Group Planning and Procurement Manager - Abidjan,Côte d'Ivoire

At Lapaire, we transform people's lives. 

To preserve the sight of all, we have developed a simple concept: we offer free eye tests and quality corrective glasses at affordable prices.  

Joining the Lapaire teams means joining a pan-African and inspiring adventure in order to have an impact on the daily lives of the people around us. 

But it is also and above all : 

• Serving our clients at best to improve their lives;
• Working and acting as an entrepreneur, contributing to the Lapaire project with ideas and initiatives;
• Participating in the expansion of a dynamic company by organizing and anticipating work efficiently;
• Learning every day to continue to grow and surpass yourself;
• Collaborating with young and multicultural teams while sharing your knowledge. 

The Lapaire Group was created in 2018 in Kenya and already has over 120 Optical Shops and over 600 employees in Uganda, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Togo, Senegal and RDC . 

Lapaire, clear sight changes everything.
 

GROUP DEMAND PLANNING & PROCUREMENT MANAGER

Job description
 

Location: Abidjan, Ivory Coast 

Reporting : reports to the Head of Supply Chain

Direct reports : Procurement specialist

The Group Demand Planning & Procurement Manager is responsible for demand planning, international logistics and procurement activities across all countries where Lapaire operates. He/she ensures product availability at the right time, in the right quantities and at optimal cost, while maintaining healthy inventory levels across the network.

The ultimate goal is to support sales growth, limit stockouts and overstock, and contribute to margin optimisation through effective forecasting, purchasing and logistics management.

He/she will report to the Supply Chain Director and will work in close collaboration with the Group Fulfilment Manager, SC Regional Operations Managers and country teams. He/she will manage a small team including a Procurement and Logistics Specialist.

The missions of the Group Planning and Procurement Manager 

Demand and inventory planning

• Build, maintain and continuously improve demand forecasts at SKU and country level, in coordination with Sales, Marketing and Operations.
• Define replenishment parameters (safety stock, reorder points, lead times) for all product categories.
• Monitor inventory health across all countries (stock coverage, ageing stock, slow movers, stockouts) and propose corrective actions.
• Ensure consistency between sales forecasts, inventory targets and procurement plans.

Procurement strategy and supplier management

• Implement procurement strategy for frames, lenses and optical components in line with demand and inventory plans.
• Supervise the Procurement Specialist in purchase order execution, supplier follow-up and delivery tracking.
• Own supplier performance management (price, quality, lead time, reliability) and lead negotiations to optimise commercial terms.
• Anticipate supply risks and define mitigation plans (alternative suppliers, buffers, prioritisation rules).
• Ensure procurement decisions support both service level and margin objectives.

Logistics coordination and availability control

• Supervise the Logistics Specialist responsible for international transport, imports, customs clearance and delivery to warehouses.
• Ensure logistics lead times, constraints and risks are fully integrated into planning and procurement decisions.
• Arbitrate trade-offs between transport cost, lead time and service level (e.g. expediting vs stockout).
• Monitor logistics performance (transit times, incidents, costs) and define improvement actions.

Coordination with Fulfilment and Operations

• Integrate stock feedback from fulfilment teams (inventories, losses) into planning adjustments
• Ensure supplier feedback on quality issues raised by the fulfilment teams.

Performance monitoring and continuous improvement

• Define, monitor and analyse KPIs related to planning, procurement and logistics (forecast accuracy, stock turnover, stockouts, ageing stock, procurement and transport costs).
• Prepare regular reports highlighting performance, risks and recommended actions.
• Improve tools, data quality and processes supporting planning, procurement and logistics (Excel, Google Sheets, ERP, dashboards).

Profile of the candidate

• 3/5 years of higher education in Supply Chain, Logistics, Engineering, Business Administration or a related field, with at least 5 years of professional experience in planning and/or procurement.
• Strong experience in demand planning, inventory management and supplier management.
• Experience managing multi-country operations is a significant advantage.
• Proven analytical skills with the ability to work with large data sets and translate analysis into operational decisions.
• Good knowledge of IT tools (Excel, Google Suite, ERP etc.) and very comfortable with digital tools.
• Professional English and French, both written and spoken – candidates without a sufficient level of English will not be considered.
• Prior experience in the optical sector and knowledge of optical products is a strong advantage.

Personal qualities to succeed in this position

• Analytical and structured: comfortable working with data, forecasts and scenarios.
• Rigorous and reliable: pays attention to detail and ensures data accuracy.
• Problem-solver: capable of analysing a situation, identifying root causes and proposing actionable solutions.
• Results and customer-service oriented: committed to delivering excellent customer experience.
• Excellent interpersonal skills: comfortable interacting and negotiating with various stakeholders.
• Team spirit: shares experience and supports colleagues across countries.
• Ability to manage stress: remains calm in demanding situations and uses pressure as a driver for performance.

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