Supply Chain Planning Solution Architect

About Hero Group

Hero is a global food company, founded in 1886 in Switzerland, specializing in branded nutritional products across the Growing Up and Adult categories. With a portfolio of trusted brands like Corny, Semper, Goodies, Beech‑Nut, Organix, and Deliciously Ella, Hero delivers high‑quality, great‑tasting food rooted in natural goodness. Guided by its mission to be a leader in better snacking, it employs 4,000 team members worldwide and is driven by strong values, high performance, and a commitment to doing the right thing—always, without compromise.

Role Overview

The Solution Architect is responsible for designing and governing the end‑to‑end supply chain planning solution, translating business planning processes into scalable system architecture and ensuring robust integration across ERP, data platforms, and planning applications. The role leads the evaluation and selection of planning software, including advanced analytics, AI and machine learning capabilities, ensuring the chosen technologies support accurate forecasting, optimisation, and long‑term scalability of Hero’s planning ecosystem.

This role will collaborate with Category planners, Market P&Ds, ISC LT team, Group SMEs, GPOs, IT application team (SAP, Arkieva), IT CC, PMO, data and Integration team, Implementation partner(s) and Software Vendor(s).

Key Responsibilities

• Design and maintain the end‑to‑end architecture for supply chain planning solutions, ensuring scalability, performance and alignment with business planning processes.
• Translate supply chain planning requirements into clear functional and technical solution blueprints.
• Lead evaluation and selection of planning software, assessing vendor capabilities, AI and machine learning functionality, and long‑term scalability.
• Define system integrations and data flows across ERP, planning tools, and data platforms to enable reliable and timely planning decisions.
• Provide architectural leadership during implementation, ensuring correct configuration, performance optimisation and alignment with solution design.
• Ensure planning solutions support advanced analytics, AI‑driven forecasting and optimisation capabilities.
• Identify improvement, automation and innovation opportunities across the planning landscape.
• Govern solution quality, documentation, and knowledge transfer to IT support and business teams.

Skills & Qualifications

• Experience designing and implementing supply chain planning solutions and selecting APS platforms (e.g. SAP, Kinaxis, o9, Arkieva).
• Understanding of AI, machine learning and advanced analytics in planning, with ability to assess vendor capabilities and technology trade‑offs.
• Ability to bridge supply chain and IT perspectives, translating business requirements into technical solutions.
• Strong analytical and conceptual problem‑solving capability.
• Ability to present technology options with clear, balanced evaluation of benefits and trade‑offs.
• Strong influencing skills with the confidence to challenge and advocate for Hero’s interests.

Our Culture

At Hero, we believe great companies are built by people who are empowered to make a real impact. We have an open, flexible, and informal way of working, where everyone has a voice in shaping what we do and how we do it. We collaborate with colleagues across our international organisation. With short decision‑making lines and a flat structure, ideas move quickly and contributions are recognised. We don’t hire people to follow instructions—we hire people who want to take ownership and make their mark. If you spot an opportunity, you’re encouraged to act on it, and if you’re ambitious, you’ll find the freedom to grow. Creativity, curiosity, and an entrepreneurial mindset are part of everyday life at Hero. We trust our people to drive their own development, support one another, and push boundaries together. Just as importantly, we genuinely enjoy working together and looking out for each other. We offer a flexible hybrid working model that supports a healthy work–life balance.

Our Values

• Create Wow – We go beyond expectations and strive to make a meaningful impact.
• Everyone Hero – Every individual matters and every contribution counts.
• Nourish Others – We support, inspire, and help each other grow.
• Take Responsibility – We own our actions and outcomes, individually and as a team.