Ready-To-Drink Operations Manager

CURRENT EMPLOYEES, CONSULTANTS, AND AGENCY PARTNERS: If you currently work for Brown-Forman, please apply by clicking the Careers icon on the Workday portal.For best results, use Google Chrome to view this page.Meaningful Work From Day OneJoin our team as the USA&C Ready-To-Drink (RTD) Operations Manager, where you'llact as the critical link between commercial ambitions and supply chain readiness. In this highly visible role, you will be responsible for maintaining accurate depletion and shipment forecasts while serving as the primary owner of the demand plan during our Ready-To-Drink (RTD) portfolio's Route to Market (RTM) transition. Leveraging our new supply planning platform, Kinaxis, you'll go beyond traditional forecasting to operationalize demand by translating market trends, promotional activity, and distribution insights into actionable supply chain plans. With an operations-first mindset, you'll lead the monthly Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process, helping ensure that changes in distribution models and commercial goals are reflected in inventory deployment, production scheduling, and enterprise capacity planning. Your work will directly influence how we align market demand with supply chain execution to support the growth of our Ready-To-Drink (RTD) business.What You Can ExpectRoute To Market (RTM) Transition Management: Lead the demand side of the Ready-To-Drink (RTD) Route to Market evolution, analyzing how changes in distribution channels affect order patterns, lead times, and inventory positioning.Operational Alignment: Facilitate and Lead monthly Integrated Business Planning (IBP) meetings with Ready-To-Drink (RTD) Commercial Managers, State Managers, General Manager’s & the National Account Team, specifically bridging the gap between Sales/Marketing forecasts and Production/Logistics capabilities.Execution-Focused Forecasting: Translate the consensus demand plan into detailed operational requirements, highlighting potential capacity constraints, transportation risks, and production bottlenecks, via Kinaxis.Strategic Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Management: Prepare and present Demand Planning KPIs (Bias, Accuracy, and risk) with a focus on their "downstream" impact on service levels and operational costs.Data Visualization & Tooling: Partner with the Operations Reporting Team to develop Tableau-based operational dashboards that track real-time Route To Market (RTM) performance, inventory health, and "forecast vs. actual" execution.Supply Network Integration: Collaborate closely with External Manufacturing Operations (EMO) Supply Managers and Supply Planning Managers to ensure the demand signal enables optimized distributor replenishment and bailment (Control States) inventory builds tailored to the new Ready-To-Drink (RTD) distribution footprint.Scenario Planning: Using Kinaxis, model "What-If" scenarios for Ready-To-Drink (RTD) product launches and promotional cycles to assess the operational strain of various Route To Market (RTM) strategies.Assumption Management: Maintain close relationships with Commercial stakeholders to document and challenge commercial assumptions to ensure the demand plan is grounded in operational feasibility and historical performance.What You Bring to the TableExperience: Bachelor’s Degree with 3+ years in Demand Planning and Supply Chain Operations.Route To Market (RTM) Knowledge: Understanding of Route to Market dynamics (e.g., distributor networks, bailment, and B2B), preferably within the Bev-Alc industry.Operational Mindset: Demonstrated ability to look beyond the spreadsheet to understand the physical flow of goods and the constraints of the supply network.Collaborative Influence: Proven success in consensus building, with the ability to Manage Up, and influence cross-functional partners (Sales, Finance, Operations) toward a single, ambitious, achievable, and realistic plan.Technical Proficiency: Advanced skills in ERP systems (Kinaxis preferred), Excel, and Data Visualization (Tableau) to turn complex datasets into operational insights.Analytical Rigor: Strong grasp of forecasting algorithms and statistical modeling, paired with the "common sense" to adjust models based on shifting market realities.Agility: A track record of managing shifting priorities and deadlines, particularly in a high-growth or transitioning business environment.Continuous Improvement: A passion for lean processes and a desire to refine the IBP cycle to be more responsive to operational needs.​Working ArrangementIn-office at the Brown-Forman Louisville, Kentucky Corporate Headquarters Monday to Thursday, with flexibility to work remotely on Fridays.Who We AreWe believe great people build great brands. And we know there is Nothing Better in the Market than a career at Brown-Forman. Being a part of Brown-Forman means you will grow both personally and professionally. You will have the opportunity to solve problems, seize opportunities, and generate bold ideas. You will belong to a place where teamwork matters and where you are encouraged to bring your best self to work.What We OfferTotal Rewards at Brown-Forman is designed to engage our people to ensure sustainable and profitable growth for generations to come. As a premium spirits company, we offer equitable pay structures for individual and company performance alongside a premium employee experience. We offer a range of premium benefits that reflect our company values and meet the needs of our diverse workforce.#LIRequisition Type:EmployeeManagement Level:LeaderGlobal Job Level:L2Number of Openings Available: 1SummaryLocation: Headquarters - Kentucky, LouisvilleType: Full time