Inventory Manager - RAC Business Area

The Company

Imerys is the world’s leading supplier of mineral-based specialty solutions for the industry with €3.4 billion in revenue and 12,300 employees in 40 countries in 2025. The Group offers high value-added and functional solutions to a wide range of industries and fast-growing markets such as solutions for the energy transition and sustainable construction, as well as natural solutions for consumer goods. Imerys draws on its understanding of applications, technological knowledge, and expertise in material science to deliver solutions which contribute essential properties to customers’ products and their performance. As part of its commitment to responsible development, Imerys promotes environmentally friendly products and processes in addition to supporting its customers in their decarbonization efforts.

Imerys is listed on Euronext Paris (France) with the ticker symbol NK.PA.

The Position

Inventory Manager - RAC Business Area

Job Summary

Role overview:  The Inventory Manager is a key cross-functional role within the Business Planning, Sales & Operations Planning, and Inventory organization. The primary objective of this position is to optimize and oversee the entire inventory scope (including Raw Materials, Work in Progress, and Finished Goods/Trading stocks) across RAC production sites and distribution centers to directly support Working Capital targets and the "Back to 10%" profitability program.

Success in this role looks like achieving strict Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO) targets, driving structural inventory reduction initiatives (such as slow-mover monetization campaigns and optimized replenishment strategies), and executing seamless coordination between plant logistics, purchasing, and regional S&OP managers.

Direct report: The Inventory Manager will report to Business Planning, Sales & Operations Planning Inventory Director RAC

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Defines safety stocks and parameters per plant type. (Raw mat / WIP / Finished Goods)

• Coordinates raw material needs with Purchasing and guarantee the accuracy of inventory data in the Critical Raw Material file

• Contribute to Critical Raw Mat call with Category Managers monthly meeting and establish trend reports between target stock and current stock 

• Monitor local execution of critical raw material guidelines at the plants / Distribution Center level

• Works directly with plant production schedulers, local purchasing, plant managers and supply chain managers

  • Monitor Finish Goods to prevent stock out or stock excess

  • Monitor Trading stock levels / Distributions Center PO execution

• Support to preparation of S&OP exec routines (DIO analysis Raw mat + FG inventory analysis, Trading inventory analysis)

• Direct Single Point of Contact to Operating Working Capital central PMO

• Coordination with Hubs stakeholders (working with: Finance, Operations and Supply Chain operations)

Qualifications & Experience

• Education Level: Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations Research, Engineering, or a related Business field

• Experience:  10 years of professional experience in supply chain, global inventory planning, or industrial S&OP management within an international and complex manufacturing environment.

• A proven track record of managing heavy industrial or Chemical-based inventory streams across multi-site production networks is highly preferred

• Demonstrated experience in driving large-scale working capital/cash optimization programs and managing inventory revaluation, cycle counting protocols, and structural write-offs

• Certifications: APICS certification (CPIM / CSCP) or a recognized equivalent supply chain credential is standard and highly preferred. Lean Six Sigma or project management certifications are an asset

 

Skills & Person Specification

• Specific Skills (Technical, Behavioral, Soft-Skills):

  • Advanced ERP & Systems Proficiency: Strong working knowledge of standard industrial ERP systems (ideally deep experience with SAP SD/MM or Opera) along with specialized supply chain planning tools (e.g., Quintiq)

  • Advanced Analytics & Data Manipulation: Expert data modeling skills, including the ability to utilize complex multi-dimensional inventory dashboards (e.g., Google Workspace, Looker Studio, Prism analytics) to track slow movers, cycle stocks, and financial impacts on EBIT/Cash

  • Stakeholder Management & Conflict Resolution: Outstanding capability to bridge Central Supply Chain strategies with regional Category Managers, Hub specialists, Finance controllers, and Plant Managers, successfully managing trade-offs between purchasing costs, transport efficiency, and inventory parameters. Ability to adapt communication style and behavior to various audiences, from executive management to operational staff. 

  • Fluency in Languages: Fluent in English and French (written and spoken) is required. 

• Personal Characteristics:

  • Rigorous & Process-Oriented: A highly structured, data-driven approach to solving operational inventory bottlenecks and enforcing month-end cut-off boundaries

  • Agile Multi-tasker: Highly resilient under financial pressure with the ability to simultaneously simulate multiple volume-change risk scenarios across separate plants

  • Results-Driven Proactivity: An active "hunter" mindset toward identifying hidden inventory risks, slow-moving items, or inaccurate Bills of Materials (BOM)

• Imerys Leadership Competencies (ILC Alignment):

  • Care for Self and Others: Cultivates an inclusive environment and holds safety as a non-negotiable benchmark in all site interactions

  • Collaborate for Success: Breaks functional silos by orchestrating alignment across cross-border hubs and functional boundaries

  • Commit to Customers: Understands that accurate target stock management safeguards on-time shipment (OTS) metrics and overall client satisfaction

  • Drive Results: Relentlessly pursues high performance, pushing beyond baseline metrics to deliver sustainable working capital value

  • Shapes the Future: Champions digital transformation and the roll-out of modernized inventory trackers to streamline legacy systems

Position Type

Full time

and

Permanent

Only technical issues will be monitored through the below inbox:

recruiting.support@ imerys.com

PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT RESUMES OR APPLICATIONS TO THIS EMAIL, AS THEY WILL NOT BE REVIEWED. 

To ensure fairness and legal compliance in our recruitment processes, only applications received through the online application process will be considered. 

IMERYS is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and it is our policy to not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local laws.