Supply Chain Planning Manager Job Interview - Top Commonly Asked Questions & Answers
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Jam ha addresses the challenges faced by supply professionals during job interviews, particularly for supply planning and demand planning roles. Jam ha, with decades of experience in supply chain management, offers insights into handling managerial and technical interview questions. The video covers leadership, collaboration, and technical skills, providing real-world examples of implementing new processes, driving cross-functional teams, mastering supply planning software, and collaborating with customers to improve forecasting and inventory management.
Takeaways
- 📊 A LinkedIn poll revealed that 85% of supply professionals find supply planning and demand planning interviews the most challenging.
- 🎥 The speaker, Jam ha, has created a two-part video series addressing these interviews, with the first part focusing on demand planning manager interviews.
- 📈 The second video covers supply planning manager interviews, emphasizing managerial and leadership aspects rather than just technical skills.
- 🌟 Jam ha's extensive experience in supply chain management across various regions provides credibility and practical insights.
- 📝 The STAR method is recommended for structuring answers to behavioral interview questions, with a video provided for further explanation.
- 🛠️ A real-world example is given where Jam ha led the development and implementation of a new supply planning process, improving inventory accuracy and sales.
- 🔄 The importance of cross-functional leadership is highlighted, with an example of how Jam ha improved communication and material flow across departments.
- 💻 Technical proficiency is crucial, and Jam ha shares an experience with implementing supply planning software, Blue Yonder, and training the team.
- 📚 Stock modeling knowledge is discussed, with Jam ha detailing how to implement and train a team on statistical stock modeling techniques.
- 🤝 Customer collaboration is key, and Jam ha provides an example of how to work with retailers to improve forecasting and reduce stockouts.
- 🔍 The video series aims to help supply chain professionals build skills for their job and career that aren't typically taught in college.
Q & A
What was the main reason for conducting the poll on LinkedIn?
-The poll was conducted to understand which job interview Supply professionals find the most difficult, with the majority indicating that supply planning and demand planning interviews were the most challenging.
What is the focus of the first part of the video series?
-The first part of the video series covers questions that come up in a demand planning manager job interview.
What are the key differences between a supply planning manager job interview and a supply planner job interview?
-The supply planning manager job interview focuses more on managerial and leadership skills, while the supply planner job interview is more technical and operational.
What is the STAR format mentioned in the script?
-The STAR format is a structured way to respond to behavioral interview questions by describing a Situation, Task, Action taken, and Result achieved.
How did the speaker approach the development and implementation of a new Supply planning process?
-The speaker delegated ownership to a diverse team, provided mentorship, fostered collaboration, and presented the proposal to senior management to gain buy-in and ensure alignment with company objectives.
What was the outcome of implementing the new Supply planning process?
-The new process led to a reduction in stockouts by 10%, minimized overstock by 5%, achieved a sales growth of about 6%, and improved inventory accuracy and customer satisfaction.
How did the speaker drive cross-functional leadership to ensure a smooth flow of materials?
-The speaker spearheaded the creation of a cross-functional team, implemented regular meetings and communication platforms, and established processes for sharing forecasts and adjusting production plans.
What was the result of improving cross-functional collaboration?
-The result was an 8% increase in on-time delivery of finished goods, streamlined communication, and a reduction in overstocking or material shortages.
What experience does the speaker have with using Supply planning software?
-The speaker has experience with implementing and training a team on Advanced Supply planning software, such as Blue Yonder, to optimize inventory management and forecast accuracy.
How did the speaker ensure the team's effective use of the new Supply planning software?
-The speaker prioritized training and development, provided ongoing mentorship, and fostered a collaborative environment for sharing best practices and troubleshooting.
What is the importance of stock modeling in supply planning?
-Stock modeling is crucial for determining the right inventory targets, minimizing holding and ordering costs, and ensuring sufficient stock to meet demand during lead times.
How did the speaker implement and train the team on statistical stock modeling?
-The speaker familiarized the team with various stock modeling techniques, conducted training sessions, included hands-on exercises, and established a culture of open communication for troubleshooting.
