Demand and Supply Chain Manager - North America

Demand and Supply Chain Manager - North America At Life Scientific, you’re never just a number (we’ve got plenty of those in Finance). You’ll have influence, autonomy, and the chance to shape something global with people who genuinely care. Apply for this job! Demand and Supply Chain Manager - North America Location: North America (Remote / Hybrid) Reports to: Supply Chain Transformation Lead, Life Scientific (based in Europe) About Life Scientific What makes Life Scientific stand out? At Life Scientific, we reverse-engineer and manufacture high-quality, off-patent crop protection products that perform to the same standards as the original, helping farmers access sustainable and affordable solutions worldwide. We're doing things differently, very differently. We're not just participating; we're transforming the industry. We're on a mission to become the world's most successful crop protection innovator. It's no easy task, but it's worth it! So, how will we achieve it? Well, we won't do it by doing what everyone else is doing. We'll make it happen by driving innovation into everything we do, by pioneering, and by creating through our people, technology and process, at every level. What's our goal? We're an R&D crop protection company driven by an extraordinary ambition - we aim to be the ultimate innovators in our field and deliver high-quality choices to farmers and play a pivotal role in global food production. What's our spirit? We are an intensely human company. Our spirit is a mix of shared leadership and fun, fostering an environment where collaboration and enjoyment go hand in hand. No one here is interested in micromanaging, we have clear goals and we let people get after them, in their own way. We don’t want to be some soulless multinational, we want to create a place where we can do our best work. It won’t be perfect, and it won’t always be easy ... but it will be worth it! North America is one of our fastest growing and most strategically important markets. We are still actively building our commercial and operational footprint here, and this role will be central to that growth. We're looking for someone who wants to build something, not just run something: an entrepreneurial Demand and Supply Chain Manager who will lead the planning, supplier governance, and supply chain execution that underpins this expansion, and who will work hand in hand with Commercial and colleagues across the wider organisation as new customer and supplier relationships are built across the region. Purpose of the Role Reporting to the Supply Chain Transformation Lead (based in Europe), the Demand and Supply Chain Manager will own end-to-end demand and supply planning for Life Scientific's North American business: integrating demand and production volume data, directing procurement and MRP execution, and representing Supply Chain in supplier qualification, performance governance, and cross-functional decision-making across the region. Life Scientific runs a lean, global virtual factory model, and Supply Chain leadership sits in Europe. This means the role carries a high degree of autonomy and calls for genuine entrepreneurial instinct: there is no established local playbook to follow, so the successful candidate will need to build the processes, relationships, and ways of working that North America doesn't yet have, proposing solutions rather than waiting to be asked. Expect, at least in the early stages, to take on aspects of the supply chain function beyond a typical planner's remit, as priorities demand. As North American Country Leads build new customer relationships in a market that is still taking shape, this role is also a critical, responsive partner to the US and Canada commercial leads, working side by side with them so that no sales opportunity is lost to a supply chain gap. The same builder's mindset applies internally: this person will need to proactively forge working relationships across Regulatory, R&D, Quality, Technical Operations and Finance, so North America is properly connected into, and represented within, the wider Life Scientific organisation. This role ensures that materials, intermediates, and finished products move seamlessly through the North American supply network, from procurement to toll manufacturing to customer delivery, in full compliance with company standards and customer expectations, while building the governance and planning discipline needed to support the region's growth. Key Responsibilities 1. Demand & Supply Planning Integration Own the integration of demand forecasts and production volume data into the North American supply and production plan, working closely with Commercial and Customer Service. Lead Material Requirements Planning (MRP) execution, translating demand signals into purchase and production schedules. Support any design and development of new MRP tooling. Provide visibility to Commercial and Customer Service on product availability and timelines, flagging risk early. 2 . Supplier Qualification, Performance & Governance Represent North American Supply Chain in supplier qualification and approval decisions, assessing capacity, lead time, reliability, minimum order quantities, and flexibility. Own supplier performance monitoring and participate in the audit programme for North American suppliers and tollers. Maintain and act on supplier and material data in SAP (lead times, pricing, incoterms, payment terms). 3 . Non-Conformance, Complaints & Quality Issues Lead the North American response to supplier or toller non-conformances (SCARs), coordinating root cause investigation and corrective action with Quality and Technical Operations. Escalate significant supply, quality, or compliance issues to the Supply Chain Transformation Lead and relevant stakeholders in a proactive and collaborative manner. 4. Procurement, Logistics & Execution Place purchase orders and track on-time delivery (OTIF) performance by supplier, resolving late or incomplete shipments. Coordinate material and finished goods transfers between tollers, warehouses, and customers; liaise with 3PLs, freight forwarders, customs partners and internal stakeholders. Ensure purchasing, customs, and shipping documentation (Bills of Lading, SDS, Certificates of Analysis) is complete, accurate, and traceable. 