Director/Senior Director, Integrated Business Planning

Are you a visionary leader with a proven track record in Integrated Business Planning (IBP)? Our client, a rapidly growing and innovative Cell & Gene Therapy CDMO in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area, is actively seeking an Integrated Business Planning Lead at the Director or Senior Director level to join their dedicated team.

This is a critical leadership position where you'll orchestrate and optimize the entire IBP process across the organization. You'll drive cross-functional collaboration, facilitate data-driven decision-making, and ensure seamless alignment between strategic goals, financial targets, and operational execution. If you're passionate about continuous improvement, enhancing forecast accuracy, and optimizing resource allocationespecially with a keen eye on strategic procurementthis is your opportunity to significantly impact business performance in a cutting-edge industry!

What You'll Work On:

As the IBP Lead, you'll be instrumental in shaping our client's operational and financial success. Your key responsibilities will include:

IBP Process Ownership & Development:

• Design, implement, and maintain a robust and scalable IBP process, encompassing all five essential steps: Product Portfolio Review, Demand Review, Supply Review, Financial Reconciliation, and Management Business Review.
• Establish clear process documentation, governance structures, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to meticulously monitor and evaluate IBP effectiveness.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to significantly enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and overall effectiveness of the IBP process.
• Stay current with industry best practices in IBP and related planning disciplines, continuously evaluating new tools, processes, and analytics to maintain a competitive edge.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Alignment:

• Foster strong partnerships and collaboration across all functional areas, including Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Operations, Product Development, and Strategic Procurement.
• Facilitate IBP meetings, ensuring active participation, constructive dialogue, and clear consensus on plans, assumptions, risks, and opportunities.
• Act as a pivotal liaison between different functional areas to drive consensus and effectively resolve imbalances in supply, demand, and financial plans.
• Ensure that IBP decisions are consistently aligned with strategic priorities and seamlessly translate into actionable plans.

Demand & Supply Integration:

• Oversee and significantly enhance demand forecasting processes, ensuring accurate and up-to-date projections based on market trends, customer data, and historical sales.
• Coordinate with supply chain, operations, and strategic procurement teams to optimize production schedules, expertly manage inventory levels, and proactively identify potential bottlenecks, always considering material availability and supplier capabilities.
• Drive the integration of data-driven insights into the IBP process, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of all forecasts and plans.
• Lead scenario planning exercises to anticipate potential challenges and develop robust mitigation strategies for demand-supply imbalances.

Strategic Procurement Integration:

• Ensure that strategic procurement insights regarding material availability, lead times, cost trends, supplier capabilities, and risk profiles are fully and seamlessly integrated into the IBP process.
• Collaborate closely with the procurement sourcing team to align sourcing strategies with overall business demand and supply plans, optimizing for cost, quality, and delivery.
• Incorporate procurement's crucial visibility into long-term supplier agreements and potential supply constraints into scenario planning and risk mitigation strategies.
• Work with procurement sourcing to identify and realize impactful cost reduction opportunities that align with financial targets within the IBP framework.
• Facilitate and drive discussions on critical make-vs-buy decisions and the profound impact of procurement strategies on the overall supply chain and product portfolio.

Financial Reconciliation & Business Performance:

• Collaborate with finance to ensure IBP plans align perfectly with financial objectives, including revenue, margin, and inventory targets, always considering the impact of procurement strategies.
• Facilitate the reconciliation of business and financial plans, ensuring a single, integrated plan is presented to senior leadership.
• Monitor and report on IBP performance, providing insightful recommendations for continuously improving financial outcomes.

Change Management & Capability Building:

• Lead change management efforts to firmly embed IBP as a core business process and cultivate a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across the organization.
• Develop and deliver comprehensive training programs to upskill teams on IBP principles, processes, and tools.
• Act as a vital coach and advocate, driving IBP discipline and accountability throughout the organization.
• Build and develop a high-performing IBP team (if applicable), providing essential coaching, mentoring, and professional development opportunities.

What You'll Bring:

Our client is seeking an exceptional leader with:

• Education: A Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Operations, Finance, Industrial Engineering, or a related field. A Master's degree or MBA is preferred.
• Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in Integrated Business Planning (IBP), Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), demand planning, supply chain management, strategic procurement, or related roles within a complex, global organization.
• Technical Proficiency:Proficiency in advanced planning tools and systems (e.g., SAP IBP, Anaplan, Kinaxis, Oracle, JDA, other).
• Strong understanding of ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, ECC).
• Expertise in data analytics platforms and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
• Advanced Excel modeling skills.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills: Strong critical thinking and analytical skills, with the ability to derive profound insights from complex data and translate them into actionable plans and recommendations.
• Leadership & Communication:Excellent communication, presentation, and influencing skills, capable of engaging and aligning team members at all organizational levels, including senior leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive consensus.
• Strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Business Acumen: A deep understanding of business planning cycles, supply chain dynamics, financial forecasting, operational processes, and strategic procurement principles. The ability to anticipate clinical/market trends, enabling future growth consistent with corporate strategies.
• Business Impact: Demonstrated ability to significantly impact current and future business performance through building management and organizational excellence (competence, processes, and supporting systems), enabling substantial business growth through the creation and management of outstanding capability.