Assistant Manager - Sales Demand (Head Office)

Key Responsibilities

Demand Forecasting & Planning

• Develop and maintain monthly/rolling demand forecasts by SKU and channel, using historical sell-in/sell-out data, seasonality, and promotional calendars.

• Monitor and improve forecast accuracy (MAPE) and forecast bias, investigating root causes of significant deviations.

• Adjust forecasts based on new product launches, promotions, distributor stock levels, and market intelligence from the sales team.

• Facilitate demand review meetings with Sales/Marketing stakeholders to align on final consensus forecast before hand-off to Supply Planning.

• Escalate and resolve demand-supply gaps (e.g., capacity shortfall, raw material lead time) with relevant departments ahead of the planning deadline.

Sales & Market Data Analysis

• Analyze sell-in, sell-out, and distributor inventory data to identify demand trends, slow-moving SKUs, and stock-out risks.
• Prepare regular reports on forecast accuracy, sales performance vs. target, and demand variance for management review.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Act as the key liaison between Sales, Trade Marketing, Production Planning, and Supply Chain to ensure demand assumptions are understood and actioned.
• Support new product launch planning by coordinating initial demand estimates with Marketing and Sales teams.

Qualifications and Skills

• Education: Bachelor's degree or higher in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Statistics, Economics, or a related field.

• Experience: [e.g., 5-7 years] in demand planning, sales analysis, or S&OP within an FMCG or manufacturing environment, with at least 1-2 years in a supervisory capacity.

• Technical Skills:

  • Hands-on experience with demand planning/forecasting tools or ERP modules (e.g., SAP APO/IBP, or equivalent forecasting systems).
  • Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, forecasting formulas) for building and validating forecast models.
  • Understanding of key S&OP metrics: forecast accuracy (MAPE), forecast bias, fill rate, and inventory days of supply.
  • Ability to translate sales/market data into actionable demand insights for cross-functional teams.