Manager, Demand Planning

Demand Planning Manager

Leads and coordinates the demand planning process for assigned channel(s), ensuring accurate, timely, and strategically aligned demand plan inputs. This role is a key partner to the Senior Manager, acting as a right hand in facilitating cross-functional meetings, driving process improvements, managing timelines, and solving operational challenges. In addition to providing guidance, validation, and reporting, the Manager mentors junior team members, oversees channel-specific projects, and ensures alignment between commercial, financial, and operational targets.

Responsibilities

• Channel Planning & Facilitation
• Partner with Category Demand Planning to validate and guide demand plan inputs for assigned channel(s).
• Support volume-to-value translation and lead key commercial and financial discussions.
• Facilitate Demand & Supply (D&S) meetings and other planning touchpoints, ensuring alignment across stakeholders.
• Perform assumption checks to confirm timely, accurate, and logical category inputs that meet channel objectives.
• Ensure mass uploads and system updates are executed accurately and on schedule.
• Ensure the demand plan feeding the buy signal for assigned channel is flowing as expected.
• Help identify potential issues and troubleshoot problems.
• Strategic Partnership & Cross-Functional Leadership
• Act as the primary deputy to the Senior Manager, helping manage the channel calendar, timelines, and deliverables.
• Proactively identify and escalate risks, opportunities, and decision points to senior leadership.
• Support the facilitation of cross-functional meetings, driving alignment between Merchandising, Finance, Channel Buying & Planning, Sales Planning, and Supply Chain.
• Represent the channel in cross-team forums when the Senior Manager is unavailable.
• Project Management & Process Improvement
• Lead channel-specific projects from concept to completion, ensuring measurable business impact.
• Drive process changes that improve forecast accuracy, efficiency, and data quality.
• Champion adoption of best practices and global planning standards within the channel.
• Reporting & Insights
• Oversee creation, maintenance, and delivery of channel-specific reporting.
• Consolidate and present channel performance, risks, and opportunities to senior stakeholders.
• Translate data into actionable recommendations for commercial, financial, and operational strategies.
• Team Leadership & Development
• Mentor and provide guidance to junior team members, ensuring they understand processes, timelines, and best practices.
• Provide coaching and feedback to support skill development and career progression.
• Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented team culture.

KPIs

Demand plan accuracy for assigned channel(s). Achievement of channel sales, margin, and inventory targets. Timeliness and quality of demand plan submissions. On-time delivery of channel projects and process improvements. Effectiveness of cross-functional facilitation and decision-making support. Engagement and development of junior team members.

Key Contacts

Category Demand Planning teams Merchandising Finance Sales Planning Supply Chain Channel Buying & Planning Senior Leadership

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Strong leadership and coaching skills; ability to mentor junior staff. Advanced project management capabilities, with proven ability to deliver process improvements. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to connect data to strategic actions. Excellent facilitation and meeting management skills. High-impact communication and influencing skills to align diverse stakeholders. Proficiency in SAP (APO & AFS), advanced MS Excel, and MS Office Suite (PowerPoint, Access, Word). Fluent in English.

Educational Background/Minimum Requirements

Minimum 5-7 years of operations experience within a large Footwear, Apparel, Sporting Goods, or Consumer Products organization and with increasing degree of responsibility Preferable experience in the sports or clothing industry 5-7 years of experience in planning, buying, replenishment or other related field 4 year college degree with emphasis in business or finance