Director, Global Demand Planning

Milani Cosmetics • Vernon, CA

12h • Hybrid

About The Position

Milani Cosmetics is seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented individual to join the Operations team as Director, Global Demand Planning. This position is responsible for owning the unconstrained demand plan and leading the organization's demand forecasting strategy. The role requires a strong analytical mindset, a deep understanding of consumer behavior in the mass market beauty sector, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to drive optimal inventory levels and service performance. This role is critical to driving the strategy and execution of POS and shipment forecasting, at both the customer and SKU level, through a strong combination of statistical modeling, business intelligence, and market trend analysis. This position plays a key role in the validation and development of new product forecasts as part of the Milani Stage Gate process. This role reports to the Chief Supply Chain Officer and is a member of the Milani Extended Leadership Team (ELT).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, or another related, quantitative field.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in Supply Planning, Demand Planning, and/or other related Supply Chain functions, preferably in the CPG industry.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in demand planning.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience managing supply chain teams.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience owning and leading the S&OP process.
• Proven experience leveraging AI, machine learning (ML), or advanced statistical modeling for demand forecasting and inventory optimization.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Excel, including lookups, indexing, arrays, and Pivot Tables.
• Proficiency in demand planning software and ERP systems (e.g., Netstock, SAGE, SAP, Oracle, JDA/Blue Yonder, Kinaxis, o9 Solutions).
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to think critically, question the numbers, and manage large data sets.
• A strategic mindset with the ability to translate complex data and AI-generated insights into actionable business strategies for cross-functional stakeholders.
• Familiarity with the principles of data science and the ability to partner with technical teams to guide the development, validation, and maintenance of forecasting algorithms.
• Excellent problem-solving, organizational, and verbal/written communication skills.
• Must be a proactive, self-directed team player with the ability to multi-task and establish priorities in a flexible, ever-changing environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in color cosmetics, personal care, consumer products, or a similar fast-paced product environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop the demand planning team, which currently consists of two direct reports.
• Drive the S&OP monthly cycle with a cross-functional team that provides data and analysis to enable business decisions that improve Unit Fill Rate (UFR) and inventory efficiency.
• Champion the adoption and effective use of advanced analytics and AI/ML tools within the demand planning process to enhance forecast accuracy and drive strategic decision-making.
• Own and lead the monthly S&OP Consensus forecasting processes, integrating independent demand planning projections with external forecasts from key accounts and internal Sales and Finance views.
• Lead the monthly Executive S&OP meetings for the Milani Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
• Develop and refine advanced statistical forecasting models, incorporating historical sales data, market trends, promotional calendars, and new product launches using our Netstock Suite Software.
• Oversee and interpret AI/ML-driven demand forecasts, integrating model outputs with qualitative insights (e.g., market intelligence, competitor activity, social media trends) to create a comprehensive consensus forecast.
• Analyze and model the impact of external and internal business drivers on demand, including changes in points of distribution (PODs) and door counts, marketing and competitive initiatives, and customer inventory dynamics (e.g., historical shocks, future expansion/contraction).
• Analyze point-of-sale (POS) data and other market intelligence to identify opportunities and risks, supporting the company's Surge/Maintain/Purge strategy for new launches.
• Lead monthly Consensus meetings with Sales and Marketing to review the 12–18-month demand forecast.
• Work with Sales and Finance teams to develop annual budget forecasts for Shipments and POS.
• Support company service levels of 95% Unit Fill Rate (UFR) and company inventory turns objectives through accurate demand forecast maintenance.
• Support new product launches with accurate pipeline and replenishment forecasts, partnering with Sales and Marketing teams as part of the Milani Stage Gate process.
• Maintain the monthly Excess and Obsolete inventory list to support off-price sales initiatives and support the SKU rationalization process.
• Work with Direct International Markets to set and maintain target inventory levels at various 3PL locations based on regional forecasts.
• Coordinate with Sales, Marketing, Project Management, Finance and Supply Planning to drive demand planning activities.
• Interact with customer teams and retailer brokers to understand and manage customer in-stocks, inventory Weeks of Supply (WOS), and other key customer KPIs.
• Develop and maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) related to forecast accuracy (MAPE and BIAS), inventory levels, and service performance.
• Maintain the current and future POG assortment by key accounts to assist the Planning team.
• Assist with Master Data set-up and maintenance as required across Milani’s various data systems.
• Support ad-hoc analysis for Senior Management as requested.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k w/ Company Match)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Generous Vacation Time Policy
• Family Leave
• Short Term & Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Work Environment / Hybrid (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday required on site at Milani’s Vernon warehouse & offices location).
• Dog Friendly

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director