Director, Consensus Demand Planning

McKesson•Irving, TX

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

McKesson is an impact-driven, Fortune 10 company that touches virtually every aspect of healthcare. We are known for delivering insights, products, and services that make quality care more accessible and affordable. Here, we focus on the health, happiness, and well-being of you and those we serve – we care. What you do at McKesson matters. We foster a culture where you can grow, make an impact, and are empowered to bring new ideas. Together, we thrive as we shape the future of health for patients, our communities, and our people. If you want to be part of tomorrow’s health today, we want to hear from you. Position Summary The Director, C onsensus Demand Planning sits within the D emand P lanning organi zation , part o f the Supply C hain Inventory Pla nning tea m and serv es as the primar y owner of the consensus level dema nd plan . This role reports to the VP o f Demand Pl anning an d o wn s the end-to-end process of converting demand signals into a single, trusted consensus forecast that the supply chain executes against. The role leads a specialized team oriented around two complimentary functions: channel-aligned demand planners who translate market intelligence into forecast inputs, and a technical forecasting resource who own the integrity of the statistical baseline in the planning system . This leader sets the direction, operating standards, and performance expectations for both functions, and is accountable for the quality and credibility of the consensus plan that the team produces .

Requirements

Degree or equivalent experience.
Typically requires 12+ years of professional experience and 4+ years of management experience.
Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain , Business or related field, or equivalent experience.
12 + years in supply chain , demand planni ng, or customer operations roles with at least 4+ yea rs in a lea dership capacit y managing t eams and driving cr oss functional outcome s.
Functional proficiency in Kinaxis Maestro or comparable advanced planning system.
Demonstrated experience lea ding demand planning func tions in a complex , high -volume distribution or phar maceutica l envi ronment.
Proven ability to infl uence without direct a uthority a cross a matr ixed or ganization.
Setting the strateg ic direct ion for a consensus demand function an d tran slating that d irection into clear team account abilitie s and operating s tandards.
Building trusted relationships with cross - fu nctional partners while maintaining the objecti vity required to make hard calls on the f orecast.
Project leadership and execution in complex technical environments.
Championing cross-functional collaboration and enterprise-first mindset.
Leading change and fostering adoption of new technologies and processes.
Balancing statistical discipline with market intelligence, knowing when the model is right and when the business signal should take precedence.
Executive presen ce and s trong communication skills - ability to rep resent the consensus demand function credi bly in s enior leadership for ums an d translat e operationa l complexity into clear stra tegic f raming.
Demonstrated ability to work cross- functionally across demand planning, supply planning, and inventory management teams.
Change management orientation, with experience supporting organizations through system or process transitions.
Proficiency in analyzing data to identify trends, patterns, and insights.
Familiarity with reporting and data visualizations tools such as excel, Power BI, Tableau or similar.
Basic SQL knowledge or Business Objects querying language or writing.
Ability to identify issues, assess the impact and develop solutions.

Responsibilities

Lead the consensus demand planning function, establishing the process, governance model, and operating norms for how McKesson converts cross-functional demand signals into a single agreed-upon plan
Own the demand planning inputs into the S&OP cycle, ensuring all signals are reconciled, enrichments are complete, and the consensus forecast is defensible and ready for cross-functional review.
Define the decision rights, participation expectations, escalation paths, and accountability structures that make the consensus process function as a governed business process rather than an ad-hoc coordination exercise.
Own the process for identifying, evaluating, and incorporating external demand-side signals into the statistical baseline forecast, including macroeconomic trends, payer policy changes, healthcare system dynamics, and geopolitical disruptions; establish and maintain a structured framework for how signals are sourced, assessed for credibility, documented, and weighted against the baseline when they diverge.
Monitor the external environment on an ongoing basis, proactively surfacing signals that warrant a forecast adjustment and applying clear judgment on when a signal is material enough to adjust the baseline versus when it should be held as a risk assumption.
Partner with cross functional teams to ensure long-range market assumptions are captured, validated , and reflected in the planning horizon with appropriate confidence levels.
Ensure all enrichments are documented and traceable so that forecast decisions can be explained, audited, and used to improve future enrichment quality over time.
Lead the technical forecasting function within the team, directing the resource responsible for baseline forecast generation, model configuration, algorithm integrity, and data input quality in Kinaxis Maestro.
Own forecast accuracy and bias management at the portfolio level, holding the team accountable to measuring forecast error, diagnosing root causes, and continuously improving statistical performance over time.
Establish the governance framework for statistical model performance, including thresholds for intervention, protocols for bias correction, and standards for when system outputs require human override.
Ensure data inputs feeding the statistical baseline are accurate , complete, and arriving on time; partner with the COE and IT to resolve upstream data integrity issues that degrade forecast quality.
Build, de velop, and retain a high-performing C onsensus D eman d team , sett ing clear perfor mance e xpectation s, role clar ity an d accountability struc tures.
Drive succession and c areer developme nt within the tea m, with a parti cular focus on creating a vis ible path f rom junio r to senior levels.
Create the conditions for the team to operate with increas ing autono my as the planning system matures, invest ing in structured wa ys of working t hat do not de pend on insti tutional knowled ge.
Ensure the team ’s proc esses and docume ntation evolve in step wi th the system capa bilities, reti ring manual workflows as system -en ab led workflows mature.
Partner with the Customer Facing Demand Planning Lea d and t he COE to ensure t he consensus team is integrated into the broader planning rhythm and that handoffs are clea n.