What was the impact of implementing a well-studied stock model?
-The implementation led to a 15% reduction in out of stocks during peak seasons, reduced overall inventory holding costs, and improved the team's ability to manage inventory efficiently.
How does the speaker stay informed about changing customer needs and buying patterns?
-The speaker collaborates with key retailers, establishes forecasting processes, and incorporates real-time sales data and consumer insights to inform the supply planning process.
What was the result of the collaborative forecasting process with retailers?
-The collaborative approach led to a 10% reduction in stockouts at the retailer's stores, increased customer satisfaction, and a 5% increase in sales for the products.
Outlines
📈 Leadership in Supply Planning
The speaker, Jam, introduces a video series focusing on supply planning and demand planning interviews. In this segment, Jam discusses the challenges faced by supply planning managers during interviews and emphasizes the managerial perspective required for these roles. Jam shares their experience in supply chain management across various regions and their mission to help professionals develop practical skills. The video covers leadership questions, starting with a scenario where Jam had to develop and implement a new supply planning process. Using the STAR method, Jam explains how they empowered their team, fostered collaboration, and addressed concerns to ensure a smooth transition to the new process, resulting in significant improvements in stock management and sales growth.
🔗 Cross-Functional Collaboration
In this paragraph, Jam details their experience as a supply planning manager at Skyfly, an aerospace manufacturer, where they recognized the need for better collaboration across departments to optimize material and finished goods flow. Jam led the formation of a cross-functional team, established regular meetings, and implemented a communication platform to improve information sharing. They worked closely with manufacturing, procurement, and sales and marketing teams to align production schedules and material procurement with forecasts. Jam also addressed conflict resolution and continuous improvement, leading to an 8% increase in on-time delivery and a streamlined communication process that minimized overstock and shortages.
💡 Technical Expertise in Supply Planning
Jam shares their experience implementing advanced supply planning software at Super Electronics, an electronics manufacturer. They emphasize the importance of training and empowering their team to use the new system effectively. Jam's team achieved a 10% increase in forecast accuracy and an 8% reduction in holding costs after implementing the new software. The team also developed advanced skills in using supply chain planning software, becoming valuable assets to the department. Jam also discusses their experience with stock modeling at Awesome Foods, where they trained their team on statistical stock modeling to optimize inventory targets and reduce overstock and understock situations, leading to a 15% reduction in out-of-stocks during peak seasons.
📊 Customer-Centric Supply Planning
In the final paragraph, Jam discusses the importance of staying informed about changing customer needs and buying patterns to inform supply planning processes. Drawing from their experience at Rapid Goods, Jam describes how they established a collaborative forecasting process with key retailers to improve inventory accuracy and minimize stockouts. They initiated regular forecasting meetings, exchanged data, and developed demand forecasts collaboratively, leading to a 10% reduction in stockouts and a 5% increase in sales. Jam highlights the importance of the collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR) process in fostering strong relationships with retailers and ensuring accurate demand forecasting.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Supply Planning
💡Demand Planning
💡STAR Method
💡Cross-Functional Team
💡Supply Chain Management (SCM)
💡Collaboration
💡Leadership
💡Software Implementation
💡Stock Modeling
💡Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR)
💡Change Management
Highlights
Poll on LinkedIn reveals 85% of supply professionals find supply planning and demand planning job interviews most difficult.
Introduction to a two-part video series on supply planning manager job interviews.
First part of the series covered demand planning manager job interview questions.
Focus on managerial perspective for supply planning manager interviews, not supply planner.
Leadership questions will be covered in the video, such as developing and implementing new supply planning processes.
Example answer using STAR format from retail world for developing a new supply planning process.
Importance of gaining team buy-in and ensuring a smooth transition when implementing new processes.
Cross-functional leadership and collaboration to ensure smooth flow of materials and finished goods.
Establishing a collaborative cross-functional team to improve communication and sharing between departments.
Technical and analytical questions about using supply planning software like APO or JDA.
Example of implementing Blue Yonder software in an electronics manufacturing company.
Training and development of team members to use new software effectively.
Stock modeling techniques and their implementation in supply planning.
