Demand Planning Analyst

Milwaukee Tool•Milwaukee, WI

About The Position

The Demand Planner is part of the Supply Chain Team and is responsible for all sales forecasting activities of the business. The Demand Planner plays an integral part in strategic initiatives to improve forecast accuracy and bias, to drive cost savings, and to prevent lost sales & profits through ongoing analysis and evaluation of actual performance to plan. This role is not eligible for any kind of sponsorship You’ll be DISRUPTIVE through these duties and responsibilities: Forecasting & Demand Planning (40%) Develop and maintain an accurate statistical forecast over a rolling 24-month time horizon for manufactured, domestically purchased, and imported goods by analyzing historical trends, secondary data (i.e. POS), and input from business partners. Perform ongoing analysis and monitoring of actual performance to forecasted plan, identify significant variances, take corrective actions, and document key assumptions. Achieve a consensus demand plan by leading a collaborative planning process with sales, marketing, supply chain planning, and other sources by identifying key event drivers that impact the forecast. Support strategic forecast initiatives designed to improve the quality of the forecast and close the identified gaps. Seek out, develop, share, and implement Demand Planning best practices. S&OP Monthly Process (40%) Support the S&OP cycle by completing critical forecasting duties (detailed above) and distributing relevant forecast information (e.g. reporting, charts, etc.) to sales and supply chain planning for review and discussion in consensus meetings. Organize and lead consensus forecast review meetings to identify required changes in the demand plan to achieve consensus driven by discussion of key initiatives, significant business events, changes in promotional plans, and forecasting accuracy. Accurately reflect discussed changes in the demand plan, follow up on action items, and confirm Sales’ agreement with the new plan. Publish the consensus demand plan along with a clear and concise explanation of forecast changes between cycles, key business event drivers, risks / opportunities, gaps, and assumptions to be used in the main S&OP meeting (Monthly Sales Review). Attend monthly demand review meetings and communicate forecast changes. System & Data Management (10%) Use and maintain the Demand Planning software as the primary forecasting system / tool. Manage history used for forecasting and ensure it is adjusted for known events with outliers removed. Analysis & Reporting (10%) Provide timely and accurate response to demand and forecast related inquiries from all areas of the organization, including day-to-day resolution of critical issues affecting the Supply Chain Develop critical planning tools, key reports, and provide analytical support to Senior Leadership to make decisions, develop and execute key initiatives, and project short term and long-term performance May assist in offering insight and analysis into demand volume and mix changes May assist in annual development of the sales budget and related documentation May perform other administrative and reporting functions related to the demand planning process Complete special projects and ad-hoc requests as assigned

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in business, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Math, Statistics, Economics or other related field or relevant experience
2+ years’ experience in planning / forecasting / sales analysis
2+ years’ experience in a demand or supply planning role preferred
Persuasive communication and interpersonal skills are also essential to effectively interact with all teams, functional areas, and levels of business involved in the forecasting and S&OP process.
Strong skillset to lead and facilitate meetings with a diverse audience, quickly synthesizing information to help drive consensus and actionable items
Working knowledge of demand planning / forecasting / inventory management software
Highly Proficient in Microsoft Office, especially Excel
Demonstrated proficiency in statistical modeling, forecasting, and forecasting methods with an understanding of their impact to other cross functional groups (i.e. supply chain, operations, finance, etc.) is preferred
In-depth understanding of relevant demand drivers and how to apply the appropriate forecasting method to generate the desired forecast
Enjoys working in a fast paced, dynamic environment and is flexible in adapting to changing trends in the business and ad hoc projects and requests
Prioritizes workload and maintains accuracy in all work while managing multiple tasks / projects with adherence to critical deadlines
Drives to find the best solutions, incorporating innovation and efficiency improvements where feasibleUses analytical thinking to make critical decisions in the company’s best interest while recognizing the impact of these decisions on other functional areas downstream

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain an accurate statistical forecast over a rolling 24-month time horizon for manufactured, domestically purchased, and imported goods by analyzing historical trends, secondary data (i.e. POS), and input from business partners.
Perform ongoing analysis and monitoring of actual performance to forecasted plan, identify significant variances, take corrective actions, and document key assumptions.
Achieve a consensus demand plan by leading a collaborative planning process with sales, marketing, supply chain planning, and other sources by identifying key event drivers that impact the forecast.
Support strategic forecast initiatives designed to improve the quality of the forecast and close the identified gaps.
Seek out, develop, share, and implement Demand Planning best practices.
Support the S&OP cycle by completing critical forecasting duties (detailed above) and distributing relevant forecast information (e.g. reporting, charts, etc.) to sales and supply chain planning for review and discussion in consensus meetings.
Organize and lead consensus forecast review meetings to identify required changes in the demand plan to achieve consensus driven by discussion of key initiatives, significant business events, changes in promotional plans, and forecasting accuracy.
Accurately reflect discussed changes in the demand plan, follow up on action items, and confirm Sales’ agreement with the new plan.
Publish the consensus demand plan along with a clear and concise explanation of forecast changes between cycles, key business event drivers, risks / opportunities, gaps, and assumptions to be used in the main S&OP meeting (Monthly Sales Review).
Attend monthly demand review meetings and communicate forecast changes.
Use and maintain the Demand Planning software as the primary forecasting system / tool.
Manage history used for forecasting and ensure it is adjusted for known events with outliers removed.
Provide timely and accurate response to demand and forecast related inquiries from all areas of the organization, including day-to-day resolution of critical issues affecting the Supply Chain
Develop critical planning tools, key reports, and provide analytical support to Senior Leadership to make decisions, develop and execute key initiatives, and project short term and long-term performance
May assist in offering insight and analysis into demand volume and mix changes
May assist in annual development of the sales budget and related documentation
May perform other administrative and reporting functions related to the demand planning process
Complete special projects and ad-hoc requests as assigned