LocationMinneapolis, MN
About The Hershey CompanyAt Hershey, we're committed to creating moments of goodness through our iconic brands while helping our people Lead Today. Create Tomorrow. The Manager Customer Planning Growth Channels plays a critical role in driving demand and commercial planning strategies across growth channel customers and portfolios.
This role leads complex planning activities that shape demand strategies, portfolio decisions, and customer plans. The position develops and maintains demand and commercial forecasts, evaluates business risks and opportunities, and converts analytical insights into actionable recommendations. Working closely with Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, and Customer teams, the Manager Customer Planning Growth Channels supports profitable growth by delivering customer-focused plans, optimizing trade investment, and enhancing planning capabilities across the organization. The role also provides leadership and development support to planning analysts.
How will you fit into the big picture?As Manager Customer Planning Growth Channels, you will play a pivotal role in helping Hershey deliver profitable growth across strategic growth channel customers. By transforming customer, market, and commercial insights into actionable plans, you will help shape demand strategies, optimize investments, and improve business performance.
This role sits at the intersection of Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, and Customer Planning, serving as a key connector across functions to ensure alignment between customer strategies and enterprise objectives. Your work will directly influence forecasting accuracy, customer growth plans, and strategic decision-making while helping build the planning capabilities needed to support Hershey's future growth. Additionally, you will develop talent, drive continuous improvement, and strengthen the planning processes that enable successful execution across the business.
What will you do?Demand & Commercial Forecast Ownership
- Own the development, maintenance, and delivery of demand and commercial forecasts for assigned portfolios and customers.
- Integrate historical performance, market trends, customer strategies, and commercial inputs into actionable forecasts.
- Monitor forecast accuracy and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Customer Planning & Annual Business Planning
- Lead the development and execution of customer plans aligned with Growth Channel and enterprise objectives.
- Partner with Sales teams and customers to identify merchandising, assortment, promotional, and item expansion opportunities.
- Develop strategic linkages between company goals and customer growth strategies.
- Scenario Planning & Trade-Off Analysis
- Evaluate risks, opportunities, pricing changes, promotional investments, and portfolio impacts through scenario modeling.
- Translate findings into clear recommendations that support business decisions and growth objectives.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, and Customer teams to align demand plans with business objectives.
- Coordinate internal and external resources to support customer planning meetings and business reviews.
- Communicate insights and recommendations to stakeholders across the organization.
Performance Analysis & Capability Development
- Analyze forecast accuracy, demand variability, customer performance, and key business drivers.
- Identify root causes of variances and implement corrective actions.
- Support planning process improvements, standard methodologies, and best practices.
- Lead, coach, and develop planning analysts while promoting effective use of planning tools and reporting capabilities.
Minimum Education & RequirementsEducation
- Bachelor's Degree required.
- MBA or equivalent business experience preferred.
Experience
- 5+ years of experience in customer planning, commercial planning, demand planning, category management, sales planning, forecasting, or related business functions.
- Experience working with customer strategies, trade investments, and growth planning.
- Demonstrated success analyzing large data sets and translating insights into business actions.
Benefits & PerksAt Hershey, we offer competitive pay and a comprehensive total rewards package designed to support your wellbeing, financial security, and life outside of work.
- Health & Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus wellness programs that support your physical and mental health
- Financial Security: Competitive pay, annual incentive opportunities, and a 401(k) with company match
- Time Off & Flexibility: Paid time off, company holidays, and flexible ways of working where applicable
- Growth & Development: Career development programs, learning opportunities, and internal mobility
Benefits may vary based on role, location, and eligibility.
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