Demand Planning Manager

Position Summary:

The Demand Planning Manager is the critical integration point between Sales, Marketing and Operations. This position leads the forecast development for both financial & operational planning, and champions cross-functional communication through clear, concise information sharing. The position is highlighted by researching, analyzing, maintaining and reporting pertinent data to achieve a consensus forecast by collaborating with leaders of the business units to drive best-in-class accuracy.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions/Primary Responsibilities:

Develop a twenty-four (24) month rolling demand forecast which serves as the basis for LE (Latest Estimate), Operating Plans and Financial Projections by collaboratively working with Analytics, Trade Development, Sales, Customer/Brand Management and Finance.

Utilize statistical demand planning software to generate forecasts with advanced modeling techniques; supplement modeling methodology with offline tools to provide analysis critical to development of accurate forecasts.

Where supply constraints exist, develop and evaluate demand plan options such as promotion and launch dates with Sales and Marketing to optimize service levels and inventories.

Interpret traffic/transaction trends and business intelligence from Analytics, Sales, Marketing, Product Development & Innovation to incorporate into the forecast such as new product introductions, discontinuations, LTO’s and market tests.

Collaborate to develop goals and objectives for Demand Planners which support business & individual needs.

Provide ongoing development, coaching and performance management to the team and ensure a high level of performance.

Lead the monthly Consensus Review meeting to gain agreement on the latest twenty-four (24) month forecasts using input from Sales & Marketing

Deep forecast understanding to bridge changes from month to month, while also explaining gaps to AOP

Clear, concise communication of business or technical issues and recommendations, both written and verbal.

Demonstrated background in leveraging experiences to drive continuous improvement, with a precise focus on process management & operational efficiency.

Qualifications

Qualification Requirements:

5+ years of demand/supply chain planning experience required

2+ years of supervisory experience ideal

Bachelor’s degree required

Preferred experience in CPG, Food Industry, Demand Management

Deep understanding of product life cycle of perishable goods

Exceptional written and oral communication skills

High level analytical & problem-solving capabilities

Effective organization and time management skills

Advanced competency in use of PC and Microsoft Windows environment.

Preferred experience with demand planning software system (Logility & SAP preferred)

Proven high-level competency in Microsoft Excel and Data Warehouse – requires professional experience using advanced Excel formulas, graphing and pivot tables.

Competent use of Microsoft Office computer applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook.

Strong analytical capabilities.

Effective organization and time management skills

Supervisory Responsibility:

Demand Planner(s) - Supervisory responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, training, goal-setting, scheduling, appraising and terminating employees.

Regular Full-Time