Customer Demand Planner

Overall Responsibilities

Customer Demand Planner liaises between the customer, the sales team and internal supply planning team to provide analytics and insights to deliver superior service to our customers. Collaborates with the Sales team to fully understand the sales plan, and influence and align the customer. Focus on improvement of customer level forecasts which is the foundation and starting point of the IBP Demand Forecast process.

Specific Key Responsibilities & Duties

Strategy and Vision:

• Demonstrate leadership, influence and expertise:

Encourage team-work between all internal departments

Act as gatekeeper of business knowledge and insights for sales team

Creation of synergies across sales, finding ways to leverage best practices

• Create the engagement plan with BU on IBP process:

Ensure Business / Sales Team plans are supported through the Demand Forecast process

Proactively highlights gaps in plan vs. annual target with facts to drive gap closing actions

• Identify key capabilities required for continuous improvement:

Process alignment meetings with cross functional teams on helping them drive IBP improvements and deliver efficiency benefits

Establish annual forecast accuracy targets. Measure monthly forecast error results versus established targets and identify and report on root cause for forecast errors below target

Forecasts:

• Lead the development of annual statistically trended base forecast for Sales. Integrating forward-looking assumptions, historical trends, price changes, product innovation and discontinuations.
• Manage orders vs. estimates on a monthly basis, responding to exceptions with collaborative discussions and addressing monthly plan revisions accordingly
• Maintain an overview of key trading issues; manage the impact on Sales forecast including the effect of the resultant gap filling activities
• Be fully versatile on explaining the Sales call, what includes the ability to bridge:

LE to LE

LE to AOP

LE to Month end Actuals

LE to Quarterly Sales LE

LE to prior year

• Bring Customer insight / Intelligence through

Latest field insights from Sales that may impact the forecast

Overview / understanding customer plans

Overview of the customer activity calendar

Long term strategy changes

External customer forecasts

• Provide monthly summaries to Sales identifying key drivers, and clarity against segment/SKU level gaps/adjustments.

Leadership:

• Establish and utilize best methods (statistical models and reporting tools) in creating forecasts at the SKU, Customer, month.
• Lead monthly customer volume reviews with sales teams to validate and adjust current fiscal year forecasts, gaining full alignment with key stakeholders.
• Create insights for Sales, determining long term business health and trends.
• Develop concrete recommendations around how to improve forecast reliability and profitability, e.g., through real-time feedback loops (i.e. pre-launch and while campaigns are running, post-mortem evaluations of promotional effectiveness, category/customer trends, alignment of POS/Shipment trends)
• Manage planning and execution of monthly forecasts to drive Forecast Accuracy.
• Influence planning of New Product Introduction, Discontinuation, Key Season and media.
• Provide direction for allocation of supplies with order management and supply planning team.
• Ensure collaborative planning and proactive communication with key stakeholders and external customers
• Business lead/ subject matter expert for Systems implementation
• Coach and train peers in planning processes and systems
• Develop scorecard & ensure Customer’s Supply Chain KPI expectations are being met.
• Improve processes and efficiencies of supply chain impacting KPI’s, including fillrate/OTIF, order management optimization, lead time improvement and other relevant initiatives with customer and supply chain team
• Conduct in depth analysis of monthly top partners inventory & consumption to understand build/burn impact on ongoing demand.
• Represent the Supply Chain Department during Customer/Partner meetings. Provide line of sight to Demand Director for any elevated discussions needing attention & attendance, i.e. Quarterly review, Top to Top etc.
• Evolve to ensure cost effective processes (Fill Rate, On-Time Pick up and Vendor Deliveries)
• Represent the Customer Supply Chain Department during weekly face to face Customer meetings

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Requirements

Analytical capabilities, strong business acumen and problem solving skills, excellent communication skills, experience in supply chain management

Requirements:

• 1-2 years of relevant experience
• Knowledge of customer systems (Retail Link/LDIA/LVRP/IRI)
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Programs (Excel, Power Point, etc.)
• Supply Chain experience in a Consumer Packaged Goods environment preferred