Demand Planning Manager

Role Overview
As D.S. & Durga's first dedicated Demand Planning leader, the Demand Planning Manager will build and own the Company's global demand planning capability across DTC, owned Retail, North America Wholesale and International Wholesale.
This is a build-from-the-ground-up role. D.S. & Durga is implementing its first ERP, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, and is at an early stage in formalizing its S&OP process, demand-planning tools, reporting and cross-functional ways of working. The Demand Planning Manager will help design that operating model while simultaneously owning the day-to-day demand plan.
Reporting to the Head of Supply Chain & Operations and working in close partnership with the Supply Chain Manager, the role owns the consensus demand plan and the demand-planning process, while Supply Chain translates the approved demand signal into supply, production and purchasing requirements. The role also partners extensively with Finance, DTC, Retail, North America Wholesale, International, Marketing/GTM, Logistics and Regulatory.
This is an individual-contributor role with significant cross-functional influence. Commercial forecasts are critical inputs, but the Demand Planning Manager is responsible for independently assessing those inputs and turning multiple, sometimes imperfect, demand signals into a clear, assumption-based and actionable plan.
Success in this role means D.S. & Durga has one trusted global demand plan used consistently across Operations, Commercial and Finance; a practical Demand Review and S&OP process with clear inputs, ownership and follow-through; measured and improving forecast accuracy; and inventory risks identified early enough to act on them. The ideal candidate combines rigorous demand-planning expertise with commercial judgment and a builder mentality, and is comfortable establishing processes, tools and discipline while continuing to move the business forward.

Key Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the following satisfactorily; other duties may be assigned:
1. Build D.S. & Durga's Demand Planning Capability

• Design and establish the Company's global Demand Planning process, operating cadence, RACI, reporting, methodologies and ways of working.
• Establish the demand plan as the single source of truth for forward-looking unit demand across the Company.
• Define clear inputs, assumptions, ownership, deadlines and decision rights across DTC, Retail, North America Wholesale, International, Marketing, Finance and Operations.
• Develop practical SOPs and documentation to create repeatable, scalable planning processes and preserve institutional knowledge.
• Identify gaps in data, systems and processes and build a prioritized roadmap to progressively improve planning capability.
• Help design and establish a formal S&OP process appropriate for the Company's scale and complexity.

2. Global Demand Plan Ownership

• Own and maintain a rolling 12-18 month global unit demand forecast across DTC, owned Retail, North America Wholesale and International Wholesale.
• Develop forecasts at the SKU, channel, customer, market and time granularity required to support production, purchasing, inventory and financial decisions.
• Build bottom-up and top-down views and reconcile commercial ambition, historical performance and underlying demand signals into a defensible consensus plan.
• Incorporate the best available inputs, including sell-in, sell-through, inventory/WOS, retailer and distributor forecasts, seasonality, commercial plans, marketing activity and market intelligence.
• Operate effectively across markets and partners with varying levels of data maturity while progressively establishing stronger reporting requirements and demand signals.
• Maintain clear assumptions and version control, and distinguish unconstrained demand from supply or inventory constraints.

3. Launch & Lifecycle Forecasting

• Own demand forecasting for new product introductions across all channels and markets, from initial sizing and launch phasing through post-launch replenishment.
• Partner with Marketing, Commercial, DTC and Operations to translate launch ambition, distribution, marketing support and comparable-product performance into unit forecasts.
• Build scenarios and challenge assumptions around newness, incrementality, cannibalization, halo effects and replenishment.
• Lead structured post-launch reviews comparing actual performance with forecast and rapidly incorporate learnings into forward demand.
• Forecast testers, samples, gratis, GWPs and other non-saleable requirements alongside commercial demand.
• Support product lifecycle management, including phase-ins, phase-outs, discontinued products and related inventory implications.

4. Demand Review & S&OP Governance

• Serve as the analytical engine of the Company's evolving S&OP process.
• Lead the Demand Review, bringing channel forecasts, launch assumptions, forecast changes, risks and opportunities into one coherent global view.
• Prepare concise, decision-oriented reporting that highlights what changed, why it changed and what action or decision is required.
• Partner with Supply Chain to translate the consensus demand plan into supply requirements and identify constraints, shortages and inventory risks.
• Partner with Finance to reconcile unit demand with revenue forecasts and quantify implications for inventory, working capital and cash.
• Track agreed planning decisions, ensure approved assumptions are promptly reflected in the published plan, and maintain weekly exception reporting between formal cycles.

5. Forecast Performance & Inventory Intelligence

• Establish and own the forecast-performance framework, including forecast accuracy, bias and relevant error metrics by SKU, channel and market.
• Lead regular actual-versus-forecast reviews, identify root causes of variance and convert learnings into improved assumptions and methodologies.
• Build forward-looking inventory views covering weeks of supply, projected out-of-stock risk, excess and obsolete exposure and inventory concentration.
• Partner with Supply Chain on safety-stock and inventory-coverage recommendations.
• Identify demand-driven inventory risks early and recommend actions such as production changes, reallocations, replenishment adjustments, promotional support or SKU rationalization.
• Provide the Head of Supply Chain & Operations and Leadership Team with clear visibility into material demand, inventory, service and cash risks and opportunities.

