PR/096604 | Associate Director - Fresh Produce

Company Overview: Our client is a leading grocery and retail group operating multi‑channel food and grocery businesses across the region. They focus on delivering affordable, high‑quality fresh food to consumers through integrated retail, e‑commerce and community channels, and are investing in advanced supply‑chain capabilities to improve availability, reduce waste and optimize inventory turnover.

Position: Associate Director - Fresh Produce

Role summary: Design and lead the end‑to‑end supply‑chain strategy for all fresh product categories (Produce, Meat & Poultry, Seafood, Frozen, Dairy). Drive availability, improve inventory turnover and reduce waste through category‑specific supply models, forecasting & replenishment excellence, supplier collaboration and team leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supply‑chain strategy: Develop differentiated supply‑chain models tailored to each fresh category and channel (store, e‑commerce, community group‑buying).

• Forecasting & planning: Establish tiered forecasting, S&OP and replenishment processes that integrate demand forecasting with order planning and upstream supplier capacity management.

• Inventory management: Lead sales forecasting and order planning to balance OOS risk with turnover; define dynamic safety stock by category/channel/seasonality; identify and resolve slow‑moving stock.

• Waste & loss control: Design and implement loss‑control programmes targeting high‑waste categories (e.g., leafy vegetables, live seafood mortality, short‑shelf dairy).

• Process & automation: Optimise ordering, replenishment and reverse‑logistics workflows; drive automation and standardisation across purchase‑to‑pay and returns.

• Supplier collaboration: Establish supplier capacity and planning mechanisms to align production with dynamic demand and longer upstream lead times.

• Team leadership: Lead and develop planners across Produce, Protein, Dairy and Frozen divisions; build capability and performance metrics.

• Cross‑functional partnership: Work closely with Merchandising, Commercial, Operations, Finance and Data teams to align on promotions, SKU strategies and inventory outcomes.

Reporting & Team:

• Senior leadership role reporting to Head of Supply Chain / COO (or equivalent).

• Responsible for a multi‑disciplinary planning organisation; expected to lead a large team (30+ planners) and coordinate with regional supply, store operations and distributor partners.

Key Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering or related field. Advanced degree preferred.

• 10+ years’ relevant experience in supply chain planning, demand‑supply planning, merchandising or related functions, with deep operational exposure across at least three fresh categories (Produce, Meat/Seafood, Dairy, Frozen).

• 5+ years’ experience leading large teams (30+), preferably across multiple channels (modern trade, e‑commerce, community/group‑buying).

• Proven track record in inventory optimisation, waste‑reduction programmes and S&OP/replenishment design.

• Strong stakeholder management and supplier negotiation skills.

• Proficiency with supply‑chain planning systems and data analytics; comfortable with KPI‑driven decision making.

• Based locally with ability to travel between sites and suppliers as required.

Preferred Background:

• Hands‑on experience with category‑specific challenges: produce ripening/spoilage, meat/seafood transformation, short‑shelf dairy clearance, frozen seasonal capacity planning.

• Experience implementing TMS/WMS/advanced planning systems, automated replenishment or demand sensing tools.

What Will Make You Competitive:

• Demonstrable success reducing waste and improving turnover for fresh categories at scale.

• Strong blend of category knowledge, systems literacy and people leadership across multi‑channel retail operations.

• Pragmatic, data‑driven approach with ability to implement fast, measurable improvements.

Apply online or contact me for further information. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified due to application volume; thank you for your understanding.

Adrian Leong JAC Recruitment Pte Ltd EA Personnel: R26160017