Demand Planner

The Clorox Company • Brampton, ON

14d • CA$71,596 - CA$112,487 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Demand Planner is accountable to provide an accurate sales forecast on a timely basis to drive production by maximizing inventory turnover and ensuring customer service targets are achieved. Manages demand planning/volume forecasting to deliver key forecast KPIs while eliminating bias. Develop strong relationships with customers and internal sales, marketing and finance teams to drive collaborative planning. Acts as the SPA for Brand categories or customer channels (as assigned) and is responsible for Demand Consensus. This role also has responsibility for facilitating the Demand Review modules (as designed) within the S&OP \ IBP process in Canada - driving effective process discipline and assisting the business to maximize NCS, Cash & Share performance through effective gap management. Must be able to execute demand changes driven by the business with a high level of efficiency in our Demand Planning tool.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in Demand Planning, Supply Chain, or Sales Forecasting, preferably within a CPG environment.
• Successful candidate must be detailed oriented with a high ability to multi-task and execute on demand specific tasks.
• Pro-actively analyze demand trends based on history, forecast accuracy, bias, & root causes.
• Perform root cause analysis on forecast accuracy on an ongoing basis and address issues proactively.
• Engage Supply Planning wherever applicable of forecast changes to avoid over stock or inventory run out.
• Identify and champion cross-functional improvement processes and projects to drive forecast accuracy towards critical results expectations.
• Ability to lead cross-functionally.
• Collaborative skills in resolving long and short term forecast conflicts.
• Understanding of Demand Forecasting concepts, metrics and competencies.
• Ability to work in a team focused environment while maintaining the ability to exercise independent judgment.
• Demonstrate ability to lead without authority while confronting issues proactively.
• Ability to work efficiently and effectively in ambiguous circumstances while achieving desired results.
• Collaborate effectively with others in problem solving or decision making to ensure functional areas or business processes are not impacted negatively.
• Ability to define business risk, uncertainty, and complex business or technical process changes.
• Demonstrated skills in thinking strategically and implementing process improvements.
• Applies expertise to continuously improve process and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Establish and apply the best methods (statistical models and software tools) in creating forecasts at the item (Evolution: account and/or regional) level, applying appropriate statistical algorithms.
• Analyzes historical sales trends from AC Nielsen data, POS information and shipment trends to support baseline forecast assumptions.
• Use understanding of product life cycles to develop new item projections.
• Lead monthly Secondary Pack validation meetings for review with ASPMs/Planners to proactively communicate possible delays and minimize order shortages.
• Compile and analyze forecasts inputs at various demand segments, identifying and documenting performance gaps for review in monthly consensus meetings.
• Continuously improve forecasts through evaluation of promotional activity, inventory changes, consumptions trends, category trends, media and advertising plans or extended service level impacts.
• In the event of product shortages, provide solid business recommendations.
• Ensure Business/Sales Team plans are supported through the Demand Forecast process.
• Collaborate with Sales & Marketing on a continuous basis to understand and anticipate market and product evolution, planned activities and then accurately adjust the forecast accordingly.
• Develop a sales forecast rollup by business from individual SKU level forecasts to support discussions at the monthly meetings with Marketing, Sales and Finance. Provide insights on market and customer trends in order to complete a gap analysis.
• Develop upside/downside scenarios with risk assessments and recommended actions to meet customer service objectives and shipment targets.
• Lead monthly consensus forecast reviews with Sales, Marketing, Finance and Operations teams to validate and adjust current fiscal year forecasts, gaining full alignment with business owners and executive management.
• Gain consensus from all departments on key assumptions and changes to segment level volume.
• Provide monthly summaries to teams identifying key drivers, and clarity against segment/SKU level gaps.
• Own the development of annual statistically trended base forecast for PSO, Marketing, Finance and Sales. Integrate forward-looking TFI/AMPS assumptions, historical trends, price changes, cannibalization effect of new products, competitive activity, and product discontinuances for all regular business plans to provide mentorship to senior management.
• Refresh financial forecasts quarterly, incorporating Sales inputs to close gaps.
• Analyzes promotional plans using historical sales and consumption data, and recommend plan adjustments to Sales/Marketing based on historical consumption flow.
• Prepare, monitor and publish forecast KPI’s on a weekly and monthly basis, taking corrective actions as necessary.
• Monitor orders vs. estimates on a monthly basis, responding to exceptions with collaborative discussions and addressing monthly plan revisions accordingly.
• Identify key issues which require immediate escalation to Sales and/or Operations as the need arises.
• Establish annual forecast accuracy targets. Measure monthly forecast error results versus established targets and identify and report on root cause for forecast errors below target.
• Publish monthly forecast accuracy reports, with baseline and secondary pack trending by month.
• Build business reviews determining long term business health and trends.
• Create and publish building blocks used to generate topline forecast plans.
• Produces reports that facilitate a continuous analysis of actual sales and emerging trends compared with forecasts.

Benefits

• robust health plans
• competitive pension program with a company match
• paid time off benefits (including half-day summer Fridays, depending on location)
• Maternity leave benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed