Business Analyst/Forecast Analyst

Beacon Technologies•Rogers, AR

About The Position

We are seeking a Business Analyst to support a client partner’s replenishment and planning for a top retailer. This role is part of a team focused on collaborative sales forecasting and inventory management, supporting the Sales team and the customer’s inventory and planning teams in forecasting, planning, and order fulfillment. Candidates must have experience working in or with Wal-Mart replenishment teams. The analyst will help deliver store in-stock metrics by influencing the end-to-end order process, including order creation, daily order reviews, maintaining perfect purchase orders, and optimizing fill rate. The role also supports execution of the Direct Import business from Asia in close partnership with the Customer Service team in Hong Kong. The analyst participates in sales-trend analysis to improve weekly item-level POS projections and aligns plans with internal stakeholders and retail partners. They drive weekly item- and channel-level shipping plans to support POS plans, retailer in-stock performance, and future order needs. The role contributes to internal consensus meetings and cross-functional S&OP forecasting, participates in collaborative forecasting meetings with retail Buyers and Replenishment Managers, and presents business findings and recommended seasonal action plans.

Requirements

Experience working in or with Wal-Mart replenishment teams.
Strong analytical skills, including coordinating diverse information, identifying relevant data, and recommending and implementing corrective actions.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including communicating across organizational levels and functional areas and understanding, assessing, and presenting others’ viewpoints.
Sound business judgment to interpret issues and recommend actions that support group, division, and corporate goals.
Process-oriented ability to identify and address process improvements and share expertise with others.
Proficiency in MS Office and advanced Excel skills.
Direct replenishment experience planning in a highly seasonal environment with long lead times.
At least 2 years of relevant experience in sales analysis or merchandise buying/planning.

Nice To Haves

Experience in CPG or retail.
Experience with Power BI, Alteryx, BigQuery, or other database programs.
Experience with statistical forecasting techniques, systems applications, and model building.

Responsibilities

Support replenishment and planning for a top retailer, including forecasting, planning, and order fulfillment.
Influence the end-to-end order process, including order creation, reviewing daily orders, maintaining perfect purchase orders, and optimizing fill rate to deliver store in-stock metrics.
Drive execution of the Direct Import business from Asia in partnership with the Customer Service team in Hong Kong.
Analyze sales trends to improve weekly item-level POS projections.
Review and align plans with internal stakeholders and retail partners to establish a collaborative retail plan.
Drive a weekly shipping plan by item and channel to support POS plans, retailer in-stock performance, and future order needs.
Attend internal consensus meetings to present and share understanding of POS demand forecasts.
Provide key data findings to cross-functional S&OP teams to reach a consensus monthly forecast.
Participate with the Sales team in collaborative forecasting meetings with Buyers and Replenishment Managers.
Present business findings and recommend an action plan for the season.