Inventory Manager - RAC Business Area

Job Summary

Role overview: The Inventory Manager is a key cross-functional role within the Business Planning, Sales & Operations Planning, and Inventory organization. The primary objective of this position is to optimize and oversee the entire inventory scope (including Raw Materials, Work in Progress, and Finished Goods/Trading stocks) across RAC production sites and distribution centers to directly support Working Capital targets and the "Back to 10%" profitability program.

Success in this role looks like achieving strict Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO) targets, driving structural inventory reduction initiatives (such as slow-mover monetization campaigns and optimized replenishment strategies), and executing seamless coordination between plant logistics, purchasing, and regional S&OP managers.

Direct report: The Inventory Manager will report to Business Planning, Sales & Operations Planning Inventory Director RAC

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Defines safety stocks and parameters per plant type. (Raw mat / WIP / Finished Goods)

• Coordinates raw material needs with Purchasing and guarantee the accuracy of inventory data in the Critical Raw Material file

• Contribute to Critical Raw Mat call with Category Managers monthly meeting and establish trend reports between target stock and current stock

• Monitor local execution of critical raw material guidelines at the plants / Distribution Center level

• Works directly with plant production schedulers, local purchasing, plant managers and supply chain managers

  • Monitor Finish Goods to prevent stock out or stock excess

  • Monitor Trading stock levels / Distributions Center PO execution

• Support to preparation of S&OP exec routines (DIO analysis Raw mat + FG inventory analysis, Trading inventory analysis)

• Direct Single Point of Contact to Operating Working Capital central PMO

• Coordination with Hubs stakeholders (working with: Finance, Operations and Supply Chain operations)

Qualifications & Experience

• Education Level: Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations Research, Engineering, or a related Business field

• Experience: 10 years of professional experience in supply chain, global inventory planning, or industrial S&OP management within an international and complex manufacturing environment.

• A proven track record of managing heavy industrial or Chemical-based inventory streams across multi-site production networks is highly preferred

• Demonstrated experience in driving large-scale working capital/cash optimization programs and managing inventory revaluation, cycle counting protocols, and structural write-offs

• Certifications: APICS certification (CPIM / CSCP) or a recognized equivalent supply chain credential is standard and highly preferred. Lean Six Sigma or project management certifications are an asset

Skills & Person Specification

• Specific Skills (Technical, Behavioral, Soft-Skills):

  • Advanced ERP & Systems Proficiency: Strong working knowledge of standard industrial ERP systems (ideally deep experience with SAP SD/MM or Opera) along with specialized supply chain planning tools (e.g., Quintiq)

  • Advanced Analytics & Data Manipulation: Expert data modeling skills, including the ability to utilize complex multi-dimensional inventory dashboards (e.g., Google Workspace, Looker Studio, Prism analytics) to track slow movers, cycle stocks, and financial impacts on EBIT/Cash

  • Stakeholder Management & Conflict Resolution: Outstanding capability to bridge Central Supply Chain strategies with regional Category Managers, Hub specialists, Finance controllers, and Plant Managers, successfully managing trade-offs between purchasing costs, transport efficiency, and inventory parameters. Ability to adapt communication style and behavior to various audiences, from executive management to operational staff.

  • Fluency in Languages: Fluent in English and French (written and spoken) is required.

• Personal Characteristics:

  • Rigorous & Process-Oriented: A highly structured, data-driven approach to solving operational inventory bottlenecks and enforcing month-end cut-off boundaries

  • Agile Multi-tasker: Highly resilient under financial pressure with the ability to simultaneously simulate multiple volume-change risk scenarios across separate plants

  • Results-Driven Proactivity: An active "hunter" mindset toward identifying hidden inventory risks, slow-moving items, or inaccurate Bills of Materials (BOM)

• Imerys Leadership Competencies (ILC Alignment):

  • Care for Self and Others: Cultivates an inclusive environment and holds safety as a non-negotiable benchmark in all site interactions

  • Collaborate for Success: Breaks functional silos by orchestrating alignment across cross-border hubs and functional boundaries

  • Commit to Customers: Understands that accurate target stock management safeguards on-time shipment (OTS) metrics and overall client satisfaction

  • Drive Results: Relentlessly pursues high performance, pushing beyond baseline metrics to deliver sustainable working capital value

  • Shapes the Future: Champions digital transformation and the roll-out of modernized inventory trackers to streamline legacy systems

Position Type

Full time

and

Permanent