Reducing out of stocks and inventory holding costs through optimal order quantities and safety stock levels.
Collaborative forecasting process with key retailers to improve inventory accuracy and minimize stockouts.
Establishing strong working relationships with retailers for better demand forecasting.
The importance of staying informed about changing customer needs and buying patterns.
Using customer information to inform the supply planning process and drive sales.
Transcripts
so recently I did a poll on LinkedIn
asking Supply professionals about which
job interview do you find the most
difficult and a whopping 85% did say
that it's a supply planning and demand
planning job interviews which they find
the most difficult so therefore I
decided to make a two-part video series
where in the first part I have already
covered the questions that come in a
demand planning manager job interview
which you can watch by clicking over
here and in this video we will talk
about my personal favorite the supply
planning manager job interview questions
because this is Supply planning manager
job and not a supply planner job
interview the questions and answers are
focused more on the managerial
perspective if you are interested in a
supply planner job interview you can
also watch that video by clicking over
here my name is Jam ha and I've been
working in Supply Chain management
positions across South Asia Middle East
and North America for the last two
decades and my mission is to help supply
chain professionals like you build real
life skills for your job and career that
they don't teach you in college and if
you're interested in advancing your
supply chain career further or you are
planning to appear in a supply chain job
interview anytime soon you can book a
coaching session with me by clicking on
the link on my LinkedIn
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
profile so as I mentioned earlier the
questions in a supply planning manager
job interview as opposed to a supply
planner job interview are more geared
towards the managerial and Leadership
side of things therefore in this video I
will cover with with your questions in
the leadership bucket in the
collaboration bucket and we will also
cover the questions on the technical
side that you can expect so let's start
with the leadership questions so the
first question we will cover in the
leadership bucket is tell us about a
time and you had to develop and
Implement a new Supply planning process
how did you gain the Buy in from your
team and ensure a smooth transition so
let's look at the answer to this
question in the Star Format from the
retail world and if you don't know what
the star model is about I have also made
a video on that which you can watch by
clicking over here as the supply chain
manager of alpha apparel that sold
apparel and garments I identified
inefficiencies in our existing Supply
planning process particularly its
Reliance on solely historical data this
often resulted in stockouts during Peak
seasons and excess inventory during slow
periods impacting sales and
profitability my goal was to lead my
team of planners in developing and
implementing a new data driven approach
to supply planning a first empowered my
team I delegated ownership of the
project to a team of planners with
diverse expertise in forecasting and
inventory management provided ongoing
mentorship and guidance to ensure they
were equipped with the necessary skills
and resources I fostered a collaborative
environment where team members could
share ideas and best practices organized
brainstorming sessions to develop a
comprehensive new process that
incorporated demand forecasting that is
utilizing Advanced Techniques
considering historical data Trends and
external factors Safety stock
optimization establishing Dynamic Safety
stock levels based on lead times and
demand variability and I also integrated
sales and marketing teams into the
planning process for alignment with
promotions in order to gain the Buy in I
presented the proposed processes to
Senior Management highlighting the
potential benefits in inventory accuracy
and improved customer satisfaction I
address concerns and ensured the process
aligned with the companywide objectives
I also championed the project within the
the department communicating its value
and fostering team member enthusiasm
through my team's hard work and
collaborative efforts we successfully
implemented the new Supply planning
process across all product categories
and it resulted in some significant
improvements such as the reduction of
stock outs by 10% and minimized
Overstock by 5% we achieved a sales
growth of about 6% and consistently met
consumer demand and most importantly my
team members horned their forecasting
skills and gained valuable experience in
implementing change management
initiatives so this is a very good
example where you are sharing the
details of how you came up with a vision
of implementing a new planning process
how you got your team galvanized around
it how you got the senior manager buying
and you are also sharing details of how
you implemented it and sharing also how
the results got improved as you
implemented the new process so now let's
look at the next question in the
leadership
bucket how do you drive cross functional
leadership with other departments such
as manufa facturing procurement and
sales and marketing to ensure a smooth
flow of materials and finished goods as
a supply planning manager at skyfly a