5. Commercial Partnership & Market Build-Out Act as the primary, on-the-ground Supply Chain partner to North American Country Leads as they establish and grow customer relationships in a market still being built out, ensuring supply chain readiness is never the reason a sales opportunity is lost. Partner directly with Country Leads on the supply chain dimensions of new and developing customer relationships (lead times, minimum order quantities, stock positioning), so commercial conversations with customers are grounded in what Supply Chain can realistically deliver. Proactively identify and propose supply chain solutions that help win or protect business, rather than waiting to be asked, and join customer or sales conversations directly where supply chain input will help close the deal. Anticipate and respond to the ambiguity of a scaling market, flexing into supply chain activities outside a narrow remit (e.g., import/export documentation, freight and logistics troubleshooting, ad hoc supplier issues) as priorities demand, particularly in the early stages of the region's build-out. Build close, trusted working relationships with Country Leads so they feel confidently supported through the uncertainty that comes with new-market and new-customer development. 6. Cross-Functional Collaboration Across Life Scientific Build strong, trust-based working relationships with R&D, Regulatory, Quality, Technical Operations and Finance colleagues across Europe and other markets, so that North America's needs are understood and represented in global decision-making. Act as a connector between the North American business and Life Scientific's global functions: bringing global standards, processes, and initiatives to life locally, and feeding regional insight and lessons learned back into the wider organisation. Represent North American Supply Chain on cross-functional and strategic initiatives (e.g., portfolio or process improvement projects), contributing a regional perspective to company-wide decisions and building visibility and credibility for North America across the business. Build relationships with manufacturing partners, tollers, and 3PL warehouses across the region. 7. Data Management & Reporting Maintain MRP and logistics data in SAP to ensure accuracy of planning and inventory visibility. Own KPI tracking and reporting (OTIF, lead time accuracy, exception management) for the North American region. Contribute to process improvement projects within the global supply chain team. Lean into new technology and tools to support transformational growth sustainably and effectively. Qualifications & Experience Essential: Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field. 5–8 years of experience in supply chain, demand planning, procurement, or production planning, ideally within agrochemical, chemical, or manufacturing industries. Demonstrated experience integrating demand and supply data and translating it into procurement/production plans. Experience managing supplier relationships and qualification/performance processes, ideally in a virtual factory context. Solid understanding of ERP/MRP systems. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across time zones, functions, and seniority levels. Proven ability to represent a function in cross-functional and strategic settings, and to operate effectively in a virtual/hybrid, fast-paced environment. Comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy in a lean, geographically distributed organisation, with core Supply Chain leadership based in Europe. Track record of building or scaling a function, market, or process from an early stage (e.g., a new market launch, a start-up environment, or a first-of-its-kind role), and thriving on the ambiguity that comes with it. Desirable: Exposure to toll manufacturing or contract production environments. Experience with demand planning or S&OP processes. Experience with Lean or Continuous Improvement methodologies. Familiarity with import/export logistics, international shipping, and customs compliance. Advanced Excel and reporting skills, and experience of implementing AI-based solutions. Key Competencies Ownership and accountability for regional supply chain outcomes. Strategic and analytical mindset, able to connect demand signals to supply execution. Strong supplier governance and relationship-building skills. Confident cross-functional influencer, comfortable representing Supply Chain in decision-making forums. Entrepreneurial and hands-on, with a builder's mindset: willing to take on supply chain tasks outside a narrow remit as North America's footprint develops, and comfortable with the ambiguity that comes with a market still being established. A genuine partnering instinct with Commercial: responsive, proactive, and motivated to protect and enable sales outcomes, not just supply chain metrics. Builds genuine, trust-based relationships across geography, culture, and seniority, treating colleagues in Ireland, France, and other markets as close working partners despite the distance. A self-starter who builds rather than waits; comfortable proposing and standing up new processes, relationships, and ways of working where none yet exist. Adaptable and resourceful under pressure; able to operate with autonomy and strong self-direction, with core Supply Chain leadership based in Europe. What You'll Get A true build-it role: the opportunity to shape and grow Supply Chain's presence in one of Life Scientific's fastest-growing, most strategically important markets. A seat at the table on cross-functional and strategic decisions, not just execution. Close partnership with Commercial as North America's customer base is built, with direct, visible impact on the region's growth. The autonomy to shape how the role works, backed by an experienced global Supply Chain team who are genuinely invested in your success despite the distance. Collaborative, fast-paced environment with global exposure, working closely with Europe's Supply Chain leadership despite the distance. Competitive compensation and benefits package reflecting the increased scope of the role. A mission-driven company focused on innovation, quality, and sustainability in crop protection. Department Supply Chain Locations USA Remote status Fully Remote About Life Scientific Making premium off-patent crop protection products accessible. Reverse engineered and reimagined! No secrets, just science. Co-workers About 110 Turnover €80M Applicant tracking system by Teamtailor