PSOS Supply Chain Team Leader

Pharma Source & Ostomy Source, Supply Chain Team Leader

Full-time, Permanent

City West, Hybrid

The Role

Lead, coach and challenge the Supply Chain Planning team, setting clear priorities, standards and objectively measured expectations.

Support Business Unit gross margin and sales targets through optimum stock availability, strategic purchasing and strong execution.

Drive a proactive stock management approach covering demand, safety stock, shortages, excess, slow-moving stock and expiry exposure.

Create an environment of ownership, creative problem solving, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Use data and cross-functional collaboration to identify risk early, escalate clearly and deliver practical solutions.

People Leadership & Team Development

• •Provide visible day-to-day leadership to Supply Chain Planners, including clear direction, prioritisation and workload management.
• •Set role expectations and measurable KPIs, review performance consistently and follow through on agreed actions.
• •Develop team capability in analytical, judgement-based and scenario-led decision-making to support effective problem-solving.
• •Foster open discussion and new ideas while ensuring clear accountability for decisions, actions and outcomes.
• •Support the team in managing busy periods effectively, maintaining focus and prioritising urgent issues alongside routine workload.
• •Identify opportunities for capability development and establish practical development plans, cross-training and succession cover.
• •Create a high-performance culture based on ownership, collaboration, curiosity and continuous improvement.

Stock, Demand & Expiry Management

• •Oversee stock availability in line with customer demand, service targets, lead times and company budget parameters.
• •Review demand forecasts, sales trends and exception reports to reduce reactive purchasing and improve forward planning.
• •Monitor out-of-stocks, excess stock, slow and dead stock, short-dated inventory and expiry exposure, ensuring actions have owners and deadlines.
• •Challenge safety-stock settings, order quantities and purchasing patterns where data indicates risk or opportunity.
• •Ensure planners develop and maintain credible recovery or contingency plans for supply disruptions.
• •Maintain high standards of planning data and master data accuracy.

Risk, Escalation & Change

• •Establish a consistent risk-management rhythm for supply continuity, including early identification, impact assessment and mitigation tracking.
• •Ensure escalations are timely, evidence-based and clear on business impact, options, recommended action and decision required.
• •Coordinate cross-functional responses with Operations, Quality, Finance, Sales, Customer Service and other relevant stakeholders.
• •Adapt plans quickly when supply, demand, systems, processes or business priorities change, and help the team understand the reason for change.
• •Lead root-cause reviews on recurring issues and embed practical corrective and preventative actions.

Commercial & Financial Delivery

• •Support monthly gross margin and sales delivery through stock decisions that balance availability, cost, risk and working capital.
• •Develop planner understanding of buy price, gross margin, inventory value, cash impact, write-off risk and cost-to-serve considerations.
• •Identify opportunities to improve margin through purchasing choices, supplier discussions and redistribution of volume, escalating opportunities to the Strategic Procurement Manager.
• •Provide concise monthly reporting on stock health, risks, expiries, escalations, service and commercial outcomes.
• •Collaborate with Finance to strengthen the planning team’s understanding of financial considerations and support informed decision-making.

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• •Ensure effective supplier planning around availability, order fulfilment, lead times, constraints and recovery actions.
• •Maintain constructive working relationships with key internal stakeholders and communicate priorities, risks and decisions clearly.
• •Work closely with the Strategic Sourcing Specialist on shortages, alternative supply options and access initiatives, with clear handover back to the planner when the issue stabilises.
• •Represent Supply Chain Planning at relevant daily, weekly and monthly operational meetings.