Associate Demand Planner

Smithfield Foods • Smithfield, VA

1d

About The Position

A great job-and a great future-awaits you at Smithfield Foods. We are an American food company with a leading position in packaged meats and fresh pork products. We’re looking for motivated people who want to join our team and grow lasting and meaningful careers with us. As an Associate Demand Planner, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of our supply chain by driving accurate demand forecasts that ensure our delicious products—yes, including BACON—are always available to our customers and consumers. You will collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Business Development, Finance, and other key teams to build and maintain SKU level forecast models that reflect real-time market intelligence and consumer insights. You will lead monthly consensus meetings and actively contribute to our Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, aligning forecasts with strategic goals and operational capabilities. If you're a proactive problem-solver who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys turning data into action, this is your opportunity to grow with one of America’s top consumer packaged goods companies.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university; or an equivalent combination of education and experience, required.
• Strong foundation in analytical thinking, problem-solving, and mathematical aptitude to support data driven decisions.
• Utilize tools such as Logility, SAP, and BI platforms to maintain high levels of data integrity and enhance forecasting accuracy.
• Ability to interpret complex datasets with precision and attention to detail is essential for success in this role.
• Exhibit strong oral, written, and verbal communication skills while fostering a respectful, approachable, and team-oriented presence.
• Build positive working relationships across departments and contribute to a collaborative, high performing work environment.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and committed to delivering excellent customer service.
• Thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Demonstrate flexibility, teamwork, and a proactive mindset.
• Committed to the overall success of supply chain operations.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity SAP, Business Intelligence (BI) platforms, and Anaplan is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Creates statistical forecasts: Drive the development and continuous improvement of data-driven demand forecasts by collecting, validating, and analyzing historical and market data, leveraging advanced statistical modeling tools, and applying error analysis techniques to enhance forecast precision and support smarter supply chain decisions.
• Reviews sales plans, business development updates and demand drivers: Collaborate closely with Sales and Business Development to present and evaluate forecast data, gather feedback, and recommend strategic adjustments to operational forecasts. Review promotional plans and track inputs from new business, lost accounts, and sales initiatives to ensure forecasts align with evolving demand across distribution centers. Identify root causes of forecast variances, report performance against targets, and contribute to setting annual forecast accuracy goals to drive continuous improvement and supply chain agility.
• Forecast Optimization & Business Insights: Lead forecast refinement and business alignment by preparing analytical materials to support collaborative research discussions, coordinating cross-functional efforts to reconcile forecast variances, and integrating updated assumptions from Sales and Business Development. Drive SKU rationalization within your assigned portfolio, analyze shipment trends and category dynamics, and ensure total volume forecasts reflect real-time market shifts and distribution center demand.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Consensus Building: Orchestrate demand planning meetings with Sales and Business Development to foster alignment across teams, build consensus on forecast assumptions, and integrate cross-functional insights into the demand planning and S&OP process. Ensure seamless communication between commercial and operational stakeholders to support accurate, agile forecasting.
• Forecast Accuracy & Data Integrity: Optimize forecast accuracy at the SKU and location level by monitoring weekly performance, analyzing error trends, and implementing corrective actions to improve reliability. Leverage tools such as Anaplan, SAP, and Business Intelligence platforms to maintain high data integrity, incorporate competitive and market insights, and provide timely updates to Supply Chain partners to support scenario planning and strategic decision making.

Benefits

• Robust, flexible and affordable benefit plans and programs to support our team members and their loved ones, and with out-of-pocket costs, on average, 20 percent less than plans offered by other employers.
• Be Well programs offer tools and resources to enhance your quality of life, at no additional cost. These programs are uniquely tailored to our Smithfield team and provide support for elective surgeries, weight loss, mental health, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, smoking cessation, asthma, maternity management and more.
• Comprehensive training and professional development programs designed to help you reach your full potential.
• Through LinkedIn Learning, employees can access on‑demand courses, professional certificates, and skill‑based training to build capabilities aligned with career and business needs.
• Partnership with Guild supports your continuing education with tuition assistance covering English language learning, high school completion, and degree programs.
• Leadership development initiatives nurture high‑potential talent.
• Smithfield Scholarship Program for employees’ children.
• Smithfield’s Education Reimbursement Program provides financial reimbursement to team members who want to further their formal education by obtaining a GED/High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma or by pursuing an academic degree at an accredited college or university that is not a Guild learning partner.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees