Customer Collaboration Lead DACH (m/w/d) (Köln, DE, 50670) at Barry Callebaut

Customer Collaboration Lead DACH 

We are looking for a professional with customer facing experience, responsible for driving continuous Supply Chain process improvement & Customer Service Excellence (incl. supply & demand mgmt), through peer-to-peer collaboration with all stakeholders, both within BC and strategic account(s).

You will be responsible for securing the availability & proximity of chocolate & cocoa to assigned accounts / sites and fulfilling a linkage role in the communication between both BC & said strategic account(s.)  Increase visibility throughout the end-to-end supply chain, including monitoring & increasing service levels for the specific country cluster.

You will act as a link between both BC & strategic account(s) driving the customer service operations and deliverables in close conjunction with Global Business Services. (GBS)

Responsibilities

• Act as the single point of contact between BC and strategic account(s), representing both voices in planning and decision-making processes.

• Set up and implement an interaction model and supply-related contractual agreements.

• Forge close internal (BC) and external (customer) relationships to ensure alignment and service excellence.

• Define, align, and implement service level KPIs across both organizations.

• Hold regular service review meetings to monitor performance and ensure SLA compliance.

• Drive continuous improvement based on KPI insights.

• Receive, review, and challenge demand plans to improve forecast accuracy.

• Coordinate with BC CSD and Central Planning to create and implement robust supply plans, including contingency strategies.

• Validate short-term forecasts vs. actual orders (including launches, promotions, seasonality).

• Inform customers about inventory strategies and align on finished goods inventory levels.

• Collaborate with Customer Service Operations Lead and CSC Manager to optimize service and forecast performance.

• Coordinate with local BC Production and Planning teams to ensure supply continuity.

• Set up and lead regular demand & supply meetings with strategic accounts.

• Promote and implement best practices across both organizations (e.g. EDI, VMI).

• Improve end-to-end supply chain collaboration and processes (e.g. planning cycles, delivery frequencies).

• Review and enhance ways of working between BC and strategic accounts for greater efficiency and alignment.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in a logistics/planning/customer facing discipline.
• 5+ years’ experience of working within a customer facing environment (within Supply Chain.)
• Excellent working knowledge of Excel, SAP and related planning tools (APO, SAP, BW) OMP experience preferred but not essential.
• Intermediate / advanced excel / google sheets.
• Excellent working knowledge of SAP Production.
• Working knowledge of MS applications such as PowerPoint & Word.
• Proficient in English & German.

Travel to other Barry Callebaut sites within Western Europe will be required, occasionally.

Regular customer and supplier site visits will be required.