Job Summary:
The Demand Planner is responsible for developing and maintaining accurate forecasts of customer demand to drive effective inventory management and production planning. This role plays a critical part in the supply chain by minimizing stock-outs, reducing excess inventory, and improving customer serve levels. The Demand Planner will collaborate closely with sales and supply chain teams to ensure forecast alignment and support strategic business objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
- Forecast Generation & Management:
- Develop and maintain forecast models, incorporating historical sales data, retail POS trends, promotional activities, and new product introductions.
- Analyze forecast accuracy and bias, identifying root causes for significant deviations and implementing corrective actions.
- Data Analysis & Reporting:
- Collect, analyze, and interpret large datasets related to sales, inventory, production, and market.
- Prepare reports on forecast performance, inventory levels, and demand trends.
- Identify and communicate potential risks and opportunities related to demand fluctuations.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration:
- Partner with sales to understand customer needs, new product launches, promotions, and market trends that impact demand.
- Collaborate with production and operations to ensure forecast alignment with production and sourcing.
- Communicate potential inventory risks, corrective actions, and service risks to relevant teams.
- Process Improvement:
- Continuously evaluate and improve forecasting processes, tools, and methodologies.
- Implement best practices in demand planning to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
- Develop, track, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) related to inventory, supplier performance, lead times, and cost savings.
