Director or Senior Director, Demand Planning & S&OP

Come join us•Van Nuys, CA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director or Senior Director of Demand Planning & S&OP will lead and strengthen the Company’s Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process, with responsibility for demand planning, forecasting, analytics, supply planning, and order management. This role will establish a disciplined, scalable, and data-driven approach to integrated business planning that aligns Sales, Marketing, Finance, Product Development, Operations, Supply Planning, and Order Management around demand, supply, financial plans, and business priorities. The Director or Senior Director will build and lead a scalable S&OP function and establish the processes, tools, governance, analytics, and cross-functional routines needed to improve forecast accuracy, align demand and supply, support inventory availability and customer service, and enable effective business decision-making. This includes developing global inventory strategies and demand-driven replenishment practices that optimize inventory productivity, Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO), working capital, and inventory carrying costs. The role will provide leadership with clear visibility into risks, opportunities, and tradeoffs related to forecast accuracy, inventory levels, fill rates, on-time shipment, customer satisfaction, and overall supply chain performance. The Director will also evaluate and implement opportunities to leverage automation, AI-enabled tools, and advanced analytics to improve planning efficiency, visibility, and decision-making.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, Finance, Analytics, or a related field required
Minimum of 10-15 years of progressive experience in demand planning, forecasting, analytics, S&OP, supply planning, inventory planning, order management, or broader supply chain planning roles
Strong experience in demand planning, forecasting, analytics, and S&OP is required
Experience in a CPG, consumer products, retail, wholesale, or manufacturing environment strongly preferred
Experience working with ERP, MRP, demand planning, forecasting, and/or order management systems; Oracle experience preferred
Advanced Excel skills required
Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, challenge assumptions, and translate insights into actionable plans
Strong leadership skills with demonstrated ability to develop teams, set priorities, manage resources, drive accountability, and lead cross-functional alignment
Strong ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on with details, data, systems, and execution

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree preferred
Experience leading or managing supply planning, inventory planning, and/or order management functions preferred
Experience with forecasting software, reporting tools, SQL, or business intelligence platforms preferred
Experience identifying or implementing process automation, AI-enabled planning tools, reporting enhancements, or other technology solutions to improve planning efficiency, visibility, and decision-making preferred
Experience building high-performing teams, leading organizational transformation, managing working capital and budgets, and partnering with C-level executives on strategic supply chain initiatives aligned with business growth objectives
APICS, CPIM, CSCP, IBF, CPF, or similar supply chain/planning certification preferred

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, and develop the Demand Planning, Forecasting, Analytics, Supply Planning, and Order Management functions
Build high-performing teams, establish accountability, set priorities, and lead organizational change related to planning processes, systems, and ways of working
Provide leadership with clear, data-driven recommendations, risks, options, and tradeoffs to support timely business decisions
Participate in the financial budgeting process by providing forecast, demand, inventory, working capital, and supply chain inputs
Partner with senior and executive leadership on strategic supply chain initiatives aligned with the Company’s growth objectives
Own and continuously improve the demand planning and forecasting process, including methodology, assumptions, modeling techniques, data inputs, reporting, and performance metrics
Develop and maintain corporate forecasts using shipment history, customer orders, point-of-sale data, inventory levels, market trends, promotions, new product activity, seasonal trends, and other relevant inputs
Lead the implementation of AI/ML capabilities for demand forecasting, demand sensing, and inventory optimization, and develop advanced analytics to improve forecast accuracy and decision-making
Monitor forecast performance, including forecast accuracy, bias, shipments, orders, inventory levels, and customer demand trends, and provide insights and recommendations to drive continuous improvement
Manage demand planning for major domestic accounts and support forecasting for new items, seasonal products, new markets, and customer opportunities
Monitor SKU-level performance and recommend SKU rationalization initiatives where appropriate
Build and lead a scalable S&OP function, ensuring alignment among demand, supply, financial plans, and business priorities while establishing global inventory strategies, JIT/lean methodologies, and demand-driven replenishment practices that optimize DIO, working capital, and inventory carrying costs
Develop and implement standardized S&OP processes, tools, templates, reporting, governance structures, decision rights, and accountability measures to establish a repeatable and data-driven approach to integrated business planning
Establish cross-functional S&OP teams and lead change-management initiatives that support adoption of disciplined planning processes across Sales, Operations, Finance, and other key functions
Facilitate category S&OP meetings in partnership with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Product Development, Operations, Supply Planning, and Order Management
Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Finance to incorporate promotional plans, customer programs, market activity, new product launches, and business assumptions into the demand plan
Collaborate with Operations, Logistics, Sales, Product Development, Marketing, and overseas partners to identify supply constraints, demand changes, customer priorities, launch risks, and potential service impacts
Provide leadership and oversight for the Supply Planning and Order Management functions, ensuring demand plans are translated into effective supply, inventory, and customer fulfillment strategies that support service levels, inventory productivity, and business priorities
Oversee key planning and service metrics, including inventory availability, coverage targets, fill rate, on-time shipment, customer requirements, vendor scorecards, issue resolution, and supply risk management
Ensure strong cross-functional communication and timely issue resolution across Supply Planning, Order Management, Sales, Operations, Logistics, and overseas partners
Identify opportunities to streamline planning, order management, reporting, and execution processes to improve efficiency, visibility, service levels, and business scalability
Identify and implement process improvements, system enhancements, automation opportunities, and AI-enabled solutions to improve forecast accuracy, planning efficiency, inventory productivity, service levels, visibility, and overall supply chain performance
Evaluate, implement, and optimize S&OP technology platforms, including data architecture, system integrations, APIs, and dashboards that provide timely visibility and support business decision-making
Develop and maintain planning tools, dashboards, reporting, and performance metrics to improve visibility and support decision-making
Create, maintain, and improve standard operating procedures and process documentation for demand planning, S&OP, supply planning, inventory planning, and order management processes
Drive strategic cost-reduction initiatives through improved demand visibility, supplier optimization, and process efficiency while supporting new product launches, market expansion, and customer wins through robust forecasting and supply planning
Other duties may be assigned