6. Planning Data, Reporting & Technology

• Become a highly capable user of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and help shape how the Company uses its new ERP to support Demand Planning.
• Build practical reporting and analytical tools using Business Central, Excel, Power BI/Jet Reports and other appropriate technologies.
• Develop concise dashboards covering demand, forecast performance, sell-in/sell-through trends, inventory health and key risks and opportunities.
• Reduce reliance on fragmented spreadsheets and manual reporting by progressively building more automated, reliable and scalable workflows.
• Actively leverage AI and automation to accelerate analysis, improve forecasting and identify patterns and anomalies, while applying business judgment to all model outputs.
• Evaluate lightweight planning tools as the Company grows, prioritizing solutions appropriate to its scale.

7. Cross-Functional Partnership & Influence

• Supply Chain: provide a clear, timely and credible demand signal while maintaining clear accountability between demand planning and supply execution.
• DTC, Retail, North America Wholesale and International: understand channel plans and market signals, challenge assumptions constructively and build a consensus demand view.
• Marketing/GTM: incorporate launches, campaigns, promotions, activations and other demand drivers into the plan.
• Finance: connect unit demand to revenue, inventory investment, working capital and cash.
• Leadership: translate complex information into clear business implications, scenarios and recommended actions.
• Help commercial teams understand their role and accountability in producing high-quality demand inputs.

Competencies: To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following.
Demand Planning Expertise: Demonstrates strong command of SKU-level forecasting, forecast accuracy and bias, demand drivers, inventory coverage, lifecycle planning and new-product forecasting in a multi-channel consumer business. Understands how DTC, owned retail, wholesale and distributor channels generate and report demand differently.
Analytical Rigor: Works comfortably with large, imperfect datasets and builds models that are accurate, transparent and easy to audit. Makes assumptions explicit, maintains version control and checks outputs before they inform production, purchasing or financial decisions.
Business and Commercial Acumen: Understands the business behind the numbers and connects demand to consumers, launches, channels, revenue, inventory, working capital and cash. Weighs commercial ambition against historical performance and underlying signals to build a defensible plan.
Planning and Organization: Manages a recurring planning cadence alongside launches, markets and ad hoc requests. Builds and maintains clear processes, calendars, trackers and documentation so that inputs arrive on time and decisions are followed through.
Judgment and Decision Making: Establishes a clear point of view with incomplete information, moves forward and refines the plan as better data becomes available. Distinguishes noise from meaningful change and escalates material demand, inventory and service risks promptly with a clear view of impact and options.
Problem Solving: Identifies root causes of forecast variance rather than only adjusting numbers. Develops practical solutions when data, systems or processes are missing, and takes the initiative to build what the business needs.
Communication: Turns complex analysis into a few clear headlines: what changed, why it matters, what happens next and what decision is required. Writes concise, decision-oriented reporting and presents confidently to leadership and cross-functional teams.
Influence and Collaboration: Builds credibility through facts and judgment rather than authority. Challenges assumptions constructively, reconciles competing views and builds a consensus plan that Operations, Commercial and Finance trust and use.
Ownership and Accountability: Operates autonomously as the Company's first dedicated Demand Planning resource. Takes responsibility for the demand plan and its performance, defines next actions and owners, and drives work through to completion.
Adaptability: Thrives in an entrepreneurial, fast-changing environment and is energized by creating structure where little exists. Balances building long-term capability with the day-to-day needs of the business.
Use of Technology: Is highly proficient in Excel and comfortable with ERP and BI tools. Is technically curious, adapts quickly to new systems and actively uses automation and AI to eliminate manual work and improve decision-making.
Organizational Commitment: Follows company policies and procedures. Completes administrative tasks accurately and on time. Supports the organization's goals and values. Contributes to an inclusive, respectful workplace.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Finance or a related quantitative field preferred; ASCM/APICS (CPIM) or IBF (CPF) certification a plus.
• 5-7+ years of progressive experience in Demand Planning, forecasting, S&OP, inventory planning or closely related supply-chain planning roles.
• Demonstrated ownership of SKU-level demand forecasting in a multi-channel consumer business.
• Demonstrated experience building or materially upgrading a Demand Planning process, toolset or cross-functional planning capability from an early stage of maturity.
• Experience supporting DTC and wholesale/retail channels; international or distributor-based planning experience strongly preferred.
• Beauty, fragrance, cosmetics, CPG or another launch-intensive consumer category strongly preferred.
• Experience forecasting new product launches and managing product lifecycle transitions.
• Experience leading or supporting a Demand Review or S&OP process, including partnering with Finance and Supply Chain.
• Experience implementing or working within a new ERP environment preferred.
• Strong commercial judgment, communication and cross-functional influencing skills, with the ability to operate autonomously in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.

Language Ability:
Read, analyze and interpret sales, sell-through and inventory reports, retailer and distributor data, financial reports and system documentation. Write SOPs, planning documentation and concise, decision-oriented summaries. Effectively present information and respond to questions from leadership, cross-functional teams, retailers, distributors and other external partners.