leading Aerospace manufacturer I
recognize the need for enhanced
collaboration across departments to
optimize the flow of materials and
finished goods communication silos
between Supply planning manufacturing
procurement and sales and marketing were
were hindering our ability to meet tight
production schedules and customer
delivery expectations my objective was
to establish a collaborative cross
functional team to improve communication
and improve sharing between departments
involved in the Aerospace manufacturing
process in terms of actions first of all
I spearheaded the creation of a cross
functional team with representatives
from Supply planning manufacturing
procurement and sales and marketing we
held an initial meeting to Define common
goals so we clearly outlined the shared
objective of ensuring a smooth flow of
materials and finished goods we
implemented regular meetings a central
Communication platform and designated
point of contact s within each
department in terms of promoting
transparency and productive engagement I
instituted a practice of sharing
forecasts with relevant departments
allowing them to anticipate future needs
and adjust production plans
accordingly with manufacturing we
established a process for manufacturing
to promptly communicate potential
production delays or capacity
constraints to facilitate adjustments in
the procurement schedule the procurement
team received updated sales forecast and
production plans allowing them to
proactively secure materials and manage
supplier lead times sales and marketing
shared insights on customer order
modifications and potential contract
changes allowing for adjustments in the
production scheduling and materials
procurement I also worked on conflict
resolution and continuous Improvement by
establishing a framework for open
communication and conflict resolution
within the team regularly reviewed
performance metrics and solicited
feedback to identify areas for further
Improvement in information sharing and
collaboration as a result we achieved an
8% increase on ontime delivery of
finished goods to meet customer
deadlines I was able to streamline
communication with minimize instances of
overstocking or material shortages the
cross functional team fostered a culture
of collaboration and open communication
leading to an improved problem solving
and proactive planning process now let's
move to the next bucket which is the
technical and analytical questions that
can come what experience do you have
with using Supply planning software are
you familiar with specific programs like
APO or jda for Supply Chain
management so here is an example from
the electronics Industry as the supply
planning manager at Super Electronics a
leading Electronics manufacturer I
recognize the need to improve our supply
chain efficiency through the
implementation of a new software system
my goal was to leverage Advanced Supply
planning software to optimize Inventory
management forecast accuracy and overall
improved supply chain FMS however it was
crucial to ensure that my team of two
Supply planners was equipped and
empowered to utilize the new system
effectively the software chosen by our
Global Leadership team was Blue Yonder
and I was tasked to implement that in
our business
unit I prioritized training and
development of my team members equipping
them with the necessary skills to use
the new software effectively this
included enrolling them into
comprehensive training courses
conducting internal knowledge sharing
sessions and providing ongoing
mentorship and support I delegated
specific task related to software
configuration and data analysis to
empower my team members and encourage
ownership of the new system this was a
big part of them owning the system and
becoming a part of the solution I
fostered a collaborative environment
where my team could share best practices
and troubleshoot challenges while using
the software we established regular
meetings to discuss software utilization
analyze reports and identify areas for
continuous Improvement once the planning
arm of blue yonder was implemented fully
our business unit we achieved a 10%
increase in forecast accuracy leading to
better resource allocation and reduced
production disruptions our team utilized
the software to optimize stock levels
and inventory allocation achieving an 8%
reduction in holding costs by fostering
a learning environment my team members
developed Advanced skills in using
supply chain planning software becoming
valuable assets to the department so you
can see that although this question is
very very technical it's hovering around
blue under as a planning system but the
answer while touches on the technical
details is also focused on how you are
managing your team of planners how did
you enroll them in the implementation of
the new system so that they could own it
they could be trained on it so you are
basically demonstrating to the recruiter
that you have been a part of a very
significant change in the organization
and you have led effectively by making
sure that your team was fully on board
what do you know about stock modeling
give us an example when you had to
implement a stock model and train your
team on it as the supply planning
manager at awesome Foods a leading
consumer goods manufacturer I actively
had the opportunity of implementing and
training my team on statistical stock
modeling as they were using a very basic
approach towards defining inventory
