Demand Planning Manager

Ferno-Washington, Inc•Wilmington, OH

just now

About The Position

The Demand Planning Manager leads Ferno Washington’s demand planning function and is responsible for developing accurate, data-driven demand forecasts that support customer service, inventory, production, procurement, and financial objectives. This role partners closely with Sales, Marketing, Procurement, Customer Service, Manufacturing, Finance, Quality Engineering, and New Product Development to translate market intelligence, historical trends, customer input, promotional activity, and product lifecycle events into an aligned demand plan. The position owns the monthly demand planning cadence, plays a leadership role in the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, identifies risks and opportunities that may affect supply, inventory, or service levels, and drives continuous improvement in forecast accuracy, forecast bias, planning processes, and cross-functional decision-making.

Requirements

Strong analytical, statistical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and convert findings into actionable recommendations.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional planning discussions, build consensus, and communicate forecast assumptions, risks, and recommendations clearly.
Strong leadership, coaching, technical, organizational, and communication skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, and working knowledge of ERP, MRP, and demand planning or forecasting systems.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and changing business requirements in a fast-paced environment.
Knowledge of forecasting methods, inventory management principles, product lifecycle planning, and S&OP best practices.
Ability to solve practical problems, evaluate alternatives, and interpret instructions provided in written, oral, diagram, data, or schedule form.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, Statistics, Engineering, or a related field is preferred.
Five to ten years of related demand planning, supply chain, operations planning, or materials management experience is preferred, ideally within a medical device, EMS, manufacturing, or regulated environment.
Equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered.
APICS/ASCM, IBF, CPIM, CSCP, or related supply chain certification is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Lead the demand planning function, including supervision, coaching, and development of demand planning team members.
Develop, maintain, and communicate monthly demand forecasts using historical sales, customer projections, market trends, sales plans, promotional activity, and new product launch or phase-out assumptions.
Own the total demand plan for assigned product families and ensure forecast assumptions are clearly documented and aligned with business objectives.
Facilitate the monthly demand review and support the S&OP process by driving cross-functional alignment across Sales, Marketing, Finance, Manufacturing, Procurement, Customer Service, Quality Engineering, and New Product Development.
Partner with supply planning, procurement, and manufacturing teams to translate the demand plan into effective production, capacity, component, raw material, and inventory strategies.
Monitor forecast accuracy, forecast bias, inventory performance, service levels, and other key planning metrics; identify root causes of variances and lead corrective actions.
Analyze demand and supply signals to identify risks, constraints, shortages, excess inventory, slow-moving inventory, and customer service impacts; communicate recommendations to appropriate stakeholders.
Support inventory optimization by balancing customer service requirements, working capital objectives, lead times, product availability, and operational constraints.
Maintain and improve demand planning tools, reports, master data inputs, and forecasting processes to increase visibility, consistency, and decision quality.
Coordinate timely resolution of day-to-day supply and demand discrepancies and escalate significant risks with recommended actions.
Perform special projects and other duties as assigned.