This role is a critical part of the organization's Integrated Business Planning (IBP) team and is responsible for managing long and short-term forecasts at the Profit Center/Business Segment/Customer level. This role interacts closely with Sales and Marketing to build a cross-functional demand planning forecast to manage costs across the network, while consistently meeting customer expectations.
Purpose:
The Demand Planning Manager uses a variety of data sources including sales promotional data, new product plans, and statistical models to create a demand signal to drive supply chain and Integrated Business Planning. The monthly goal is to deliver an accurate and cross-functionally aligned 12-month rolling demand plan. A key responsibility of the Demand Planning Manager is to develop, document, update and challenge the assumptions supporting the demand plan.
Principal Accountabilities:
- Create accurate demand plans in business categories by utilizing statistical forecasting tools, historical data, and sales projections from cross-functional partners for a business category
- Prepare and facilitate monthly cross-functional demand review meetings focused on reaching consensus on a final forecast as part of the IBP process
- Develop demand forecasts at multiple levels of aggregation
- Review historical sales trends, research demand drivers, prepare forecast accuracy data, and evaluate forecast results
- Coordinate cross-functional research activities to reconcile significant variances and refine the forecast model to improve forecast accuracy
- Utilize a collaborative consensus approach that includes working with sales to obtain and ensure current and accurate information is used for forecasting
- Evaluate forecast accuracy and determine action plans to improve accuracy
- Use and maintain Demand Planning software as the primary demand planning tool
- Prepare reports and recommend adjustments to sales or potentially supply plans
- Perform integrated "what-if" analysis using both supply and demand plans
- Consolidate ad-hoc reports in to Step 2 for the demand management review meeting to explain and detail consensus plan and make any final updates based on outcome of IBP process
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree is required
- 5+ years of experience in demand planning, forecasting, scheduling/ planning
- Excellent analytical and quantitative skills
- Advanced Excel and at least Intermediate PowerPoint
- Ability to deliver effective presentations using qualitative and quantitative data to influence leadership behavior and decisions
- APICS certification a plus
Competencies:
- Comfort around Higher Management. Can deal comfortably with more senior managers; can present to more senior managers without undue tension and nervousness; understands how senior managers think and work; can determine the best way to get things done with them by talking their language and responding to their needs; can craft approaches likely to be seen as appropriate and positive.
- Conflict Management. Steps up to conflicts, seeing them as opportunities; reads situations quickly; good at focused listening; can hammer out tough agreements and settle disputes equitably; can find common ground and get cooperation with minimum noise.
- Drive for Results. Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
- Functional/Technical Skills. Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills to do the job at a high level of accomplishment.
- Problem Solving. Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all fruitful sources for answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn't stop at the first answers.
- Standing Alone. Will stand up and be counted; doesn't shirk personal responsibility; can be counted on when times are tough; willing to be the only champion for an idea or position; is comfortable working alone on a tough assignment.