ZEISS in India
ZEISS in India is headquartered in Bengaluru and present in the fields of Industrial Quality Solutions, Research Microscopy Solutions, Medical Technology, Vision Care and Sports & Cine Optics.
ZEISS India has 3 production facilities, R&D center, Global IT services and about 40 Sales & Service offices in almost all Tier I and Tier II cities in India. With 2200+ employees and continued investments over 25 years in India, ZEISS’ success story in India is continuing at a rapid pace.
Further information at ZEISS India.
Position Overview – Planning Head
The Planning Head is responsible for leading the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process and managing end-to-end demand and supply planning . The role ensures accurate forecasting, inventory alignment, coordinated supply responses, and cross-functional business alignment. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical skills, collaborative leadership, and deep planning expertise.
Key Responsibilities
1. Lead Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)
- Own and run the monthly S&OP cycle including demand review, supply review, and executive S&OP meetings.
- Drive alignment between Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Global Teams.
- Build consensus forecasts and ensure commitment on business targets.
- Track performance vs. plan and implement corrective actions.
2. Demand Planning
- Develop SKU-level demand forecasts leveraging statistical tools, historical trends, market insights, and commercial inputs.
- Analyze forecast accuracy, bias, and demand variability; implement continuous improvements.
- Collaborate with Sales and Marketing to integrate market intelligence, new product introductions, and promotional activities.
- Maintain rolling forecasts and scenario analyses for better decision-making.
3. Supply Planning
- Translate demand forecasts into supply plans in coordination with global factories, procurement, and warehousing teams.
- Ensure inventory availability while optimizing working capital and reducing excess/slow-moving stock.
- Manage supply constraints, lead-time variability, and capacity bottlenecks.
- Develop allocation strategies during shortages and ensure customer priority alignment.
4. Inventory Planning & Optimization
- Work closely with warehouse and procurement teams to maintain optimal stock levels.
- Monitor safety stocks, reorder points, and replenishment strategies.
- Drive actions to minimize stockouts, expedite requests, and aging inventory.
- Lead inventory health reviews using KPI dashboards.
5. Process Excellence & Analytics
- Implement best practices in planning including statistical forecasting, ABC/XYZ classification, and segmentation strategies.
- Drive digitization through ERP, planning tools, dashboards, and analytics platforms.
- Build robust planning SOPs, governance routines, review cadences, and escalation mechanisms.
6. Stakeholder Management
- Work cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Service, Operations, and Global Teams.
- Serve as the central point of alignment between demand and supply sides of the business.
- Communicate planning insights, risks, and recommendations to leadership.
Required Qualifications & Skills
- 8–10 years of experience in S&OP, Demand Planning, Supply Planning, or Integrated Business Planning.
- Strong analytical skills with expertise in forecasting techniques and planning tools.
- Proficiency in SAP, ERP systems, and visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau).
- Strong communication, cross-functional collaboration, and stakeholder management abilities.
- Ability to manage ambiguity, lead structured planning cycles, and drive decisions.
- Exposure to optical, medical devices, or high-tech product portfolios is an advantage.
Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:
Manoj Badaik