Demand Planner

Department: Sales

Reports to: Director, Demand Planning

Status: Full-time

Job Scope:

Reporting to the Director, Demand Planning, this position is responsible for leading and executing the demand planning process by working collaboratively across multiple functional areas to create an operational demand plan. Continuously work to streamline demand planning processes, improving demand plan accuracy and creating supply-chain efficiencies. Utilize continuous improvement tools to drive improvements.

Key Accountabilities:

Demand Planning:

• Lead the development of the demand plan (minimum 24 months horizon) based on a statistically generated base forecast and forward customer lift activity through sales intelligence gleaned from sales lift notifications and IBP discussions.
• Process leader for the Channel Demand Review step in the Integrated Business Planning process.
• Interface with sales team to ensure that the demand plan is reflective of anticipated customer requirements, and that all key assumptions are understood and documented.
• Interface with customers to collaboratively develop demand plan assumptions and gain insight into customer order and replenishment process; support knowledge sharing with customer base where appropriate.
• Ensure that the demand plan is appropriately translated into the different views and different levels of detail required by other stakeholders in the business.  Notably:  ensure that within the short-term horizon, the demand plan is appropriately broken down into the weekly buckets required by the production planning team.
• Identify and summarize risks and opportunities to the demand plan.
• Drive improvements to demand plan accuracy, role model collaborative forecasting and lead change.

Demand Execution:

• Monitor demand plan execution to proactively identify situations where demand plan tolerances may be exceeded (abnormal demand).
• Provide the Sales team with performance management reporting, both proactive (abnormal demand), and post-mortem (Bias and Accuracy reporting) to drive root cause understanding and corrective action.
• Aid in the development and analysis of lift activity – pre and post event.
• Recommend corrective actions to be taken, including demand shaping.

Other:

• In conjunction with marketing, provide life cycle analysis on product families and individual products.
• Take the lead on product introduction initiatives and product exit strategies.
• Maximize forecasting technologies available and look for opportunities outside of the current processes.
• Other ad-hoc projects as dictated by business needs.

Qualifications & Competencies:

• Must have post-secondary education with APICS and/or IBF certification.
• Minimum 5+ years’ experience in demand planning and forecasting.
• Experience within a food processing environment – working knowledge of shelf life constraints, HACCP.
• Demonstrated proficiency in supply chain concepts – safety stock planning, MRP calculations, scheduling constraints, bottlenecks, etc.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; effective presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence change and drive impact
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office and applications; working knowledge of ERP and WMS systems.
• Highly developed analytical, quantitative and data analysis aptitude.
• Exceptional organization, prioritization and planning skills.
• Familiarity with Change Management, Six Sigma and Lean concepts.