Department Manager Supply Chain Planning - Applied, Cold Chain & Refrigeration

Daikin Europe NV (DENV) is a subsidiary of Daikin Industries Limited, a Japanese multinational and worldwide the biggest producer and supplier of HVAC-R (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) solutions, including heating pumps and cooling technology.
DENV is Daikin’s sales, development, and production headquarters for Europe, the Middle-East and Africa  comprising headquarter offices in Brussels and Oostende, 8 production plants, 24 sales subsidiaries and offices and a whole network of independent distributors and dealers across the EMEA region.
Daikin Europe Business Support (DEBS) is a branch of DENV located in Warsaw. As a competency center we aim at being one of the driving forces behind the processes transformation: optimization, standardization and automation in the areas of supply, service, master data, controlling, financial reporting and HR.

Department Manager Supply Chain Planning – Applied, Cold Chain & Refrigeration

Location: Ostend, Belgium (Daikin Europe N.V. headquarters)
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Department: Supply Chain / Operations Planning

About the Role

Are you an experienced supply chain planning leader who thrives in complex, order-driven manufacturing environments? As Department Manager – Applied, Cold Chain & Refrigeration Planning, you take full ownership of the performance and future development of Daikin's European make-to-order (MTO) and assemble-to-order (ATO) planning organisation.

In this senior leadership role, you ensure reliable, on-time customer delivery by balancing customer demand, manufacturing capacity and material availability. At the same time, you build a scalable, efficient and future-proof planning function that supports Daikin's ambitious growth plans in the applied HVAC, cold chain and refrigeration markets.

Your Mission

• Lead and develop the European MTO/ATO order planning organisation through the Operational Planning Manager.
• Deliver operational excellence, planning stability and dependable delivery performance.
• Build strong alignment and collaboration between Sales, Manufacturing, Logistics and Product Management.
• Grow people, processes and planning capabilities across the department.
• Drive productivity and efficiency through standardisation, automation and continuous improvement (PDCA).

Key Responsibilities

Inventory Control and Finished Goods Management

• Act as owner of the finished goods inventory, including stock in transit, and keep inventory levels, working capital and stock accuracy under control.

Operational Planning Leadership

• Ensure stable, predictable execution of order planning and production scheduling.
• Lead structural escalations and make clear prioritisation and allocation decisions when demand and capacity conflict.
• Define, monitor and report planning KPIs (such as delivery reliability, lead time and inventory performance) and drive corrective actions.

Cross-functional and Stakeholder Leadership

• Balance customer expectations with operational and supply constraints.
• Build alignment and trust with stakeholders across European sales companies, factories and support functions.
• Support executive and senior management decision-making on priorities, capacity and trade-offs.

Organisation and People Development

• Coach, develop and inspire your team and future leaders.
• Increase productivity and scalability without proportional headcount growth.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability and continuous improvement (PDCA), while setting clear boundaries where needed.

Process Excellence and Digitalisation

• Own the end-to-end order planning processes, standards and ways of working.
• Drive planning automation and digital transformation, and define business requirements for digital planning tools and ERP/APS solutions.

Your Profile

• Proven leadership experience (10+ years) in daily operations, ideally in supply chain planning, order management or operations management.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, combined with an end-to-end supply chain mindset.
• Experience in complex, order-driven manufacturing environments (MTO/ATO), preferably in HVAC, refrigeration, industrial equipment or a comparable engineered-products industry.
• A continuous improvement mindset, with hands-on familiarity with Lean, PDCA or similar methodologies.
• A digital mindset and a passion for automation, data-driven planning and process optimisation.
• Fluent English; additional European languages are an advantage.

What Success Looks Like

You build a planning organisation that is operationally reliable today and ready for tomorrow's growth. Customers receive what they need, when they need it. Your team works with clear processes and smart tools, and the business can scale with confidence.

What We Offer

You'll join an international, people-centred company where your ideas count and where you can shape the future of planning within a global leader in HVAC and refrigeration.

Ready to lead the future of supply chain planning at Daikin? Apply today.

Daikin Europe is a subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd. and the leading provider of heating, cooling, ventilation, air purification, and refrigeration technology. The company designs, manufactures and brings to market a broad portfolio of equipment, as well as tailor-made solutions for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). To date, Daikin EMEA has over 12 000 employees across more than 59 consolidated subsidiaries. It has 12 major manufacturing facilities based in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Austria, and the UK. Our aim is to drive sustainable and effective solutions, sparking a good climate for the generations to come. And all this can only be achieved because of our People. 

Good climate starts with people 
Our employees are the beating heart of our company. At Daikin, you get to work in a positive environment backed by trust, creativity and continuous improvement. Together, we create our top-quality solutions by empowering talented teams. You will get plenty of opportunities to learn and grow. We are deeply committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace culture that reflects the communities we serve. Good climate starts with people.