Planning Solution Architect - Kinaxis
Shell
To date, we have invested more than US$ 1 billion already in India’s energy sector alone, in socially and environmentally responsible ways. Shell is the only global major to have a fuel retail license in India. Shell aims to establish a new hub in Bangalore, and scale it up over a five-year period.
Where you fit in
Global Lubricants Supply Chain (GLSC) is advancing toward an ambitious digital and touchless planning vision to enable growth, drive performance, and elevate planner experience across more than 100 countries.
As part of the GLSC E2E Supply Chain Performance organization, this role is central to ensuring Shell fully leverages its planning technologies. Most critically Kinaxis which we are investing in to strengthen decision making, boost efficiency, and deliver competitive advantage.
As the Global Planning Solution Architect, you will be the technical and functional backbone of our planning ecosystem. You will shape how our planners use Kinaxis and related solutions by owning core design, ensuring solution reliability, leading enhancements, driving best‑practice adoption, and helping the organization unlock the full value of digital planning with our standardized global processes. You will play a pivotal role bridging technology, process, analytics, and the planning community.
What’s the role?
- Solution Ownership & Expertise Serve as the primary Kinaxis solution expert, owning system configuration, data flows, planning logic, scenario management, and integrations with SAP and downstream systems. Continuously enhance planning capabilities through optimization of reporting, analytics, dashboards, and planning logic to improve usability and drive adoption. Ensure all planning solutions align with standardized global processes and end‑to‑end (E2E) design principles.
- Digital Planning Enablement Drive touchless and automated planning by identifying and executing opportunities to simplify, standardize, configure, or automate planning processes within Kinaxis and its connected ecosystem. Support all aspects of our planning requirements in Kinaxis. Build digital capability across the planning community by promoting best practices and strengthening user proficiency with planning tools and solutions.
- Change Delivery & Continuous Improvement Lead and contribute to the delivery of high‑value change requests and IT enhancements, balancing speed, system stability, and business impact. Partner closely with global and regional centers of excellence to proactively manage system upgrades, new releases, and roadmap changes. Troubleshoot system and user issues to ensure solution reliability and maintain planner confidence.
- Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement Collaborate with global process owners, process quality specialists, super users, and end users to embed and strengthen planning process execution. Partner with Digital and IT teams to ensure robust integration delivery, data quality improvements, system enhancements, and successful project implementations. Influence stakeholders at all levels to champion standardized planning processes and digital ways of working.
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
- With at least 5 – 10 years’ hands‑on experience with supply chain planning systems, including strong expertise in Kinaxis (configuration, authoring, analytics) and working knowledge of SAP
- Highly driven, hands‑on techno‑functional professional with the ability to quickly onboard, operate independently, and deliver immediate business impact in a fast‑paced, global environment.
- Solid understanding of end‑to‑end demand and supply planning processes and their integration across the supply chain.
- Prior experience in supply chain planning execution or planning excellence roles preferred.
- Exposure to supply planning, inventory optimization and statistical methods or forecasting models considered an advantage.
- Demonstrated analytical and problem‑solving skills, supported by a continuous improvement mindset and the ability to simplify complex topics into actionable insights.
- Strong communication, stakeholder management, and influencing capabilities, with the confidence to engage effectively across functions and seniority levels.
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, adapt to changing business needs, and operate effectively in a matrixed, virtual, global environment.
- Willingness and flexibility to work across regions and time zones, including up to approximately 30% of working time outside regular business hours, while maintaining effective time management and work‑life balance.
- Role based in Chennai, India, supporting a global business with virtual collaboration across four regions.