Supply Planner

About Kerry

Kerry is a global leader in taste and nutrition solutions for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors. The company works with customers every day to develop products that are healthier, more enjoyable, and more sustainable, supporting billions of consumers worldwide. Kerry’s goal is to be its customers’ most trusted partner in building a more sustainable nutrition future. Joining Kerry means the chance to influence the future of food while working in an international environment with room to learn and progress.

Role Overview

The Supply Planner will own inventory planning and day-to-day supply coordination so customer service targets are achieved while balancing supply chain efficiency and working capital goals. This position partners closely with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure finished goods are available on time for national customer demand, whether products are manufactured, imported, or locally traded. The role also supports the Supply Planning Manager by tracking key performance indicators and driving action plans with the relevant teams to meet performance targets.

Work Location and Reporting

This role is based in Otahuhu, Auckland, New Zealand, and reports to the Supply Chain Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Step in as second-in-command for the Supply Chain Manager when needed.
• Lead OTIF discussions, identify reasons for service failures, and perform root-cause analysis to improve performance.
• Manage medium- and long-term inventory or capacity planning to satisfy demand, while supporting efficient production scheduling and controlling operating and inventory costs.
• Actively contribute to the S&OP cycle through the monthly Supply Review meeting and related processes.
• Run meetings with customers and suppliers to review stock positions, highlight supply risks, and support collaborative problem-solving.
• Support quarterly business reviews with key customers and suppliers.
• Make full use of system tools and available data to improve capacity, supply, and inventory planning outcomes.
• Work with the Supply Chain Manager to review inventory and replenishment settings so working capital performance improves over time.
• Coordinate stock balancing activities where inventory needs to be redistributed.
• Identify and reduce stock that is at risk.
• Partner closely with the commercial team as an important internal stakeholder.
• Place material orders and provide coverage for other material controllers during leave, sickness, or business requirements.
• Maintain reporting and analysis around inventory coverage, inventory value, and stock turnover.
• Review obsolete and slow-moving inventory and take action as required.
• Work with the finance partner on deciding between write-offs and provisions.
• Track performance against the production plan.
• Keep SAP order delivery dates aligned with actual delivery performance.

Qualifications and Skills

The ideal candidate should bring a solid understanding of core supply chain principles along with practical experience in inventory or materials planning. Strong analytical ability, data management capability, and intermediate to advanced ERP knowledge are essential, with SAP experience specifically required. The role also calls for strong Excel skills, including functions such as SUMIFS and IFERROR, plus good commercial judgement and business awareness.

Competencies Required

You should be a confident communicator who can build relationships across functions, influence others, negotiate effectively, and challenge existing processes in support of continuous improvement. The role suits someone who is driven, resilient, and comfortable working in a demanding environment with tight deadlines. Strong problem-solving ability is important for managing complex issues and delivering practical outcomes.

Important Notice

Be alert to fraudulent approaches online or from people claiming to represent Kerry. Official Kerry recruiters will not contact candidates from non-Kerry email addresses or phone numbers. Kerry also does not use video chat rooms such as Google Hangouts for interviews. Never make any payment to take part in the hiring process, including for starter kits or training. The only exception is reimbursable travel expenses, and any payments made by Kerry will come from official accounts using the Kerry name.

Additional Details

Requisition ID: 65387. Position type: FT Permanent. Recruiter: Not specified. Posting type: LI.