Job Summary: As a Senior Demand Planning Manager, you will be responsible for leading and overseeing the demand planning function within the organization. Your primary objective will be to develop and implement strategies to accurately forecast demand for products or services, ensuring optimal inventory levels and customer satisfaction. You will collaborate closely with various departments such as sales, marketing, operations, and finance to gather insights, analyze data, and formulate demand forecasts. Additionally, you will play a key role in driving process improvements, enhancing forecasting models, and managing a team of demand planners to achieve business objectives.
Location: Atlanta, GA**
Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute demand planning strategies to accurately forecast customer demand for products or services across multiple channels and regions.
- Collaborate with sales, marketing, and operations teams to gather market intelligence, historical sales data, and other relevant inputs to inform demand forecasts.
- Lead the development and implementation of demand planning processes, tools, and systems to improve forecast accuracy, efficiency, and scalability.
- Utilize statistical models, forecasting techniques, and advanced analytics to generate demand forecasts and identify trends, patterns, and anomalies.
- Monitor and analyze demand forecast performance metrics, such as forecast accuracy, bias, and inventory levels, and take corrective actions as needed.
- Work closely with supply chain and procurement teams to ensure alignment between demand forecasts and inventory planning, production scheduling, and procurement activities.
- Drive cross-functional collaboration and communication to align demand forecasts with sales targets, production plans, and inventory management strategies.
- Provide leadership, guidance, and coaching to a team of demand planners, fostering their professional development and ensuring high performance.
- Partner with finance teams to integrate demand forecasts into financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes.
- Stay abreast of industry trends, market dynamics, and emerging technologies in demand planning and supply chain management, and recommend innovative solutions to enhance business performance.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in business administration, supply chain management, operations research, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
- 4+ demand planning experience in the consumer goods industry
- Proven experience (5+years) in demand planning, forecasting, or supply chain management, preferably in a senior or leadership role.
- Strong analytical skills with proficiency in statistical analysis, forecasting techniques, and demand planning software/tools (e.g., SAP APO, Oracle Demantra, JDA Demand).
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across functions and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
- Demonstrated leadership abilities, including experience managing and developing a team of demand planners.
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities, with a track record of driving process improvements and delivering results in a fast-paced environment.
- Knowledge of best practices in demand planning, inventory management, and supply chain optimization.
- Familiarity with ERP systems, advanced Excel skills, and proficiency in data analysis and visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) is a plus.
- Certification in supply chain management (e.g., APICS CPIM, IBF CPF) is desirable.
