BrownForman Corp

Ready-To-Drink Operations Manager

BrownForman Corp$88K — $105K *
Food & Beverages
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree with 3+ years in Demand Planning and Supply Chain Operations
  • Understanding of Route to Market dynamics, preferably in the Bev-Alc industry
  • Demonstrated operational mindset considering goods flow and supply constraints
  • Proven success in building consensus and influencing cross-functional partners
  • Advanced skills in ERP systems (Kinaxis preferred), Excel, and Data Visualization (Tableau)
  • Strong grasp of forecasting algorithms and statistical modeling
  • Ability to manage shifting priorities and deadlines in a high-growth environment
  • Passion for lean processes and desire for continuous improvement

Responsibilities

  • Lead demand side of Ready-To-Drink (RTD) Route to Market transition
  • Facilitate monthly Integrated Business Planning (IBP) meetings with key stakeholders
  • Translate consensus demand plan into operational requirements highlighting capacity risks
  • Prepare and present Demand Planning KPIs focusing on their downstream impact
  • Develop Tableau-based dashboards to track real-time RTM performance and inventory health
  • Collaborate with External Manufacturing Operations to optimize distributor replenishment
  • Model 'What-If' scenarios for product launches using Kinaxis
  • Manage relationships with Commercial stakeholders to ensure feasible demand plans

Benefits

  • Flexible work arrangements with remote options on Fridays
  • In-office collaboration at the Louisville, Kentucky Corporate Headquarters
  • Opportunity to work in a highly visible role with a direct impact on business growth
  • Access to advanced supply planning tools like Kinaxis and Tableau
  • Involvement in a dynamic industry with evolving distribution strategies
Full Job Description
Join our team as the USA&C Ready-To-Drink (RTD) Operations Manager, where you'll act as the critical link between commercial ambitions and supply chain readiness. In this highly visible role, you will be responsible for maintaining accurate depletion and shipment forecasts while serving as the primary owner of the demand plan during our Ready-To-Drink (RTD) portfolio's Route to Market (RTM) transition. Leveraging our new supply planning platform, Kinaxis, you'll go beyond traditional forecasting to operationalize demand by translating market trends, promotional activity, and distribution insights into actionable supply chain plans. With an operations-first mindset, you'll lead the monthly Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process, helping ensure that changes in distribution models and commercial goals are reflected in inventory deployment, production scheduling, and enterprise capacity planning. Your work will directly influence how we align market demand with supply chain execution to support the growth of our Ready-To-Drink (RTD) business. What You Can Expect • Route To Market (RTM) Transition Management: Lead the demand side of the Ready-To-Drink (RTD) Route to Market evolution, analyzing how changes in distribution channels affect order patterns, lead times, and inventory positioning. • Operational Alignment: Facilitate and Lead monthly Integrated Business Planning (IBP) meetings with Ready-To-Drink (RTD) Commercial Managers, State Managers, General Manager's & the National Account Team, specifically bridging the gap between Sales/Marketing forecasts and Production/Logistics capabilities. • Execution-Focused Forecasting: Translate the consensus demand plan into detailed operational requirements, highlighting potential capacity constraints, transportation risks, and production bottlenecks, via Kinaxis. • Strategic Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Management: Prepare and present Demand Planning KPIs (Bias, Accuracy, and risk) with a focus on their "downstream" impact on service levels and operational costs. • Data Visualization & Tooling: Partner with the Operations Reporting Team to develop Tableau-based operational dashboards that track real-time Route To Market (RTM) performance, inventory health, and "forecast vs. actual" execution. • Supply Network Integration: Collaborate closely with External Manufacturing Operations (EMO) Supply Managers and Supply Planning Managers to ensure the demand signal enables optimized distributor replenishment and bailment (Control States) inventory builds tailored to the new Ready-To-Drink (RTD) distribution footprint. • Scenario Planning: Using Kinaxis, model "What-If" scenarios for Ready-To-Drink (RTD) product launches and promotional cycles to assess the operational strain of various Route To Market (RTM) strategies. • Assumption Management: Maintain close relationships with Commercial stakeholders to document and challenge commercial assumptions to ensure the demand plan is grounded in operational feasibility and historical performance. What You Bring to the Table • Experience: Bachelor's Degree with 3+ years in Demand Planning and Supply Chain Operations. • Route To Market (RTM) Knowledge: Understanding of Route to Market dynamics (e.g., distributor networks, bailment, and B2B), preferably within the Bev-Alc industry. • Operational Mindset: Demonstrated ability to look beyond the spreadsheet to understand the physical flow of goods and the constraints of the supply network. • Collaborative Influence: Proven success in consensus building, with the ability to Manage Up, and influence cross-functional partners (Sales, Finance, Operations) toward a single, ambitious, achievable, and realistic plan. • Technical Proficiency: Advanced skills in ERP systems (Kinaxis preferred), Excel, and Data Visualization (Tableau) to turn complex datasets into operational insights. • Analytical Rigor: Strong grasp of forecasting algorithms and statistical modeling, paired with the "common sense" to adjust models based on shifting market realities. • Agility: A track record of managing shifting priorities and deadlines, particularly in a high-growth or transitioning business environment. • Continuous Improvement: A passion for lean processes and a desire to refine the IBP cycle to be more responsive to operational needs. Working Arrangement In-office at the Brown-Forman Louisville, Kentucky Corporate Headquarters Monday to Thursday, with flexibility to work remotely on Fridays. Requisition Type: Employee Management Level: Leader Global Job Level: L2 Number of Openings Available: 1

About BrownForman Corp

Brown-Forman Corporation is a diversified producer of fine quality consumer products. It was founded in 1870 by George Garvin Brown in Louisville, Kentucky. Brown-Forman is one of the largest American-owned spirits and wine companies and sells its brands in more than 170 countries. Some of its most popular brands include Jack Daniel's, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, and Finlandia. The company has a strong commitment to social responsibility and sustainability, and has been recognized for its efforts in these areas. Brown-Forman is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
Learn more about BrownForman Corp
Size
4,800 employees
Industry
Founded
1870
NASDAQ

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