Footwear Sourcing Planner, Asia

Who We Are: At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line.   Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.   Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:   ·       Runner First   We act in the best interest of the runner   ·       Word is Bond  We do what we say we’ll do   ·       Champion Heart   We give our all in everything we do     ·       There is no “I” in Run We stay generous with our humanity   ·       Keep Moving We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!   We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement — because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.    Your Job: The Footwear Sourcing Planner supports all areas of interaction with vendors, especially T2/T3 vendors by applying knowledge of manufacturing and engineering processes to manufacture and deliver Brooks footwear products to customers.  The Sourcing Planner ensures that T2/T3 vendors receive forecast on regular basis, collaborate with the planning team to ensure vendors have capacity to meet our forecast, and support the seasonal allocation review process. This position is also responsible for administering the New Vendor Approval Process  across the manufacturing base. Your Responsibilities:

On monthly basis (or as per receipt of forecast from MSP team), send forecast to Tier 2 (T2) and Tier 3 (T3) vendors on timely basis with their relevant style/styles. Follow up and respond to any vendor queries regarding the forecast.

Support T2 and T3 process monitoring audits at assigned location; participate in new vendor audits as needed.

Administer the New Vendor Approval Process in Asia which includes maintenance and updates of Smartsheet and creation of approved “New Vendor” in Flex PLM system. 

Coordinate Vendor Change Request (VCR) and ensure timely submission after obtaining required information from all stakeholders.

Allocate vendors to the seasonal line plan in Smartsheet and enter into Flex PLM system once confirmed by Leadership team.

Maintain details of “On Time Delivery” from T2 key vendors and contribute the rating for SBR scorecard for these vendors. Alignment with Senior Manager of Sourcing on scorecard ratings which will be used to rate vendors on On Time Delivery of materials and components.

Maintain T2/T3 vendor capacity data including areas of Sole unit, 3D print, Midsole painting, sock-liner, counter, materials, SCF, and other information needed to support capacity planning in order to meet the forecast volume.

Collaborate with Brooks Legal team to support vendor authorization details for Customs.

Super Critical Foaming (SCF) capacity analysis and adjust to balance T2 capacity utilization.

Work in partnership with MSP/Asia Production Planner to get critical forecast information to key T2 and T3 suppliers so that materials and components are ready when finished shoe production begins.

Manage T2/T3 vendor capacity for multi sourced products like Ghost, Adrenaline and Glycerin.

An uncanny ability to react to sudden, dramatic changes in forecast (either up or down) and assist T2 and T3 vendors to remain financially viable.

Collaborate with Asia Production Planners and work in partnership so that MSP team can improve the SRF and LRF data to align vendor capacity.

Other duties as assigned..

Your Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management or related field and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Minimum of 3 years of production/QA experience

 Fluent English communication skills (both speaking and writing). Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from their counterparts at US headquarters, cross-functional colleagues, factory partners, etc 

Excellent written/verbal communication skills

Organizational skills and a willingness to work in a team-oriented environment

Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook.

Strong knowledge of footwear production process

Detail oriented with the ability to multi-task

Ability to lead and collaborate with internal/external teams

Strong logical thought process to identify root cause of issues. 

Proven track record of successful collaboration in global product development teams 

Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills; must be extremely detail-oriented 

Must possess the ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced, team environment 

Strong organizational skills and independent work habits  

flexPLM, MS Project, Illustrator experience a plus 

Knowledge of various planning systems, ERP, Lean, a plus

Personal Leadership

Accepts responsibility for own action

Shows high level of productivity and quality

Seeks to raise the standards of performance for team members

Follows through on assignments

Looks for ways to contribute to the team

Meets commitments

Monitors own performance

Effective Communication

Presents ideas and information clearly

Listens to others’ viewpoints

Asks questions to clarify understanding

Participates in discussions around issues

Presents his / her position openly

Openly and tactfully addresses conflicts 

 Planning and Priority Setting

Organizes work effectively

Manages time and resources to accomplish tasks

Adapts well to changes

Can reprioritize activities to achieve results

Prioritizes own work to accomplish objectives

Handles multiple demands or competing priorities