targets which was basically about
keeping one month of inventory for all
SKS regardless of their individual
performance they were doing this for
about 500 SKS in the portfolio and we
were facing Overstock and under
understock situation across the
portfolio despite having 30 days of
inventory at the aggregate level my task
was to apply stock modeling techniques
determine the right inventory Target for
each skew and also train my team on the
model I first familiarized myself with
various stock modeling techniques
including the economic order quantity or
the eoq model to determine the optimal
order quantities and minimize total
inventory holding and ordering costs the
lead time inventory model to account for
the time between placing an order and
and receiving the goods and ensuring
sufficient stock to meet demand during
the lead time and the Safety stock
modeling to calculate the additional
inventory buffer needed to mitigate
unforeseen demand fluctuations and
Supply
disruptions I collaborated with my team
of Supply planners to analyze our
specific needs and product
characteristics based on the analysis we
selected a combination of the EQ and the
lead time inventory models as the most
suitable approach to our consumer goods
environment we then parameterized the
model with the relevant data points like
historical sales data lead times from
suppliers product holding costs ordering
cost and so on I prioritize clear
communication by conducting training
sessions for my team explaining the
chosen stock models their underlying
principles and their application in our
software we included Hands-On exercises
to ensure my team felt comfortable using
the model for practical inventory
planning I established a culture of open
communication where team members could
ask questions and troubleshoot
challenges with the model application
as a result of implementing this very
well studied stock model as compared to
keeping 30 dust of inventory overall we
were able to achieve a 15% reduction in
out of stocks during Peak Seasons we
reduced the overall inventory holding
cost through optimal order quantities
and Safety stock levels and my team
developed a strong understanding of the
stock modeling principles and became
more confident in their ability to
manage inventory efficiently now we look
at the last question which is in the
bucket of customer collaboration how do
you stay informed about changing
customer needs and buying patterns how
do you use this information to inform
your supply planning process in my
previous role as a supply planner at
rapid Goods a manufacturer supplying a
major retailer we Face challenges in
accurately predicting demand for our
products inconsistent inventory levels
often resulted in stock outs at the
retailer negatively impacting their
customer satisfaction and our sales my
task was to establish a collaborative
forecasting process with our key
retailers to improve inventory accuracy
and minimize
stockouts I initiated contact with the
relevant supply chain team at the major
retailer through open communication I
established a strong working
relationship with their forecasting and
planning Personnel we implemented
quarterly forecasting meetings these
meetings served as a platform to
exchange historical sales data upcoming
promotional plans and anticipated
seasonal trends for our products we also
collaboratively developed demand
forecast by combining our expertise in
manufacturing and the retailers insights
into consumer
Behavior the process allowed for
flexibility to adjust forecasts based on
realtime sales data or unforeseen events
by incorporating the retailers Insight
are demand forecast became more accurate
leading to a 10% reduction in stockouts
at their stores consistent product
availability at the retailer stores
boosted customer satisfaction and
resulted in a 5% increase in sales for
our products the collaborative approach
fostered a stronger working relationship
with the retailer building trust and
open communication channels so in this
question you can see that although the
interview is for a supply planning
manager position but they are asking you
a specific question around cpfr planning
or collaborative planning forecasting
interment with a retailer because even
as a supply planning manager sometimes
you might become the face of the company
to the customer and then you have to go
beyond the classical Supply planning
role definitions and work
collaboratively with the customers make
sure that you and the customer are
talking the same language and as a
result of this collaboration you can
actually drive some very good results
like in this example because cpfr is a
very well-known industry practice now
where sometimes the planning teams of a
manufacturer might be sitting in the
offices of a big retailer like Walmart
doing that collaboration making sure
that we are getting the best insights on
the customer and consumer side and then
being the representative of the supply
side your team has the best information
where we can they can where they can
come up with the best plan which can not
only deliver the consumer demand but
also keep your inventories in check and
at the right levels so I hope you found
this video helpful I've also made videos
on topics like the top 10 LinkedIn tips
for supply chain professionals or do
certifications really matter in supply
chain and you can watch those videos by
clicking over here keep watching
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