Planning & Costing Manager – Sri Lankan Catering Katunayake

About the job

Job Description: 

We are seeking a dynamic, enthusiastic, and self-motivated individual of high integrity to join our team as Planning and Costing Manager. The ideal candidate will possess strong professional qualifications, a solid work ethic, and exceptional communication skills. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the successful candidate will be responsible for accurately forecasting airline catering demand, planning and coordinating supply and production and managing the costing function to ensure efficient cost-effective operations.

• Develop accurate short, medium, and long-term demand forecasts based on flight schedules, passenger forecasts, seasonal trends, and airline menu plans. 
• Liaise with airline clients, commercial teams, and operations to gather forecast inputs and updates on route changes, new flight additions, or cancellations. 
• Monitor forecast accuracy against actual uplift and passenger data and implement corrective actions to continuously improve forecasting accuracy. 
• Develop and maintain accurate product and operational costing models, covering ingredients, labour, overheads, and logistics. 
• Support pricing decisions and airline contract negotiations by providing cost insights and analysis. 
• Collaborate with finance and procurement to identify cost-saving opportunities in production, procurement, and supply chain processes. 
• Maintain optimal stock levels of perishable and non-perishable items to support uninterrupted catering operations while minimizing waste. 
• Implement effective inventory planning tools to balance shelf life, lead times, and demand variability. 

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or a Master's degree in supply chain management, Finance, Business Administration, or a full professional Qualification from ISMM, CIMA, ACCA, or a related field. 
• 3 years' experience in executive capacity in demand/supply planning or costing, airline catering, FMCG, or food production industries. 
• Experience with ERP and planning tools (SAP, Oracle, or airline catering systems), strong analytical skills, financial acumen, and operational understanding would be advantageous.

Benefits:

The selected candidate can be assured of an attractive remuneration package with fringe benefits.