Demand Planner III

AFL•Duncan, SC

11d•Onsite

About The Position

AFL manufactures industry-leading fiber optic cable, connectivity and accessories and provides engineering and installation services for some of the largest telecom customers in the world. Our company was founded in 1984 with a single fiber optic cable and today, we manufacture thousands of products, generate an excess of $3B in revenue, and employ approximately 12,000 associates worldwide. At AFL, we recognize that our employees are our greatest asset. We hire and train each individual, investing in them to ensure success in their careers. With a commitment to professional development and growth, let us connect you to your next career opportunity. The Demand Planner – Data Center leads the end-to-end demand planning cycle for AFL’s Data Center Business Unit within the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) framework. This role sits within AFL’s enterprise demand planning function and carries primary accountability for the demand signal serving AFL’s five global hyperscaler customers — Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and Meta — whose investment cycles, construction pipelines, and capacity ramp timelines drive the majority of demand complexity in this portfolio. The Data Center demand environment is characterized by lumpy, project-based order patterns tied to hyperscale capital expenditure cycles, rapid market growth and structural demand volatility, and a fast-moving product portfolio shaped by continuously evolving connectivity requirements. Reporting to the Director of Demand Planning, the Demand Planner – Data Center operates within AFL’s IBP standards and governance while applying a high degree of independent judgment to navigate these unique dynamics. This role is a recognized functional expert in project-based demand planning and a key contributor to the accuracy and integrity of the Data Center demand signal across the enterprise.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Analytics, or related field.
5–7 years of demand planning or supply chain planning experience in a manufacturing environment, with demonstrated handling of complex, high-variability portfolios.
Hands-on experience with a modern demand planning application (SAP IBP, Kinaxis RapidResponse, or comparable), including advanced statistical modeling, segmentation, and analytics.
Working knowledge of Integrated Business Planning and Oliver Wight Class A principles, including direct participation in the Demand Review process.
Strong analytical skills, including advanced Excel and proficiency in BI/visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, or comparable).
Clear written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to structure and present complex demand insights to cross-functional and leadership audiences.
Track record of measurable improvement in forecast accuracy, bias, or override quality in prior roles.

Nice To Haves

Experience in data center, hyperscale, or technology supply chain demand planning, with direct exposure to hyperscale customers (Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Meta, or comparable).
Experience forecasting project-based or capital-cycle-driven demand in industrial, technology, or construction-adjacent supply chains where lumpy, non-recurring volume patterns are the norm.
Familiarity with hyperscale CapEx cycles, construction pipeline signals, and market intelligence sources used to augment statistical demand baselines.
Experience managing NPI demand ramps for new product introductions in high-growth, fast-moving market segments.
APICS CPIM or Oliver Wight IBP certification or training.
Demonstrated informal leadership or mentoring of junior planning colleagues.
Experience supporting executive-level IBP governance reviews.

