Demand Planning Manager

Job Description:

Demand Planning Managers are responsible for short-term and up to two-year forecasting at the item/customer level. The planner will use a variety of data sources including consumption trends, sales promotional data, new marketing product plans, and statistical models to create a demand signal. The monthly goal is to deliver an accurate and cross-functionally aligned rolling demand plan. A key responsibility of the Demand Planner is to develop, document, update and challenge the assumptions supporting the demand plan.

Key Responsibilities (or Principle Accountabilities):

• Support the Mars Culture by leading and living the Five Principles and communicating our expected business environment to all associates
• Demonstrate leadership in living the Purpose of Royal Canin business throughout the organization
• Ability to influence internal organization around business, customer, and market opportunities
• Enable the success of Royal Canin through Outstanding leadership in the areas of:
  • Leverage Business Unit and market intelligence to determine business impact
  • Monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) monthly to provide the most accurate projections of customers’ future needs to enable the end-to-end supply chain to execute a plan to best service our customers

Direct responsibility for oversight of:

• Work cross-functionally to develop and optimize a rolling 24-month statistical SKU-level forecast of over $1B in annual sales to guide both supply chain and financial planning decisions within the US market
• Royal Canin US Key User for the OMP Demand Planning system
• Maintain OMP as the primary forecasting system to forecast market trends, historical trends and Sales/Marketing Team DMR decisions
• Participate in monthly Demand Review Meetings with Sales & Marketing teams to gather information related to market activity and incorporate into the forecast
• Collaborate with Sales & Marketing to develop sales forecasts for new products
• As a key stakeholder in the S&OP+ process, maintain and present Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) along with in-depth business insights to the Business Units and Senior Leadership teams
• Influence functional business decisions through analytics presented to Senior Management and Business Unit Leadership Teams
• Partner with Sales Planning Managers in Demand Management Review (DMR) and Feeder Meetings that includes collaborating with Sales, Marketing, Finance, & Supply Chain
• Key stakeholder in the execution and continuous improvement of the S&OE/Short Term Planning Process

Functional Competencies:

• Comfort Around Higher Management – Participate in monthly BU Demand Planning Review meetings

• Analytical Capabilities - Understand the factors influencing accurate forecasting and be able to articulate the plan to cross-functional partners
• Standing Alone - Ability to challenge cross-functionally using fact-based arguments
• Prioritization - Ability to work independently and prioritize
• Problem Solving - Periodic KPI root causing across demand planning, customer service, and inventory management metrics to drive resolution and continuous improvement
• Dealing with Ambiguity – Ability to cope with change, take intelligent risks, and can make decisions with minimal guidance/information
• Mathematical/Statistical- Ability to analyze and compute large data sets of numbers in a manner that will drive conclusions and decision-making ability across the business

Key Supporting Competencies

• Dealing with Ambiguity
• Business Acumen
• Comfort Around Higher Management
• Organizational Agility

Key Functional Competencies and Technical Skills:

• Problem Solving
• Analytical Skills
• Written and Verbal Communication
• Channel Planning and Execution

Minimum Requirements:

• Minimum of a BA/BS in a Business, Supply Chain or a Business-related field
• MBA or other related Master’s Degree preferred
• Minimum 5 years of business experience in CPG industries, working with customers in Demand Planning, Supply Chain, Logistics, Marketing Services, or other similar functions

Preferred Requirements:

• Strong understanding of the Demand Planning process
• Strong computer and systems literacy including MS Excel, PPT, Visio, and Word
• Solid understanding of industry and S&OP+ process (preferred)
• Strong project management skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly the ability to communicate to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Strong analytical experience
• Team Player that is a problem solver and motivates others

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.