About your team and position:

We're looking for an experienced Sr. Demand Planner to own forecasting, inventory management, and cross-functional planning - critical to keeping tails wagging (and shelves stocked). This role reports directly to our Director of Procurement and has real visibility with senior leadership.

We move fast and pivot constantly, so this isn't a role for someone who needs a slow ramp-up. You'll be trusted to own your work end to end - flagging problems before they become fire drills, not after.

Your day-to-day:

• Develop and maintain accurate demand forecasts across all SKUs, factoring in historical data, sales trends, seasonality, and promotional plans
• Lead the S&OP process, facilitating cross-functional alignment between supply chain, marketing, finance, and leadership
• Monitor inventory levels, ingredient lead times, and production schedules to prevent stockouts or overstock situations
• Partner closely with co-manufacturing partners to ensure on-time delivery and flag potential supply risks early - before they become a problem
• Provide scenario modeling and risk assessments to inform real purchase order timing and quantity decisions
• Track and review COGS monthly and provide updates to Management
• Translate forecast insights into actionable supply chain strategies, directly influencing PO placement and production planning

What success looks like:

First 30 days: Deliver a full audit of the current demand forecasting process, inventory position, and S&OP cadence (gaps identified and reviewed with your manager); complete introductory meetings with all active co-manufacturing partners; document the S&OP process end-to-end; take over monthly COGS reporting; and get an inventory optimization plan approved by Ops leadership and Finance.

First 60 days: Independently deliver one full demand forecast cycle with no manager edits required, lead (not just attend) an S&OP meeting end-to-end, build a scenario model that's used in a real PO decision, and complete a SKU-level inventory analysis with clear increase/decrease opportunities.

First 90 days: Operate as the sole owner of forecasting, inventory monitoring, and S&OP across all SKUs with minimal oversight (zero missed cycles); proactively flag and mitigate at least one supply risk with a co-man; implement the inventory optimization recommendations and report the impact; and present a 90-day retrospective with at least one concrete process improvement.

Ongoing: You're the trusted owner of demand planning and inventory - someone who brings us solutions and surfaces issues early, not someone we need to check in on.

We'd love to hear from you if you have:

• 3+ years of experience in demand planning or supply chain management within a CPG company - pet food or food industry experience strongly preferred (2 years considered for candidates with pet industry experience)
• Startup experience in a high-volume, fast-paced environment
• Proficiency in forecasting tools, Excel/Google Sheets, and ERP systems, with comfort building models and running analyses
• Familiarity with AI tools (e.g., Claude, Gemini) and a willingness to use them as part of daily workflow
• A demonstrated track record managing S&OP processes, inventory optimization, and long-lead-time supply environments with manufacturing partners
• A proactive, detail-oriented mindset - comfortable working autonomously in a high-stakes, fast-paced environment and taking full ownership of outcomes