Planning & Customer Operations Manager at Natural Extracts Industries Limited

Natural Extracts Industries Ltd

Planning & Customer Operations Manager

Planning & Customer Operations Manager at Natural Extracts Industries Ltd November 2024

Background

Natural
Extracts Industries Ltd (NEI) is pioneering the sustainable, natural
flavour manufacturing industry in Tanzania for global export, starting
with vanilla and other flavour extracts. The company works in all areas
from cultivation to post-harvest processing, value-add manufacturing and
international sales and marketing. The smallholder outgrower network
currently integrates over 10,000 vanilla farmers from Tanzania and
Uganda, and through this sourcing model, NEI aims to deliver a long-term
socioeconomic impact by doubling annual income per smallholder
household. The company also works with farmer groups in Mbeya and Tanga
regions for cocoa bean sourcing.

Current products include liquid
flavours, such as extracts from vanilla, cocoa and coffee; and solid
flavours like vanilla pods, cocoa powder and nibs. The company is
undertaking an aggressive growth path, featuring European and US market
entries (including partnerships and potential joint ventures),
establishing a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and expanding
supply-side volumes.

Duties & Responsibilities
The Planning & Customer Operations Manager will be responsible and accountable for the following activities:
Procurement & Sourcing

• Develop
  and implement procurement policies, procedures, and processes that
  align with the company’s overall objectives and comply with FSSC 22000.
• Identify
  potential suppliers, negotiate contracts, and conduct comprehensive
  evaluations of their capabilities, quality, price, delivery,
  sustainability, and performance.
• Monitor market trends, prices,
  and supply chain disruptions to ensure that our company has access to
  reliable and cost-effective sources of production raw materials, goods
  and services.
• Work closely with other departments, such as
  production, engineering, and quality assurance, to ensure that all
  procurement activities meet the needs of the business.
• Ensure that all procurement activities are conducted in a legal, ethical and sustainable manner.
• Develop, implement and manage a supply model that ensures all purchases are made on time, in full, and within budget. 

Planning & Logistics

• Set
  objectives based on customer and business needs for all customer
  orders, articulate what success looks like to all teams, and rally the
  cross-cutting team to turn that vision into a reality.
• Lead,
  develop, and refine the Planning & Order to Cash (O2C) processes
  using a data-driven operating model to continuously improve execution.
• Take
  ownership of systems & processes necessary to implement the O2C
  processes, which include but are not limited to inventory, warehouses,
  databases, logistics price lists, harvest coordination, customs
  clearance, and import/export across all company entities.
• Develop
  and manage relationships with customs brokers and other regulatory
  agencies to ensure compliance with import/export regulations.
• Manage the logistics budget and ensure that all logistics activities are within budget.
• Provide regular reports to the VP of Operations on operational activities and performance. 

Customer & Partners Management

• Directly communicate with customers, ensuring a hassle free experience from ordering to delivery
• Lead
  relationships with partners and contractors across the business to
  ensure the availability of inventory in the right quantities, SKUs,
  locations, specifications, and at the right budget to satisfy customer
  requirements

Desired skills
The following qualifications and competencies are required:

• Bachelor’s
  degree; preferably in Food Science, Food Technology, Procurement &
  Logistics, Economics, Supply Chain Management, and allied disciplines
• Bias towards logical thinking, analysis, and synthesis.
• Excellent
  communication, and interpersonal skills; particularly the ability to
  articulate themselves clearly and effectively; both oral and written, in
  English and Kiswahili.
• In-depth knowledge of logistics and
  transportation regulations and practices. Experience with EU & US
  logistics practices & regulations is an added advantage
• In-depth knowledge of food safety management systems such as GFSI, & FSSC 22000
• Strong
  negotiation skills and the ability to manage relationships with
  suppliers, carriers, freight forwarders, and other 3PL services
  providers
• Excellent project management and problem-solving skills grounded in data.
• Extensive familiarity with ICT systems such as ERP, CRM and productivity packages such as Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
• Minimum
  of 3 years of experience managing supply chain planning & logistics
  operations, preferably in the food and/or agriculture industries.
• Self-management, and passion for working with social impact enterprises.
• Excellent coaching and facilitation skills.

How to Apply:
This is Full-time Job, To submit your application, please follow the link provided below.