BIC is a family-owned company listed on the Paris Stock Exchange and a world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers.
For more than 75 years, BIC has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, simple, inventive and reliable choices for everyone, everywhere, every time.
BIC products provide easy answers for everyday needs. In creating its first product, the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen, BIC chose to go straight to what’s essential: create something for everyone to use that is simple, yet reliable, and provides a solution for something that we all do. This vision is at the heart of every brand decision BIC makes.
Associate Manager, Demand Planning at BIC
Job Description
The Role:
The Associate Manager, Demand Planning – East Africa is
responsible for leading the end-to-end demand planning process across the East
Africa cluster, ensuring the development of a robust and accurate demand
forecast that supports business growth, customer service objectives, inventory
optimization, and financial targets. The role serves as a critical link between
Commercial, Supply Chain, Finance, and Regional Planning teams, driving
forecast accuracy, facilitating Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes,
and enabling data-driven decision-making across the region.
The incumbent will provide visibility of demand trends,
challenge assumptions through data and insights, identify risks and
opportunities, and ensure alignment between commercial plans and supply
capabilities. This role plays a key part in strengthening planning maturity and
forecasting excellence across East Africa.
Main Responsibilities / Tasks:
- Own
and manage the end-to-end demand planning and forecasting process for the
East Africa cluster.
- Develop,
maintain, and continuously improve a rolling 24-month demand forecast at
market, customer, and product level.
- Drive
forecast accuracy improvement initiatives and proactively manage forecast
bias through robust analytics and root cause analysis.
- Lead
the monthly Demand Review process and support Integrated Business Planning
(IBP) and Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) activities.
- Collaborate
closely with Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Finance, and Supply
Planning teams to ensure forecast alignment and business consensus.
- Analyze
historical sales trends, market intelligence, promotional plans, customer
developments, and new product launches to generate accurate demand
assumptions.
- Identify
and communicate demand risks and opportunities, recommending mitigation
and contingency actions where required.
- Partner
with Supply Planning to translate demand signals into supply requirements
while highlighting inventory, capacity, availability, and service risks.
- Support
inventory optimization efforts by balancing customer service requirements
with working capital objectives.
- Monitor
and report forecast performance metrics, providing actionable
recommendations to improve planning effectiveness.
- Serve
as the key user and process owner for demand planning systems, ensuring
data accuracy and integrity across planning tools.
- Drive
continuous improvement initiatives, process standardization, and digital
transformation projects within the planning function.
- Facilitate
cross-functional collaboration and influence stakeholders to support
fact-based decision making.
- Prepare
and present demand planning insights and performance updates to local,
regional, and leadership stakeholders.
Key Performance Indicators
- Forecast
Accuracy (%)
- Forecast
Bias (%)
- Demand
Plan Adherence
- Customer
Service Levels
- Inventory
Health and Days of Inventory
- Slow-Moving
and Obsolete Inventory Reduction
- Timely
Completion of Demand Review and IBP Cycles
- Quality
and Accuracy of Demand Planning Reports
- Stakeholder
Satisfaction and Cross-Functional Alignment
- Continuous
Improvement and Process Optimization Deliverables
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s
degree in supply chain management, Engineering, Business Management,
Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, or a related field.
- Minimum
of 3 years of experience in Demand Planning, Supply Chain Planning,
Forecasting, or a related discipline.
- FMCG
and/or multinational company experience is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated
experience managing demand forecasting and S&OP/IBP processes.
- Advanced
proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Power BI.
- Experience
with demand planning systems such as Blue Yonder or similar planning
platforms is an advantage.
- Strong
analytical and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to translate
data into meaningful business insights.
- Excellent
stakeholder management and influencing skills with the confidence to
challenge assumptions using data.
- Ability
to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced and dynamic business
environment.
- Strong
communication and presentation skills.
- Self-driven,
proactive, and results-oriented mindset with high attention to detail.
Associate Manager, Supply Planner at BIC
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
PRODUCTION PLANNING
- Work
closely with the stakeholders in your region to consolidate the
demand/purchase signals, to understand mid-long term business trends and
evolutions
- Build
and align with the factory on the weekly production plan (short term).
Monitor the accomplishment of the plan and challenge the factory when
necessary.
