Director of Demand Planning

Location: Remote

Reports To: Chief Operating Officer

Compensation: $145,000 - $160,000 + Bonus

Who We Are

Recess is a leading beverage company built around the idea of helping people feel calm, balanced, and inspired. Our mission is to bring functional, better-for-you beverages to the mainstream through products that are as enjoyable as they are effective. With a portfolio that includes sparkling waters infused with magnesium and adaptogens, mocktails crafted for social occasions, and other wellness-driven beverages, Recess is redefining what it means to drink something good for both body and mind.

Founded with creativity and culture at its core, Recess has quickly grown into one of the most recognizable functional beverage brands in the U.S. We're expanding rapidly into national retail (target, plus 5,000+ new doors for mood and craft mocktail lines) and our distribution footprint is growing through our partnerships.

We're a small, scrappy team punching well above our weight, and we're looking for a finance leader to help us scale the business with the same intention we put into the product. Our drinks are designed for modern consumers who want healthier options without compromising on taste, quality, or experience. At Recess, we’re not just building beverages — we’re creating a lifestyle brand that connects with people through innovation, design, and authenticity.

The Role

The Production and Demand Planning Director is responsible for developing, maintaining, and improving demand forecasts across all channels, SKUs, and customers and to ensure production is planned to support demand signals and safety stock strategy. This role will partner cross-functionally with Sales, Finance, Marketing, and Operations while working closely with co-manufacturing partners to ensure accurate production planning and inventory positioning.

The ideal candidate combines strong analytical capability, ERP system fluency (NetSuite required), and experience operating in high-growth CPG or beverage environments.

What You'll Do

Demand Planning & Forecasting

• Develop and maintain rolling demand forecasts at SKU, customer, and channel level
• Analyze historical sales trends, seasonality, promotions, and market expansion impacts across all sales channels 
• Develop and lead cross functional monthly demand review and consensus planning meetings 
• Drive the S&OP cross functional leadership monthly alignment meeting 
• Identify forecast risks and opportunities and communicate mitigation strategies

Supply Chain & Operations Alignment

• Translate demand plan into production and supply requirements
• Monitor inventory health, service levels, and obsolescence risk
• Support Innovation to ensure on time launches to support demand
• Develop and maintain a safety stock strategy at the sku level to support growth while managing inventory turn targets and driving working capital financial goals 
• Manage case fill % to meet KPI’s and cross functionally lead inventory allocations

Co-Manufacturing and Repacker Coordination

• Collaborate with co-manufacturing and repack partners on production schedules and capacity planning
• Coordinate end to end work order to final production to support production plans
• Work with supply chain team to ensure material availability aligns with production plan
• Work cross functionally with quality, operations and procurement to maximize production output and yield variance

Amazon + Shopify Demand & Inventory Planning 

• Own end-to-end demand planning for Amazon (Vendor Central and/or Seller Central) and Shopify DTC and DTB sales for beverage portfolios, including multipacks, variety packs, and seasonal SKUs.
• Develop rolling forecasts incorporating Amazon and Shopify POS data, shipment history, seasonality, promotional activity, and velocity changes unique to beverage categories.
• Align forecasts with Prime events, deal funding, new item launches, and price changes.
• Manage inventory positioning across Amazon fulfillment models (FBA), balancing service levels, freshness/shelf-life constraints, and working capital.
• Monitor and analyze key Amazon KPIs including in-stock %, weeks of supply, sell-through, chargebacks, shortages, and aged inventory risk.
• Incorporate Amazon channel forecasts into the broader S&OP process, ensuring alignment with production planning, co-pack capacity, and distribution constraints.

Systems & Data Management

• Maintain demand planning data integrity within NetSuite and related planning tools
• Build dashboards and reporting to support leadership decision-making
• Support continuous improvement of demand planning processes and system utilization

What You'll Bring

• 3–6+ years of demand planning, supply planning, or S&OP experience (CPG or beverage strongly preferred)
• Hands-on NetSuite experience (forecasting, item planning, inventory modules)
• Experience working with co-manufacturers or external production partners
• Strong Excel / data analysis skills (pivot tables, lookups, basic modeling)
• Demonstrated ability to operate in high-growth, fast-changing environments
• Beverage or food manufacturing experience
• Experience supporting rapid scale (new SKUs, new markets, new production lines)
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Business, Finance, Economics, or related field required

Key Competencies

• Analytical and data-driven decision making
• Strong communication and stakeholder management
• Detail-oriented with strong execution discipline
• Comfortable balancing strategic planning and tactical execution

Why Recess?

Wellness Benefits

• Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Mental health and wellness resources.
• 401K

Lifestyle Perks

• 15 days of PTO annually, plus company holidays and volunteer time off.
• Discounts on all Recess beverages.
• A culture that values creativity, inclusivity, and balance.

Family Support

• Paid parental leave.