Demand Planning Mgr

Pittston Co-Packers•Pittston, PA

About The Position

The Demand Planning Manager is the tactical bridge between our customers’ supply chain teams and Pittston Co-Packers' production floor. Unlike traditional demand planning roles that focus on consumer sales trends, this role focuses on operationalizing customer demand. You will ingest forecasts from national beverage brands, audit them against our manufacturing capacity, and drive the Material Requirements Planning (MRP) process to ensure every scheduled run has the necessary ingredients and packaging. You will be the "Check and Balance" for the facility, ensuring that the production team can produce exactly what each customer needs efficiently and according to schedule. You will identify gaps in inventory or capacity weeks before they become critical failures.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business Analytics, Statistics, or a related field.
5+ years of experience in demand planning or supply chain forecasting, ideally within the Food & Beverage or CPG industry.
Expert-level proficiency in Excel (Power Query, Macros, Pivot Tables); Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, NetSuite, or Microsoft Dynamics); Familiarity with data visualization tools (Tableau or Power BI) is a plus.
Exceptional analytical thinking, strong communication skills (ability to "tell the story” Behind the numbers), and a "Team Member" first mindset.

Nice To Haves

APICS (CPIM or CSCP) or IBF (CPF) certification is considered a plus.

Responsibilities

Customer Forecast Integration & Validation Serve as the primary supply chain point of contact for external customer planning teams. Ingest and sanitize rolling 8-to-12-week forecasts from multiple customers; challenge volume volatility or demand that does not align with historical throughput or contract agreements. Translate customer demand (cases, units, etc.) into "production units" (batches) and collaboratively serve as the owner of the production schedule with the Production Manager.
Material Requirements Planning (MRP) Translate the validated demand plan into raw material (RM) and packaging material (PM) requirements. Monitor inventory positions of customer-supplied and turnkey materials; flag potential shortages (stock-outs) or overages (expiry risks) to customers and internal procurement immediately. Collaborate with the warehouse team to manage inventory aging, preventing the accumulation of slow-moving or obsolete stock that eats up floor space.
Capacity Analysis/Planning Run weekly load-versus-capacity analysis to identify bottlenecks in batching, filling, or storage. Provide "Forward Visibility" reports to Operations Leadership, highlighting weeks where demand exceeds line capacity so that labor shifts can be adjusted or expectations managed. Lead the weekly Planning/Scheduling meeting to hand off a feasible, material-cleared plan to the Production Scheduler.
Performance & Analytics Track and report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) including Forecast Accuracy, Bias, and MAPE (Mean Absolute Percentage Error). Conduct "Root Cause Analysis" on forecast variances and implement corrective actions to improve future cycles. Provide risk assessment and mitigation strategies for supply chain disruptions or sudden shifts in customer demand.
Continuous Improvement & Technology Maintain and optimize demand planning software/ERP tools (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or specialized APS tools) Drive "Lean" supply chain initiatives to reduce lead times and optimize the 21,000+ pallet capacity in our refrigerated and dry storage.