-stocks, excess and ageing stock, expiry, discontinued products, testers, samples, promotional packs, and slow-moving variants.
• Recommend reallocations, replenishment adjustments, markdowns, promotions, or order cancellations as demand changes.

S&OP and collaboration

• Lead the S&OP demand review and align Buying, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, and Retail Operations.
• Coordinate with suppliers and Supply Chain teams on lead times, minimum order quantities, shipment schedules, and supply constraints.
• Identify demand and supply risks proactively and agree corrective actions with stakeholders.

Analytics and planning excellence

• Develop dashboards and report demand, forecast performance, availability, inventory health, and business risks to senior management.
• Improve forecasting tools, master-data accuracy, planning processes, and reporting discipline.
• Establish planning ownership and accountability; build team capability through structured processes, performance reviews, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations, Finance, or a related discipline.
• 6–9 years of experience in Demand Planning, Merchandise Planning, Inventory Planning, or Supply Chain; beauty, retail, or consumer goods experience is preferred.
• Experience managing demand forecasting, S&OP, inventory optimization, replenishment, and stock management across multiple Middle East markets.
• Strong understanding of product lifecycle management, assortment planning, inventory productivity, and inventory dynamics including shelf life, expiry, launches, variants, testers, and promotional packs.
• Strong expertise in forecasting, inventory optimization, merchandise planning, and Open-to-Buy management.

Skills and tools

• Commercial acumen to analyze category, product, and market performance and translate insights into actions.
• Advanced analytics and experience developing executive reporting, dashboards, and business performance reviews.
• Experience with Power BI, ERP and planning systems, advanced Excel, and business intelligence tools.
• Ability to assess demand decisions' effect on sales, margin, inventory, and working capital.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across regional and global teams.

Opportunity

• The position offers the opportunity to help build Rituals Middle East's Supply Chain Planning function and influence business decisions during a new phase of regional growth.