Demand Planner

The Marzetti Company•Columbus, OH

About The Position

The Demand Planner holds a critical role at an integration point between Sales, Marketing and Operations. This position leads the forecast development for both financial & operational planning, championing cross-functional communication through clear, concise information sharing. The position collaborates with leaders of the business by researching, analyzing, maintaining, and reporting pertinent data to achieve a consensus forecast and drive best-in-class accuracy.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field (Supply Chain or Finance) or 3+ years’ experience in demand planning, supply planning, or analytics required.
Understanding of product life cycle for perishable goods
Exceptional written and oral communication skills
High level analytical & problem-solving capabilities
Effective organization and time management skills
Proven high-level competency in Microsoft Excel – requires experience using advanced Excel formulas, graphing, and pivot tables.
Competent use of Microsoft Office computer applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook.

Nice To Haves

Preferred experience in CPG, Food Industry, Demand Management
Preferred experience with demand planning software system (Logility & SAP preferred)

Responsibilities

Develop a twenty-four (24) month rolling demand forecast which serves as the basis for both Operating Plans and Financial Projections by collaboratively working with Analytics, Trade Development, Sales, Brand Management and Finance, including establishing baseline forecasts for new product introductions.
Utilize statistical demand planning software to generate forecasts with advanced modeling techniques; supplement stat forecasts with offline analysis as required.
Where supply constraints exist, develop and evaluate options to effect demand such as promotions and launch dates with Sales and Marketing to optimize service and inventory levels.
Interpret consumption trends and business intelligence from Analytics, Sales, Marketing, Product Development & Innovation to incorporate into the forecast.
Lead the monthly Consensus Review meeting to gain agreement on the latest twenty-four (24) month forecasts with cross-functional partners.
Bridge forecast changes from month to month; communicating shifts in shipments and demand and addressing gaps to our annual operating plan.
Clearly and concisely communicate any relevant technical issues and develop recommendations to improve software.
Demonstrated background in driving continuous improvement, with a focus on process management & operational efficiency.
Participate in documenting business processes and recommending business process improvements.
Identify data integrity issues and develop corrective actions plans.
Ability to organize and manage workflow and assignments on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.