Join a growing family that is shaping the future of culinary experiences.

gategroup is the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services. gategroup provides passengers with superior culinary and retail experiences, leveraging innovation and advanced technology solutions. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, gategroup delivers operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving passengers from over 200 operating units in over 60 countries/territories across all continents.

We work in an exciting industry – fast-paced and ever-changing. Industry trends and customer expectations are constantly evolving and it is critical that we are agile, innovative and ready for change - and our people are our driving force. We offer attractive opportunities to be part of this fast-paced and truly international working environment.

For further information, please visit www.gategroup.com.

Job Summary

The Global Workforce Planning & Optimization Process Owner is responsible for leading the development and implementation of a standardized approach to Operations Workforce planning. This role will focus on defining processes, methodologies, and tools to effectively manage Workforce resources and optimize operational performance across all regions and units. Working closely with the regions and the different stakeholders, the Process Owner will spearhead the continuous improvement of a standardized methodology for Workforce planning, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness at corporate and regional levels.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and continuously improve a common methodology for Operations Workforce planning, aligning with the company's strategic goals and objectives.
• Define corporate and regional processes for Workforce planning, including key steps and processes such as Forecasting (S&OP), Long-term capacity planning, Short-term demand planning, and staffing allocation/roster optimization.
• Implement best practices for Workforce planning, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all regions and units.
• Collaborate with Regional Operations Performance Management/Workforce Planning leaders to align regional processes with global standards and objectives.
• Lead the development and implementation of tools and technologies to support Workforce planning activities, ensuring accessibility and usability for stakeholders at all levels.
• Drive the definition of the guidelines for the Forecasting process (S&OP) to accurately predict future demand and align Workforce planning accordingly.
• Define the best practices and guidelines for Long-term capacity planning to anticipate and address future Workforce needs based on business growth and expansion plans.
• Define the best practices and guidelines for Short-term capacity planning to ensure staffing levels are optimized to meet current operational requirements.
• Optimize the staffing allocation and rostering processes to maximize productivity and efficiency while minimizing costs.
• Leading the effort to aligning the Regional Workforce Planning teams to implement Demand levelling strategies to manage Workforce fluctuations and maintain operational stability.
• Discuss and deploy across Regions workforce flexibility initiatives to enable agile responses to changing market conditions and operational requirements.
• Collaborate with Human Resources and other relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment between Workforce planning and talent management strategies.
• Monitor and analyze Workforce planning metrics and KPIs to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
• Drive global Operations headcount optimization actions to optimize staffing levels and maximize operational efficiency.

Core competencies and requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Business economics, Engineering or related field;
• Advanced degree (MBA, M.Sc. or Ph.D) in Business, Business economics, Engineering or related field is a plus;

• 10 years’ experience in Workforce/Capacity planning for industries with labor intensive Operations.
• Previous experience in coordinating global and multi-cultural teams.
• Previous experience in a role in applied continuous improvement.
• Previous experience in lean manufacturing and/or 6-Sigma and/or Operations Management consulting is a plus.

• Fluent in the full utilization of analytical tools from basic ones (Excel), as well as knowledgeable of common/leading workforce/capacity planning & optimization tools
• Excellent command of English and preferable additional languages.