Planning Section Manager | alfanar Electric

Role Overview

Planning Section Manager at alfanar Electric. The role leads and integrates demand planning, material planning, and distribution planning activities to ensure optimal availability of materials and finished goods while balancing service levels, inventory, cost, and capacity.

Role Purpose

Responsible for leading and integrating demand planning, material planning, and distribution planning activities to ensure optimal availability of materials and finished goods while balancing service levels, inventory, cost, and capacity. The role ensures planning accuracy, cross-functional alignment, and disciplined execution to support business objectives and customer commitments.

Key Responsibilities

Demand Planning and Forecast Management

• Lead the demand planning process by consolidating inputs from sales, projects, and commercial teams.
• Ensure demand forecasts are accurate, validated, and aligned with business assumptions and market trends.
• Oversee demand review cycles and manage forecast changes to minimize volatility and supply disruption.
• Drive continuous improvement in forecast accuracy and demand visibility.

Material Planning and Supply Readiness

• Oversee material planning activities to ensure timely availability of raw materials, components, and packaging.
• Ensure alignment between demand plans, production plans, and procurement strategies.
• Monitor material shortages, excess, and obsolescence risks and drive corrective actions.
• Ensure effective use of planning parameters, lead times, and inventory policies.

Distribution Planning and Inventory Optimization

• Lead distribution planning to ensure optimal allocation of finished goods across warehouses and channels.
• Balance service levels, stock availability, and logistics cost through effective distribution planning.
• Oversee inventory levels, stock aging, and redistribution actions across locations.
• Coordinate with logistics and warehouse teams to support efficient product flow.

Integrated Planning and Cross-Functional Coordination

• Drive alignment across demand planning, material planning, production planning, procurement, and logistics.
• Ensure planning decisions support sales commitments, project requirements, and operational constraints.
• Participate in S&OP or integrated planning forums to support decision-making and issue resolution.
• Escalate planning risks and constraints with clear options and recommendations.

Planning Governance, Systems, and Performance

• Ensure planning processes are executed in line with approved policies, procedures, and system standards.
• Oversee planning data accuracy and effective use of ERP planning tools.
• Define, monitor, and review planning KPIs related to forecast accuracy, service level, inventory, and planning adherence.
• Lead initiatives to improve planning efficiency, visibility, and data quality.

Team Leadership and Capability Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the planning team to ensure strong analytical and execution capabilities.
• Set clear objectives, monitor performance, and support professional development within the section.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Recruit and cultivate high performers to create a robust second line of management.
• Recognize and develop low performers through guidance to improve or support their transition.
• Treat subordinates equally without discrimination.
• Assess subordinates based on performance leading to planned results.
• Ensure availability of delegation of authority matrix with sufficient delegations as per company policy.

Strategic Planning and Execution

• Transform corporate goals into business plans.
• Plan, follow up, and execute annual and development plans.
• Monitor plan performance and initiate action to strengthen results and take corrective action accordingly.
• Provide periodic work progress reports.
• Anticipate problems and make necessary proactive steps to prevent them.
• Take necessary and timely decisions.
• Deliver required results in a timely manner with required quality and cost.

Operational Accountability

• Take full responsibility for operations as per the job description and required deliverables, considering general company guidelines.
• Make a tangible difference to the area of operation and exceed business expectations.
• Monitor and control budgets and expenses to achieve optimum cost efficiency.
• Develop organizational structure according to current requirements considering future and development plans.
• Ensure availability of job descriptions for all job roles and deployment.

Business Process Improvements and Systems

• Develop, coordinate, and maintain well-defined written systems, policies, and procedures.
• Seek automation opportunities throughout operations.
• Navigate IT solutions relevant to the job and business.
• Promote automated systems and their full utilization to spread their culture.

Quality, Safety, and Compliance

• Act as a steward of quality as alfanar's prime competitive advantage.
• Ensure a safe, secure, and legal work environment as per standard regulations.
• Adapt to new and alternative techniques, technologies, management structures, and business models.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
• 6 to 10 years of work experience.

Skills & Competencies

• Materials Flow Analysis.
• Materials and Parts Knowledge.
• Continuous Flow Production.
• Demand Management.
• Workforce Demand Analysis.
• Demand Forecasting.
• Distribution Resource Planning (DRP).
• Material Requirements Planning (MRP/MRPII).