The Demand Planner is responsible for creating accurate and reliable forecasts using historical data, sales orders, point-of-sale data, commercial and customer input. The role ensures the demand planning software has all the required data to identify trends, seasonality, and cycles to create a statistical forecast. The Demand Planner works with the commercial team to incorporate market insights such as pricing, promotions, new product introductions and competitive activity. The role analyzes the current forecast vs. prior, identifying the key changes by channel, customer, and products, to obtain the commercial team buyoff. The Demand Planner leads the cross-functional team through the demand plan consensus process to arrive at an agreed-upon 12-18 month forecast. The role creates Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as for forecast accuracy and in-stock levels and analyzes and provides recommendations for improvement.

• Develop statistical forecasts using tools such as regression analysis or exponential smoothing, which are based on planned sales orders, point of sale (POS) data, customer contracts, and Commercial Team market insights.
• Maintain subject matter expertise in the ERP systems demand module, utilizing capabilities to identify trends, seasonality, and cycles, among others, to provide effective forecasts.
• Collaborate with the Commercial Team to incorporate market insights such as pricing, promotions, new product introductions, and competitive activity, among others, and to analyze and summarize changes from the prior forecast.
• Provide professional insight into market trends to support the Commercial Team’s forecast insights.
• Maintain historical data and forecast iterations to determine causes of out-of-stocks and excess inventory.
• Build and maintain category-level monthly rolling forecasts for sales, margin, and inventory analyses.
• Lead the demand plan consensus meeting as part of the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process.
• Provide monthly volume forecasts to Operations to drive downstream capacity planning.
• Proactively produce reporting to evaluate material planning requirements.
• Develop and manage Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to target for forecast accuracy, met demand, in-stock levels, inventory cost, weeks of supply, excess inventory, and obsolescence.
• Own and assist with all aspects of reporting such as inventory demand models, daily sales reporting, gross margin, P&L variance analysis, and KPI dashboard.
• Develop annual Demand Plan in support of annual budgeting process.

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, operations, or related field with a focus in statistics.

• 6 years’ planning experience in a manufacturing environment including best practices in demand planning, or commensurate combination of higher education and work experience.
• Experience with state-of-the-art demand planning software.
• Analytical skills to understand the dynamic nature of materials and anticipate future needs.
• Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to interact with a wide variety of people in different teams with shifting priorities.
• Experience with Demand and Supply Planning Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (Oracle preferred).
• Microsoft Excel high level of proficiency, particularly formula writing, linking, and pivot tables.

• Master’s degree in supply chain, business, operations, or related field with a focus in statistics.

• Experience with state-of-the-art demand planning software.
• Experience in a vitamin, mineral, and supplement industry.
• Data visualization experience such as Tableau or Microsoft BI.

The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.