Planning Lead

Job Description: Planning Lead – Supply Planning (Ice Cream)
Location: Mumbai HO
Work Level: WL2B
Experience Required: 7–10 years in supply chain planning, preferably in FMCG or food & beverage sectors

Location: Mumbai, India

Why we exist?

We believe life tastes better with Ice Cream. We exist to bring the power of ice cream to more people, in more places, in new and unexpected ways. As our founder Mr Wall's already said in 1922, ‘By taking pleasure seriously”. We truly embody this and are creating the world’s largest IC company to accelerate these extraordinary ice cream experiences for more people around the globe.

About the company: Unilever, world’s 3rd largest CPG company with revenues of $60mn, has announced the spinoff of its Ice cream business group and form an independent company.  Ice cream as a business system has very different character & a distinct business system when compared to other Unilever categories as it requires a dedicated cold chain GTM, it’s an impulse category and needs larger distributive and multichannel OOH footprint, needs agility to manage seasonality and rigour in front end execution.

This bold move leads the creation of an iconic pure play ice cream company “MAGNUM IC Company” which operates in 80 countries with a revenue scale of $9bn globally, headquartered in Amsterdam. Magnum IC Company houses world’s most iconic brands like Magnum / Ben & Jerry, Cornetto, Breyers ,Walls and Grom. This separation gives us boost to accelerate fast in the highly attractive $1 trillion snacking and refreshment industry, growing consistently globally.

Magnum IC Company in India: In India, Kwality Wall’s (brand of Hindustan Unilever) is a large IC business with national presence. The HUL board has approved the demerger of Kwality Walls India business as a separate listed entity. Hence KWIL will be 100% part of the Magnum IC company with its India head office in Mumbai
Role Purpose
To lead the end-to-end integrated planning function for the Ice Cream business, ensuring optimal service levels, inventory health, and cost efficiency. This role bridges demand forecasting, supply planning, and S&OP processes, enabling agile decision-making and operational excellence across the value chain.

Key Responsibilities
        1. Supply Planning

• Own the supply plan across internal factories and 3PMs, ensuring capacity alignment and material availability.
• Lead monthly/quarterly run strategies and make vs. buy decisions.
• Manage inventory targets, obsolescence, and service KPIs (Dispatch Rate, MSTN/ESTN, Waste/SMOG).

Integrated Business Planning (IBP)

• Facilitate the monthly S&OP cycle, ensuring alignment between demand, supply, and financial plans.
• Provide scenario planning and risk mitigation strategies to support business continuity.
• System & Process Excellence
• Champion the implementation of planning tools (e.g., O9, SAP APO/S4 HANA, Kinaxis).
• Drive automation and exception-based planning to reduce manual interventions
• Contribute to ERP transformation initiatives like Project Opus and Crystal Cone.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 7–10 years of experience in supply chain planning, with exposure to both demand and supply functions.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in tools like SAP, Power BI, and statistical modelling platforms.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience in seasonal businesses or high-SKU complexity environments (e.g., ice cream, beverages).
• Educational background in Engineering, Supply Chain, or Business Management.
  

Desirable Traits
- Strategic thinker with a bias for action.
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving clarity.
- Passionate about continuous improvement and digital transformation.

#TMICC #KWIL