Director Supply Chain & Logistics Planning

Synthomer is an innovative and differentiated global leader in sustainable polymer solutions. The Group is one of the world’s foremost suppliers of water based polymers and has leadership positions in many markets. Our polymers help customers create innovative new products and enhance the performance of existing products in key industries such as coatings, construction, adhesives, textiles, paper and nitrile medical gloves.

With the acquisition of Eastman Adhesive Resins in 2022 and Omnova Solutions in 2020, Synthomer grew its global manufacturing network, expanded its product portfolio and boosted its geographical presence, allowing it to better serve over 6000 customers around the world. Synthomer has its operational headquarters in London, UK, and provides customer-focused services from regional centres in Harlow, UK; Marl, Germany; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Beachwood, Ohio, USA. It employs more than 5000 employees across over 40 sites and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Job Purpose:

Deliver superior Supply Chain performance as a key enabler to regional business strategy.  Deliver value to both internal divisional and external customers by driving results that clearly demonstrate control of our supply planning processes; developing & implementing multi-year strategies to increase the efficiency of our Plan to Supply process with a clear mandate to increase the ease of doing business with Synthomer; and providing supply chain KPIs and metrics with clear links to business, market, and customer impacts.  The target is to achieve a highly reliable, efficient, and cost optimized supply chain.

Main Accountabilities :

• Oversee the running of Supply Chain Planning processes across EMEA, in order to achieve performance in line with customer and business objectives

• Participate as key member of assigned divisional and/or business unit leadership team(s), and contribute to associated strategy formation and decision-making

• Champion Business Excellence in Supply Chain Planning and related processes

• Lead, motivate and develop the EMEA Planning team and ensure efficient execution & organisational design

• Ensure effective and efficient Plan to Supply processes by subordinate Supply Chain teams

• Setting & tracking of KPIs to improve performance. Implementation of reliable KPI reporting mechanisms

• Develop and manage, with Supply Chain or central resources, Supply Chain Planning improvement projects

• Manage the regional Product Transfer Programs to optimise the effectiveness of the Operations network as needed

• Prepare & Facilitate the IBP Supply Reviews, and of the IBP Financial Reconciliation Review for assigned division(s) and/or business units; and ensure business units are properly represented through subordinates

• Ensure that sales volumes and capacities are balanced and allocated to minimise variable costs and optimise inventory and service. Coordinate and forecast the demand for key Raw Materials and inventory levels

• Ensure processes and projects in place to enable cost effective loading and transport and external warehousing. Oversight of execution of logistics service providers

• Ensure that Service and Logistics related complaints are resolved promptly to guarantee customer satisfaction

Skills & Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree, with additional certifications, education important
• Experienced chemical industry professional 10+ years
• Background in Supply Chain, Operations and Project environments, familiar with modern Supply Chain best practices.
• Experience in implementation and use of SAP.
• Implementation & management of Integrated Business Planning processes and software experience
• Able to articulate clear vision to drive transformation;  operate effectively in complex, multisite and international environments balancing performance improvement and attention to operational detail
• Ability to effect change through influence with strong business partnering skill
• Professional gravitas, assertive and confident with a high level of personal and professional credibility, to represent Supply Chain & Logistics at senior levels both internally and externally
• Strong cultural awareness, adaptability, and confidence to operate across geographic regions

Why Synthomer?

We are ambitious!
We have grown significantly – both organically and inorganically. We are a FTSE 250 listed company, 22% of our revenue comes from newly commercialized products, and we’re recognized in the top-quartile for chemicals manufacturing safety.​

We believe in high challenge, high support!
We are keen to let you contribute in real roles from day 1. We expect a lot, but offer a lot, too. This includes onboarding, induction and learning events, networking opportunities, mentoring and personal development planning. So, be up for an inspiring long-term career adventure.​

We personalize our approach to development!
At Synthomer, you won't find generic career tracks or development programs but rather a one-size-fits-one approach to employee development. We'll partner with you to ensure you have the right experiences that build your capabilities and accelerate your career growth.