- Prepare
supply review meeting: define the optimal medium-long term production plan
to balance inventory and to mitigate shortages, taking into consideration
factory constraints and business expectations such as machine bottlenecks
or summer closures
- Drive
the monthly supply review meeting (IBP) for your region to validate the
optimal medium-long-term production plan
- Ensure
the optimal management of the life cycle of references by participating in
projects related to the launch and the discontinuity of products
DEPLOYMENT & CO-PACKING
- Process
shipments from factories to hubs
- Launch
weekly co-packing work orders according to various constraints such as
component availability, promotion anticipation, or load at the co-packing
centers
- Manage
weekly distribution from the cluster hubs to the distribution centers
(in-house, third party) or the customers)
INVENTORY, PERFORMANCE & ANALYSIS
- Prepare
IBP monthly meeting by building mid & long-term supply constraints and
associated scenarios
- Ensure
smooth and timely communication on short-term constraints with STPA,
Customer Service, Demand Planning, Logistics teams, and other regions to
maximize service level (OTIF) & limit out-of-stock impact
- Optimize
bulks & finished goods inventory levels in all warehouses and define
action plans for overstock reduction such as unpacking of co-packed items
or stock rebalancing
- Leverage
planning tools parameters such as safety stock, lead times, or supply
frequency to adapt to supply chain constraints
- Follow
and monitor production adherence from the factory. Lead or participate in
various projects such as change of sourcing, transfer of lines, MOQ
optimization
- Lead
or participate in IT enhancements of the planning tools (Blue Yonder,
Anaplan, or any other tool) & the ERP (JDE)
- Share
good practices with other regions
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIS)
- OTIF
- Service
Level
- Inventories
(units & value) & SLOB
- Freight
& distribution
- Forecast
accuracy
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor
or a Master degree in Supply Chain or a related field.
- 3+
years of experience within demand or supply planning function/s within a
fast-paced environment, familiar with S&OP / IBP processes and
planning tools.
- 3+
years of supply planning experience with integrated ERP system skills
- Fluent
in English.
- Experience
with interacting in a complex, cross-functional, matrix, and multicultural
environment.
- Demonstrate
strong analytical skills and are comfortable in managing lots of data from
multiple sources.
- Reliable,
curious, proactive, problem solver. Detail-oriented as well as with a
strategic view.
- Team
player with high customer focus.
- Great
communication skills that allow you to collaborate, educate, and influence
people from different backgrounds.
- Masterly
of the Planning & SC Information System (SAP, JDA, JDE/Blue Yonder,
Manugistics, Logility, etc.)
- Capacity
to handle uncertainty, act with autonomy, and manage risks in results
& team-oriented manner.
- Previous
experience in FMCG will be a plus.
- Ability
to translate the group & regional strategy on a strong local roadmap
& action plan.
- Enthusiast,
change champion & strong capacity to connect with all the
stakeholders.
Sales Representative – Coast Region
- Date: Aug
8, 2025
- Location: Nairobi,
KE
- Company: BIC
For over 75 years, BIC has been creating ingeniously simple
and joyful products that are a part of every heart and home.
As a member of our team, you’ll be a part of reigniting a
beloved brand as we continue to reimagine everyday essentials in new,
sustainable and responsible ways.
Our “roll up your sleeves and get the job done” approach to
work creates an environment where self-starters, problem solvers and innovative
thinkers thrive. BIC team members are empowered to take ownership of their
careers and bring their unique perspectives to the table to make a meaningful
impact on our mission.
It’s a colorful world – make your mark by joining the BIC
team today.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE
- Sales
to customers within a defined geographic Area in East Africa
- Achievement
of monthly sales volume and value targets across all three categories
(Stationery, Lighters, Shavers and Shaving preps)
- Ensure
effective implementation of negotiated Key Account promotions and
marketing strategies
- To
effectively manage third party Sales and Merchandising Agents, ensuring
that sales targets’ key Trade Promotions and In Store forward share
objectives are achieved
- To
ensure cost effective sales call coverage is implemented, providing the
required level of service to increase sales to customers and area
profitability
- To
effectively manage the Sales Agents, ensuring that the agreed sales
targets, promotional activity and marketing objectives are implemented at
store level
- Effective
implementation of all negotiated promotions during Mini-Major Back to
School and Shaver/Lighter promotional periods
- Compiling
and submission of required sales and market intelligence reports (Trade
surveys, Sales contact Reports, In store audits, Daily/Weekly reports,
Competitor activity Reports, Promotional Analysis Reports, New Products
and Forward Share
- Maintain
and build solid trade relations with key customers, identify new customers
and sales opportunities within the defined Area
- Identify
opportunities to increase numeric and weighted distribution of both
existing and new products to Area customer base. Understanding of customer
needs and product trends, tracking competitor activity and new product
innovation
- Develops
job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading
professional publications; maintaining personal/professional networks
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)
- Achieve
strike rate target for the allocated DSRs.
- Achieve
sales and coverage objective for allocated FSRs.
- Ensure
allocated stockist have required SKUS and are replenishing every month.
- Ensure
allocated merchandised outlets achieve 80% OSA target.
JOB SPECIFICATIONS
Academic and Professional qualifications
- A
Diploma /Degree in Sales and Marketing or a related field from a
recognized institution of higher learning
Professional work experience
- At
least 2 years’ sales experience position within the FMCG/Office Products
environment.
- Good
working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite is required
Essential Skills & Competencies
- Developed
professional selling relationships with Wholesalers/Franchisers and
Retailers
- Good
organization, communication and leadership skills
- Negotiation
and Conflict resolution skills
- Ability
to identify new business opportunities and customers
- Presentation
Skills
- Develop
and use collaborative relationships to facilitate the accomplishment of
company objectives and goals. Obtain and offer collaboration without
relying on authority
- Time
management – consistently able to effectively finish assignments; well
organized
- Mentoring
and coaching skills
- Team
player and be able to lead from the front