Temporary Supply Planning Leader, Amersfoort, Utrecht

The Company
The client is one of the Netherlands’ biggest dairy products manufacturers who is also active globally. 

Role Description
You will be responsible for the end-to-end supply planning of the client’s fresh and ambient dairy portfolio. Operating at the heart of a complex European network, you will lead a geographically distributed team of more than 40 supply chain professionals across the Netherlands and Belgium. This role sits at the intersection of strategy and execution. You will balance service, cost, and cash across a portfolio generating over €1 billion in annual sales, while guiding the organization through a major digital and ways-of working transformation. Success in this role requires strong leadership, the ability to influence senior stakeholders across functions, and the capability to drive enterprise-level decision-making in a highly dynamic environment. You will report to the R&A – EU Supply Planning Director and work closely with Business Group Europe, manufacturing sites, commercial leadership, finance, and Customer Supply Chain teams. 

Key Responsibilities

• Owning and leading end-to-end supply planning for the White Dairy portfolio, covering fresh and ambient products across Europe and global markets.
• Managing planning for a highly complex network, including 1,350+ finished products, 2,500+ raw and packaging materials, and 35 production sites (internal and external).
• Driving and continuously improving S&OP execution across operational and tactical horizons, ensuring alignment between demand, supply, and financial objectives.
• Aligning senior stakeholders across commercial, manufacturing, supply chain, and finance functions, navigating conflicting priorities with strong judgment and diplomacy.
• Making and implementing decisions that optimize service, cost, and cash at enterprise level, rather than within functional silos.
• Developing and executing the White Dairy supply planning strategy in line with the broader Global Supply Chain Plan & Logistics vision toward 2030.
• Leading change and transformation initiatives, including digital planning programs, system implementations, and planning excellence frameworks.
• Building scenario analyses and decision-support tools to enable data-driven choices around capacity, network optimization, and risk mitigation.
• Leading, coaching, and developing a high-performing team of 40+ professionals across multiple locations, fostering engagement, capability building, and succession.
• Establishing performance management and reporting through KPIs and dashboards covering service, inventory, cost efficiency, and cash performance. 

Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of experience in supply chain management, preferably within FMCG or food & beverage environments, with exposure to perishable products and complex distribution networks.
• Proven leadership of S&OP and supply planning processes across multi-site networks, with demonstrable results in service level improvement, inventory optimization, and cost control.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior leaders (including site directors, commercial leaders, and presidents) without formal authority.
• Demonstrated experience in change management and transformation, including digital tools, system implementations, and new ways of working.
• Solid understanding of supply chain economics, including service–cost–cash trade-offs, inventory and network optimization, and financial impact modeling.
• Experience leading geographically dispersed teams and building high-performance cultures focused on continuous improvement and people development.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, or a related field; APICS certification is an advantage.
• Strong analytical capabilities; Power BI experience is a plus.
• Fluent in English; Dutch is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel to Belgium approximately twice per month; comfortable working in a hybrid setup.
• Temporary role (maternity leave replacement).

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