Supply Chain Director

Overview

At RM we provide technology and resources to the education sector, supporting schools, teachers and learners, with one goal, to improve education outcomes worldwide. What we do helps all levels of the industry, from preschool to higher education and professional qualification, our customers include schools, examination boards, central governments and other professional institutions. We have a clear purpose to enrich the lives of learners worldwide.

To better reflect the society that we serve, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. To achieve this, we create teams of talented people from different backgrounds and experiences and strive to be a business where our people can bring their whole selves to work.

Responsibilities

RM Resources revenues in 2019 were £115M with almost 20% derived from International markets (RM’s goal is to drive longer term profitable growth and we have identified four strategic imperatives which are instrumental in driving future opportunity. They are, IP and Technology development, International Growth, Product and Service Innovation and operating with efficiency and simplicity across all areas of the organisation. .
In support of our ambition we are currently investing in two significant business transformation programmes across IT and Distribution which are due to complete in 2022. This investment will significantly enhance our current operational capabilities and provide a strong foundation from which to deliver our strategic goals.

The Procurement and Planning Director will play a significant role in driving forward our transformation agenda ensuring the successful completion of existing programmes and shaping future business improvements. A key objective for the business is to increase stock efficiency, reduce sku counts and improve service levels. This role will be pivotal in shaping a forward supplier and sourcing strategy to realise these opportunities. Additionally, with the introduction of Microsoft Dynamics there is a requirement to comprehensively review current merchandising processes in order to drive efficiencies and improve forecast accuracy.

JOB PURPOSE
Reporting to the RM Resources Managing Director, the Procurement and Planning Director is a senior leadership role accountable for the strategic development and leadership of the RM Resources Procurement and Planning functions including:

• Developing a long-term strategy which will facilitate improvements for direct procurement services and merchandise planning and forecasting across the business.
• Ensuring the execution of procurement and i merchandise strategies across the organisation to ensure consistent and high quality value delivery
• Developing the long term sourcing and supplier strategy to deliver exceptional levels of customer service whilst ensuring optimal agility, efficiency and profitability.
• Leading the strategic and operational delivery for inventory management into distribution centre.
• Partner with the Product Director in delivering financially viable, cohesive and commercial range plans that are aligned to growth and profitability targets
• Ensure best practice in merchandising and range building, provding robust annual, quarterly and monthly forecasts aligning top down and bottom up planning
• Manage the product life cycle from introduction to end of life in line with agreed financial targets.
• Developing and implementing a strategy to improve inventory efficiency and deliver a reduction in overall sku count in line with company targets
• Implementing best practices to support commercial and operational objectives.
• Leading rigorous and objective contract negotiations with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Driving the development and enhancement of inventory analytics and insights including overseeing the migration from existing planning systems to Microsoft Dynamics.
• Conducting business review meetings with key stakeholders to assess risk, review future strategies, and identify potential cost down and improvement opportunities.
• Identifying areas for improvement to continually drive performance and business results.
• Maintaining strong working relationships with strategic suppliers to assure cost, quality, and delivery targets are met.

The Planning and Procurement Director is a member of the RM Resources Board and the RM senior leadership group, expected to contribute fully to the strategic direction of RM Resources and utilising the knowledge, skills and scale of the combined business to co-create a future organisation which leverages the best-of-both TTS and The Consortium, and delivers shareholder value.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Proven track record of driving success as a Procurement and Planning Director in a B2B or B2C environment
• Proven track record of driving improvements in inventory efficiency combined with improved levels of customer service
• Extensive knowledge of global sourcing in an industry relevant to educational resources
• Has led the implementation of significant strategic business change programmes

Has distibution Centre, warehouse operation experience 

• Educated to degree level
• Professional qualification (CIPS).
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Confident, driven and dynamic leader

FACTS & FIGURES
Circa 60,000 products across TTS 
Manage the Procurement and Planning Departments of 40 people.
Manage the annual inventory investment plan of circa £60M.
Deliver revenues, currently of c£115-120+ million and the revenues in the three year plan.
Deliver 300+ new own developed products per year.

Experience

At RM we recently introduced My Work Blend @RM which provides office-based colleagues with multi location and hybrid working options to suit them. As well as your office base, you can spend a proportion of your time working at other locations that suit your role and your life, including home, other offices, customer sites, distribution centres or on the move. We encourage you to discuss arrangements for this role with your potential line manager during the recruitment process. We expect how we make best use of hybrid working may continue to adapt as we adjust to our new ways of working.

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