Demand Planner

Demand PlannerFounded over a century ago, we are a leading manufacturer specializing in innovative aseptic food and beverage processing solutions. With a strong commitment to quality, safety, and continuous improvement, we partner with customers to bring products from concept to full-scale production. Our collaborative culture focuses on communication, employee wellness, and ongoing professional development while investing in modern technologies and advanced manufacturing capabilities.Why join us?High-Visibility Position: Directly influence demand planning, inventory strategy, service levels, and working capitalStrategic Ownership: Own forecast accuracy, forecast bias, and key demand planning KPIsCross-Functional Exposure: Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Planning, Key Account Management, PMO, and senior leadershipAdvanced Planning Environment: Work with statistical forecasting, SIOP / IBP, ERP systems, BI tools, and dedicated demand planning platformsContinuous Improvement: Help improve forecasting models, planning systems, data quality, KPIs, and planning processesCareer Development: Build expertise across demand planning, inventory optimization, commercial planning, NPI, and integrated business planningCompensation: Salary range not providedBenefits: Benefits package not providedKey Responsibilities & Duties Demand Planning & Statistical ForecastingDevelop and maintain rolling statistical baseline forecasts using historical sales, seasonality, trends, and causal factorsApply forecasting methodologies including moving averages, exponential smoothing, regression, and other statistical modelsContinuously evaluate forecasting parameters to improve forecast accuracy and reduce biasMaintain forecasts at the SKU, product family, and customer ship-to levelManage short-, mid-, and long-range demand forecastsIncorporate POS data, market indicators, economic data, and other external demand signals where availableSIOP / IBPLead the demand review portion of the monthly SIOP / IBP cyclePrepare forecast packages and facilitate demand review meetingsPresent demand plans, variance analysis, assumptions, and key findings to senior leadershipAlign commercial forecasts with statistical baseline forecastsChallenge and document commercial forecasting assumptionsTranslate demand plans into accurate and timely supply planning inputsMaintain SIOP / IBP calendars, templates, and process documentationForecast Accuracy & BiasOwn forecast accuracy metrics including MAPE at the SKU, family, and total business levelConduct monthly forecast accuracy reviewsPerform root-cause analysis on significant forecast missesMonitor over-forecasting and under-forecasting trendsDevelop corrective actions to improve forecast performanceCreate and publish demand planning KPI scorecardsBenchmark forecasting performance and establish improvement targetsCommercial & Cross-Functional PlanningPartner with Sales, Marketing, and Key Account Management to incorporate customer and market intelligenceIncorporate promotional plans, distribution gains, pricing activity, and customer-level insights into forecastsValidate commercial forecast adjustments against historical performance and statistical trendsModel expected demand associated with promotions, pricing changes, and merchandising programsServe as a demand planning advisor to commercial stakeholdersNew Product & Lifecycle PlanningDevelop launch forecasts for new product introductionsQuantify launch risks and forecast uncertaintyCoordinate product phase-in and phase-out planningPartner with PMO and cross-functional stakeholders on launch timing and initial inventory requirementsManage end-of-life and SKU rationalization planningReduce obsolete and excess inventory exposureMaintain product lifecycle information within planning systemsInventory OptimizationProvide demand inputs for safety stock and replenishment calculationsAnalyze demand volatility by SKU and categoryIdentify potential inventory risks and opportunitiesSupport slow-moving and excess inventory analysisPartner with Supply Planning to align demand and supply plansIdentify potential service, inventory, and supply gapsSystems & Process ImprovementServe as a subject matter expert for demand planning systems and metricsImprove planning tools, workflows, and data qualityPartner with IT on system enhancementsMaintain planning master data and product hierarchiesSupport implementation and evaluation of new planning technologiesQualifications NeededBachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Statistics, Economics, or a related field3–6 years of demand planning, forecasting, or supply chain analytics experienceExperience preferably within consumer goods, manufacturing, distribution, CPG, food & beverage, or another high-SKU environmentStrong background in statistical forecasting and practical application of forecasting modelsExperience working within an S&OP, SIOP, or IBP processAdvanced Excel skills including pivot tables, INDEX/MATCH, statistical functions, and scenario modelingHands-on ERP system experienceExperience measuring and improving forecast accuracy and forecast biasAbility to manage SKU-level and aggregate forecastingExperience partnering cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Supply PlanningPreferredDedicated demand planning software experience including o9 Solutions, Kinaxis RapidResponse, Blue Yonder, E2open, John Galt, Logility, or similarPower BI or Tableau experienceTrade Promotion Management / TPM exposureCPG, food & beverage, high-SKU-count, or limited-shelf-life industry experienceAPICS CPIM or IBF Certified Professional Forecaster / CPF certificationExposure to machine learning-based forecasting approaches