Manager - Stock Assurance

This role leads stock assurance for GMG's supermarket, pharmacy and furniture businesses, covering stores, warehouses and factories. The Manager is accountable for stock accuracy, transparency and control from stock count planning through counting, reconciliation and system posting. The role requires deep SAP S/4HANA and SAP EWM knowledge, working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics 365, cross-vertical expertise and strong leadership capability to protect stock integrity across all three businesses.

Sites in scope:

1. Retail stores (supermarkets, pharmacies, furniture showrooms)

2. Warehouses and DCs, including ambient, chilled and frozen storage

3. Factories, covering raw materials, packaging, work-in-progress and finished goods

4. Third-party and outsourced storage locations

Systems in scope:

SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP EWM and Power BI.

Strategic Inventory Count Planning, Execution & Control:

• Design and execute end-to-end inventory control strategies tailored to the dynamics of each business unit and site type

• Define and own the annual and cyclic stock count calendar by business unit and site, agreed with retail operations, warehouse, factory, audit, LP and finance

• Ensure team readiness, system setup (count documents, blocks, freezes, bin and location master data) and pre-count checks are in place before every count

• Align inventory controls with GMG internal audit requirements, external audit needs and financial reporting deadlines

• Own and manage physical stock counts (full, cycle and ad hoc) in line with standard practice/SOPs

• Standardize inventory best practice across all three businesses while adapting workflows for category-specific needs

• Lead variance analysis, identify trends by site, category and process step, and initiate corrective actions

• Coordinate between stores, DCs, factories and finance for timely resolution of count discrepancies and recounts

• Govern shrinkage investigations and their documentation, including root cause, accountability and preventive action

• Ensure reconciled stock is accurately posted in SAP S/4HANA, SAP EWM and Dynamics 365 within defined SLAs and period-end cut-offs

• Validate that all manual adjustments, write-offs and write-downs carry proper justification and approval under the delegation of authority

• Deliver post-count reports and improvement recommendations to Senior Management, Finance and Internal Audit

• Track closure of inventory-related audit findings and provide evidence to Internal Audit and External Auditors

Process Management & System Optimization:

• Lead implementation and continuous improvement of inventory processes and systems across warehouses, factories and retail channels

• Standardize and document inventory control processes (SOPs, work instructions, control matrices)

• Drive automation and digitization to improve visibility, reduce manual errors and enable real-time stock tracking

• Define and maintain preventive controls: cut-off rules, goods movement discipline, negative-stock checks, and exception reports.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Build and manage inventory KPIs: stock accuracy, count accuracy, shrinkage, ageing and slow-moving stock, expiry and near-expiry exposure, and count coverage

• Produce inventory performance dashboards for each business unit, identifying trends and proposing corrective actions

• Collaborate with Finance on inventory valuation, provisions and reconciliation during audits, month-end close and financial reporting

• Prepare and present inventory dashboards and control reports to executive leadership.

System Mastery - SAP S/4 HANA, Dynamics 365 & SAP EWM

• Own and govern all inventory transactions and flows within SAP

• Monitor real-time inventory updates across SAP ERP/EWM (MM/IM/EWM)

• Resolve transaction mismatches (GRNs, STOs, returns, transfers, etc.) and lead system testing for enhancements

• Collaborate with IT to improve process automation, system integrity, and error-proofing

• Ensure count results are posted and approved within SLA, and that inventory valuation ties to the general ledger

• Own the reconciliation between EWM, S/4HANA and D365 stock positions, including the interface between the warehouse system and the Suncoast ERP

• Lead user acceptance testing for enhancements, releases and master data changes affecting inventory, and sign off on go-live readiness

• Work with IT, Finance and master data teams to improve automation, system integrity, access controls and error-proofing

• Define inventory-related user roles and segregation of duties, and review posting rights and adjustment authorities periodically.

BU/Vertical Specific Control

The Manager tailors inventory practice to the nuances of each business, while keeping one standard control framework.

-Supermarkets (EDG)

• Composite items and bundles: parent-child stock, assembly/disassembly postings and component-level counts

• Fresh and in-store production: yield, conversion and wastage control

• Expiry (FIFO/FEFO), catch-weight and UoM accuracy, with approved markdown and destruction

• Chilled and frozen stock integrity, including temperature excursions

• POS-to-ERP reconciliation; consignment, concession and DSD stock

-Pharmacy (Health & Beauty)

• Tatmeen compliance: serial-level stock, transaction reporting and reconciliation to ERP/EWM, including serialized counts

• Batch and expiry traceability, recall and quarantine readiness, approved destruction

• Compliance-led inventory under UAE regulatory requirements

- Furniture (Suncoast)

• BOM management: accuracy of set and assembled-item BOMs, assembly/disassembly postings in D365, BOM-versus-actual variances

• Multi-carton items: carton-level tracking and partial-set control

• Serial, lot and variant tracking; customer orders, reservations and deposits

• Showroom, ex-display and damaged stock; delivered-not-invoiced and pending installation

• Imports in transit and landed cost; ageing and provisioning of low-turn stock

-Factories

• Raw material, packaging, WIP and finished goods counts; BOM/recipe-based consumption, yield, scrap and rework

• Production order closure, batch traceability and subcontracted stock at vendors

-Warehouses and Distribution Centres

• Bin-level accuracy and ABC cycle counts; cut-offs, HU integrity, in-transit and third-party stock

• Segregation and disposal of blocked, quarantine, damaged and expired stock

Leadership & Stakeholder Collaboration

• Act as the primary inventory liaison for business heads, finance, internal and external audit, compliance, IT, master data and operations

• Lead a team of inventory controllers, warehouse and store inventory supervisors, and audit support staff across the three businesses

• Develop team KPIs and continuous improvement targets across functions and sites

• Manage external count partners and service providers, including scope, performance and cost

• Present inventory dashboards and control reports to executive leadership and steering committees.

Educational Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business or a related field. An MBA, or APICS CPIM or CSCP certification, is a strong advantage.

Experience

• 12 to 15 years of experience in inventory and supply chain roles, including 5+ years in a leadership position

• Hands-on experience with SAP S/4HANA and SAP EWM; experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 inventory is required or must be acquired quickly

• Strong retail and warehousing exposure across supermarkets, pharmacy or healthcare, and furniture

• Experience running physical counts and reconciliations across stores, warehouses and manufacturing sites

• Experience working with Internal and External stakeholders/auditors on inventory findings