Supply Chain Planner job description
A Supply Chain Planner forecasts demand and plans production, material purchase and stock movement for consumer goods. The role keeps shelves full without piling up slow stock.
Why the role exists
The planner turns the sales forecast into a production and purchase plan, and plans stock across the plant, depots and distributors. The person works with sales, production, purchase and depot teams and reports to the Supply Chain Head. Good plans cut stock-outs, expiry losses and urgent freight.
What the person does
- Build the monthly and weekly demand forecast from sales history, schemes, launches and seasonal events.
- Convert the forecast into a production plan and check it against plant capacity and changeover limits.
- Plan raw and packing material needs, and raise purchase requests early for long lead items.
- Set stock targets by depot and pack size, and plan replenishment from plant to depots and distributors.
- Track fill rate, stock cover and slow or near-expiry stock, and raise action with sales and depots.
- Run the weekly review with sales, production and purchase to resolve gaps and agree changes.
- Plan for festival peaks, monsoon and promotions, and prepare extra stock before the demand arrives.
- Maintain planning data in the ERP, including pack master, lead times and safety stock, and keep it accurate.
Skills and tools
- Demand forecasting using sales history and promotions
- Production and material planning in an ERP such as SAP or similar
- Inventory norms, safety stock and stock cover
- Excel with pivot tables, lookups and simple models
- Knowledge of depot and distributor replenishment
- Understanding of shelf life, expiry and first-in-first-out stock
- Cross-team coordination and meeting discipline
- Clear reporting of service level and inventory health
Education and experience
Preferred, never a bar: equivalent experience counts.
- Graduate in engineering, commerce, science or management preferred, or equivalent planning experience.
- Prior planning experience in FMCG, food, personal care or similar fast-moving goods is preferred.
- Strong Excel and ERP skills are useful. A supply chain diploma or course is a plus.
- Familiarity with distributor and depot networks in India is preferred.
How the work is judged
- Order fill rate and the number of stock-outs at depots and distributors
- Forecast accuracy and bias over time, tracked by pack and region
- Stock cover and level of slow, aged or near-expiry stock
- Plan adherence between planned and actual production and dispatch
- Quality of the weekly review and speed in solving gaps between teams
Where the role can lead
- Senior Planner or Planning Lead for a category or region.
- Supply Chain Manager covering planning, logistics and depots.
- Moves into sales and operations planning or network design.
Interview questions to ask
Ask every candidate the same questions in the same order and score them against written anchors, so the decision rests on the work and not the impression.
- Sales plans a big scheme but gives you short notice. How do you adjust production and stock?
- How do you decide safety stock for a pack with uneven demand?
- Describe a time your forecast was wrong. What did you change afterwards?
- A key packing material is delayed. How do you protect supply?
- How do you handle slow-moving stock that is close to expiry?
- What data do you look at each Monday before the weekly review?
Hiring tips for this role
- Give a case with a small data table: ask for a forecast, a production plan and stock cover. See how the candidate explains the logic.
- Do not rely on ERP name alone. Ask how the person dealt with sales pressure and with inaccurate forecasts.
- Check experience of festival and seasonal peaks in India, since they test planning habits.
- Agree who owns the final forecast between sales and supply chain, so the planner is not blamed for numbers they did not set.
Questions about hiring a supply chain planner
The planner forecasts demand, plans production and material purchase, and decides stock levels across depots. The work aims to keep products available on shelf without building excess or expiry stock.
A demand planner mainly forecasts. A supply chain planner usually covers the forecast and the production, material and stock plans. Small businesses often combine the two in one role.
Excel and an ERP are the basics. Larger firms may use planning software. Ask the candidate to show how they used the tools to solve a real stock or service problem.
GullyHR agrees the job description with you, finds and screens candidates with FMCG planning experience and supports the offer for this permanent role. You decide the final hire.
Hiring a supply chain planner?
GullyHR runs talent acquisition for permanent roles. We agree the job description with you, find and screen candidates against it, and support the offer through to joining. We recruit permanent employees. We do not supply contract or temporary staff.