Demand Planner

Blue Diamond Growers

$75K — $97K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, Economics, Statistics, Data Analytics, or related field; equivalent experience accepted.
  • Minimum three years of experience in demand planning or a related analytical role.
  • Experience analyzing demand drivers and forecast performance within an IBP or S&OP environment.
  • Proficiency with demand planning systems, preferably SAP IBP, and advanced Excel skills.
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

  • Supports end-to-end demand planning within the IBP framework, developing a 0-24 month operational forecast.
  • Analyzes demand drivers and develops accurate demand plans reflecting market conditions.
  • Conducts forecast performance analysis and communicates insights to stakeholders.
  • Participates in monthly IBP Pre-Demand Review for consensus alignment on demand signals.
  • Collaborates with Sales and Commercial Planning to evaluate customer and promotional performance.
  • Supports demand activities for key initiatives, including new launches and SKU transitions.
  • Partners with Supply Planning to translate demand into supply requirements.

Benefits

  • Hybrid work model with three days in the office per week as needed.
  • Opportunities for professional development and continuous improvement.
  • Collaborative work environment across various departments.
Full Job Description

Work Shift:

Day

Pay Type:

Salary

Hourly Rate (if applicable):

N/A

Targeted Base Salary Range (if applicable):

$75,300.00 - $97,700.00

JOB OVERVIEW:

The Demand Planner supports the end-to-end demand planning process within an Integrated Business Planning (IBP) framework, delivering accurate and actionable forecasts to support supply chain, commercial, and financial decisions. This role leverages market insights, historical trends, and promotional data to develop demand forecasts, participate in the monthly Demand Review process, and support business initiatives such as new product launches, SKU rationalization, and capacity planning.

Working cross-functionally, the Demand Planner collaborates with Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Operations to help optimize inventory, service levels, and operational efficiency, while contributing to ongoing improvements in IBP processes, analytics, and forecasting capabilities.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

  • Supports the end-to-end demand planning process within the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) framework, developing and maintaining a rolling 0-24 month operational forecast at the Item/Location level using the IBP Demand module.
  • Analyzes multiple demand drivers - including sales plans, syndicated consumption data, distribution changes, shipment history, competitive dynamics, seasonality, and marketing initiatives - to develop an accurate demand plan reflective of market demand in a CPG / Ingredient environment.
  • Performs forecast performance analysis (e.g., MAPE, bias), identifying trends and supporting continuous improvement efforts; communicates insights, risks, and opportunities to cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Participates in the monthly IBP Pre-Demand Review process, supporting alignment on a consensus demand signal and ensuring visibility to assumptions, risks, and opportunities.
  • Supports preparation for the IBP Integrated Demand Review in partnership with Demand Planning leadership.
  • Partners with Sales and Commercial Planning to evaluate customer performance, promotional effectiveness, trade events, distribution gains/losses, and SKU lifecycle changes, incorporating insights into the demand plan.
  • Supports demand planning activities for key business initiatives, including innovation launches, product transitions, and SKU rationalization, incorporating factors such as pipeline fill, cannibalization, and phase-in/phase-out strategies.
  • Collaborates cross-functionally to support financial forecasting cycles, including Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and periodic Latest Estimates (LEs), ensuring alignment between demand, revenue, and financial expectations.
  • Assists with IBP system and process improvements, supporting adoption, standardization, and enhancement of demand planning tools and forecasting capabilities.
  • Partners with Supply Planning and Operations to translate demand plans into supply requirements, identifying risks and supporting service level and inventory optimization.
  • Participates in cross-functional planning meetings, providing demand insights and supporting alignment across Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, IT, and R&D.
  • Supports a culture of data-driven decision-making, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the demand planning and IBP process.
  • This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS

  • Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, Economics, Statistics, Data Analytics, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
  • Minimum three years of experience in demand planning, forecasting, supply chain planning, commercial planning, inventory planning, or a related analytical role.
  • Demonstrated experience analyzing demand drivers, forecast performance, and business trends within an Integrated Business Planning (IBP) or Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) environment.
  • Proficiency with demand planning or enterprise planning systems, preferably SAP IBP, and advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel; experience preparing clear analyses and presentations for business stakeholders.
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills, with the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights and collaborate effectively across Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, IT, and R&D.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES

  • Experience in a consumer packaged goods, food, agricultural, ingredient, or manufacturing environment.
  • Experience using syndicated market or consumption data and business intelligence tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
  • Knowledge of product lifecycle planning, promotions, innovation launches, product transitions, and SKU rationalization.
  • APICS CPIM, CSCP, or another relevant supply chain certification; experience supporting forecasting process improvements, system implementations, or advanced analytics capabilities.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

  • Sitting for prolonged periods.
  • Walking through warehouses and multiple buildings.
  • Occasional bending and lifting.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

  • Office environment, hybrid model 3 days in office as business needs
  • Time spent in distribution and production areas.
  • Exposure to dust, moisture, and hot/cold temperatures.

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