Responsibilities

Lead the end-to-end execution of the demand planning cycle for the Data Center hyperscale portfolio in line with the enterprise IBP cadence, managing the unique complexity of project-based, capital-cycle-driven demand from AFL’s five global hyperscale accounts (Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and Meta).
Generate, refine, and publish statistical and consensus demand plans at the Customer × SKU × Month level, incorporating both statistical baseline and project-based demand overlays to capture lumpy, non-recurring volume patterns.
Develop and maintain a structured project-tracking methodology that translates hyperscale construction pipeline intelligence, purchase orders, and capacity ramp signals into decision-ready demand inputs aligned with IBP governance.
Produce decision-ready Demand Review pre-reads for the Data Center portfolio — including KPIs, assumptions logs, structured action registers, and project pipeline summaries — with minimal direction.
Maintain accurate planning hierarchies, segmentation, and master data for the Data Center portfolio in coordination with enterprise standards.
Coordinate with peer planners to ensure the Data Center demand signal integrates cleanly into the consolidated Product Solutions demand view, resolving methodology inconsistencies at the interface.
Apply and extend the enterprise forecasting methodology to the high-variability, project-based Data Center demand environment; identify and surface methodological gaps or improvement opportunities to the Director of Demand Planning.
Build and maintain scenario models that capture the full range of hyperscale demand outcomes — including ramp acceleration, ramp deceleration, and project slippage — to support executive decision-making across planning horizons.
Systematically incorporate market intelligence into the demand plan, including hyperscale earnings guidance, CapEx announcements, construction pipeline signals, and direct customer demand inputs, applying strong independent judgment on source reliability and signal timing.
Lead FVA analysis for the Data Center portfolio; share root-cause findings on override discipline and lumpy demand pattern bias across the team.
Support NPI demand ramp planning for new Data Center connectivity products, building structured launch forecasts aligned with commercial assumptions and supply constraints.
Enforce override governance rigorously: ensure all adjustments to the statistical baseline are documented, justified, and demonstrably improve forecast quality.
Publish clear assumptions, risks, and opportunities by planning horizon with analytical depth sufficient to support executive decision-making.
Participate in AFL’s Demand Review as the Data Center demand planning representative, providing robust analytical support and clearly structured recommendations on the hyperscale portfolio.
Ensure the Data Center demand plan is reconciled with commercial, operational, and financial assumptions, with assumptions explicitly documented and aligned across the IBP process.
Proactively surface Data Center-specific demand risks, opportunities, and trade-offs — including hyperscale cycle dynamics, NPI volume variability, and project pipeline changes — through IBP governance forums, structured for transparent escalation and decision-making.
Contribute to the advancement of IBP cadence, definitions, templates, and governance in line with Oliver Wight Class A principles.
Identify opportunities to improve demand planning processes, tools, and analytics specific to the Data Center portfolio and the team more broadly, with particular focus on project-based demand pattern methodology.
Propose and test methodology improvements within the parameters established by the Director, bringing forward well-supported recommendations with documented results.
Contribute to team playbooks, documentation, and training materials that strengthen the team’s collective demand planning capability, particularly in project-based and lumpy demand environments.
Informally mentor Demand Planner and Demand Planner, Experienced colleagues on AFL’s IBP methodology, project-based demand techniques, and Data Center market dynamics.
Operate within enterprise demand planning standards established by the Director, exercising strong independent judgment on complex, project-based planning situations and proactively surfacing unresolved risks rather than waiting for guidance.
Document assumptions and rationale for all material forecast changes or overrides; flag systemic patterns of bias, project-based demand timing anomalies, or hyperscale order irregularities for escalation to the Director.
Preserve the integrity of the unconstrained demand signal, keeping market demand — including project-based hyperscale volume — separate from supply constraints, allocation decisions, or commercial pressure.
Proactively escalate structurally unresolved demand conflicts or systemic issues to the Director of Demand Planning, ensuring they are decision-ready through IBP governance rather than absorbed into the plan.
Partner with Data Center Sales, Key Account Managers, Product Management, and Business Operations to capture hyperscale construction pipeline signals and translate them into an accurate and actionable volume plan.
Engage directly with the commercial team on hyperscale account activity — including new project announcements, CapEx guidance shifts, and RFQ timing — to incorporate leading demand signals ahead of formal order entry.
Collaborate with Supply Planning and Operations on Data Center demand inputs, while preserving an unconstrained view of market demand.
Align with Finance to ensure the Data Center volume plan supports IBP financial reconciliation and scenario planning for the Product Solutions business unit.
Proactively surface Data Center-specific gaps, risks, and opportunities by customer, product family, and segment, driving cross-functional resolution through the IBP cadence.
Use AFL’s demand planning platform (SAP IBP, Kinaxis RapidResponse, or equivalent) at an advanced level to maintain the Data Center portfolio, build robust analytics, and support platform optimization.
Develop and maintain Data Center demand planning dashboards and reporting that give leadership timely visibility into hyperscale demand trends, project pipeline status, forecast performance, and risk/opportunity signals.
Build and maintain a structured external market intelligence feed — drawing on hyperscale earnings releases, CapEx announcements, industry research, and construction pipeline data — to systematically enrich the Data Center demand baseline.
Contribute to data governance for the Data Center portfolio, enforcing planning hierarchies, master data standards, and data quality in coordination with IT.
Ensure demand planning outputs are versioned, auditable, and portable; champion these standards across the team.