Demand Planning Manager

The Demand Planning Manager turns the commercial plan and market insight into a dependable, integrated demand plan for a multi-brand, multi-channel business across several markets and product categories. The role aligns demand forecasts, product life cycle assumptions, inventory considerations, and known supply constraints through a structured demand review and S&OP process.

Responsibilities:

• Own and continuously improve the demand planning process, including a rolling 12 to 18 month forecast by brand, product category, customer, channel, and market.
• Lead the monthly demand review and present the approved consensus demand plan in the broader S&OP cycle, clearly documenting assumptions, risks, opportunities, and decisions needed.
• Collaborate with Sales, Service, Product Management, Finance, Supply Chain, manufacturing locations, and corporate teams to build an unbiased, fact-based consensus forecast.
• Evaluate forecast performance through accuracy, bias, forecast value-add analysis, and other planning KPIs; identify root causes and put corrective actions in place.
• Identify demand gaps against budget, latest estimate, and business targets, and coordinate the right commercial or operational response.
• Build customer intelligence, commercial projects, promotions, seasonality, market trends, and exceptional events into the demand plan.
• Provide demand inputs for safety stock, allocation, reservation, inventory, and supply prioritization decisions, working with Supply Planning and Supply Chain Operations.
• Flag and communicate product availability risks and opportunities, and work with manufacturing locations and business stakeholders on mitigation and prioritization.
• Support product life cycle planning, including new product launches, phase-ins, phase-outs, promotions, projects, and discontinuations.
• Review slow-moving and obsolete inventory and coordinate demand-side actions with Sales, Service, Product Management, Finance, and Supply Chain.
• Use ERP, demand planning, reporting, and analytics tools to improve forecast quality, planning visibility, process efficiency, and decision making.
• Establish planning governance, performance routines, documentation, and continuous improvement standards across the organization.
• Build demand planning capability across functions through training, coaching, and clear accountability for forecast inputs.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business administration, finance, engineering, or a related field.
• Master's degree or an advanced supply chain certification is preferred.

Experience :

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in demand planning, forecasting, supply planning, inventory management, or a related supply chain function.
• Proven experience leading demand review and S&OP processes in a multi-brand, multi-market, or international environment.
• Strong understanding of statistical forecasting techniques, including trend, seasonality, outlier management, forecast segmentation, and exception-based planning.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, product life cycle planning, and supply chain fundamentals.
• Experience with ERP, demand planning, and advanced planning systems, including management of planning master data and forecast hierarchies.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience with business intelligence and data visualization tools, such as Power BI or equivalent platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior and cross-functional stakeholders, constructively challenge commercial assumptions, and drive alignment without direct authority.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills with local, business unit, and corporate stakeholders.