Demand Planning Manager

Job Details

Responsibilities

Manage the gathering and distribution of all customer demand inputs

• Assist, then verify that each sales department has entered the most accurate demand numbers possible
• Meet with sales leaders to review demand planning performance and address opportunities for improvement.
• Update and maintain the demand forecast with future demand
• Manage and analyze new items and determine the impact on the demand planning function
• Manage the process of creating forward warehouse future demand and resolve any discrepancies
• Modify demand sales history based on current events (i.e., customer packaging modifications)
• Conduct variance analysis to explain forecast misses
• Become trained and fluent with the statistical forecasting package, including the variations and methods that can be used to produce a statistical forecast

Demand management and forecasting

• Understand the principles and applications of demand forecasting
• Know the critical requirements for effective forecasting: establishing time horizons, determining the level of forecasting detail, and determining the forecastable database
• Be capable of establishing policies and procedures to ensure forecast control
• Know the three forecasting techniques: judgmental (qualitative) forecasts, quantitative (time-series) forecasts, and causal (extrinsic) forecasting
• Be able to discuss and work with time-series analysis in forecast data preparation
• Be able to apply time-series methods to the horizontal, random, seasonal, trend, and cyclical.
• Establish key performance indicators of forecast accuracy
• Define the purpose of the forecast
• Prepare the statistical components
• Be capable of determining forecast error
• Ensure the interaction of a firm’s functional managers, and track and maintain the forecast through timely and accurate feedback.

Business and supply chain strategy

• Analyze the company’s external and internal environments to identify promising strategic options.
• Analyze the principal competing pressures in your market
• Develop reliable estimates of competitor resources and strategic plans to anticipate next moves and to avoid being surprised
• Determine an enterprise’s critical success factors (those things a company needs to “get right” to be successful).
• Assess your company’s current strategy by examining your competitive approach using quantitative and other performance measures
• Conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis to understand the company’s overall business health and sustainability and to determine preliminary recommendations for actions to improve its market position and profitability
• Develop a competitive strategy using the knowledge gained about your industry’s prospects and your competitive strengths and weaknesses compared to rivals

Monitor Salespersons communications, ask questions, and enter promotional activities into the demand planning system

• Conduct Monthly meetings with the Sales team to incorporate their feedback into the demand plan
• Review and monitor with plant schedulers and the master scheduler on-demand versus capacity
• Communicate with each salesperson and sales director regarding future promotional activity
• Manage the creation and maintenance of all companywide promotional calendars
• Track Customer Forecasts vs. actual results

Develop reporting detail and summary reports based on management needs

• Manage the reconciliation of all ongoing reporting requirements, including monthly accuracy totals by salesperson by department
• Manage the coordination, communication, and administration of an ongoing change control process
• Update & revise ongoing procedural materials, including all SOP’s
• Stay Up to date on New Reporting capabilities and help implement upgrades
• Help the Data Quality team by monitoring the effects of data changes
• Manages projects as assigned (i.e., budgets & high impact items)

Manage the Stratum data warehouse, AFS, Viewer and other demand planning related applications

• Update and Revise Review and update data attributes as necessary procedure
• Manage and create a change process and communicate to all users of the system
• Create refresher courses and associated materials
• Assist IT with problem-solving and project management

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree (accounting, business, statistics, mathematics, supply chain or related field) preferred
• APICS CPIM education and certification preferred
• 3 years of relevant job experience
• Direct work experience working with demand planning software preferred
• 1-2 years of leadership experience preferred
• Analysis or related analytical experience
• Computer skills: proficient in MS Office, heavy in excel
• BPCS or INFOR ERP systems
• Business Intelligence Tools
• Showcase experience or SQL experience

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Excellent communication skills—written & solve root cause analysis and problem-solving skills
• Project management skills
• Educating and training skills
• Ability to mentor, develop others and enhance leadership skills
• Ability to research/investigate
• Ability to access data and draw relevant business conclusions
• Patience and persistence
• Multi-task oriented
• Accurate—good eye for detail
• Math, statistics, and analytical thinking. Practice applied mathematics in collecting and interpreting quantitative data. Demonstrate the ability to scrutinize and break down facts and thoughts into strengths and weaknesses. Develop the capacity to think in a careful and discerning way, to solve problems, analyze data, and recall and apply information
• Demonstrate knowledge of visual presentation techniques, including charting, histograms, flow sheets, and oral and written presentation techniques
• Practice essential business communications

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

To perform this job successfully, the physical demands listed are representative of those that an employee must meet. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job:

• The employee must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time, whether that be sitting or standing
• The employee must be able to use fingers to operate a computer or other type of office equipment constantly
• The employee in this position must be able to walk regularly
• The employees must be able to use their hands to handle and feel
• The employee must be able to reach with both hands and arms
• The employee must be able to visually detect, perceive, or recognize in near and far distances
• The employee must be able to converse or convey with other individuals
• The employee may occasionally be required to crouch
• The employee may occasionally lift/carry items as heavy as 25 pounds