Director, Sales & Operations Planning

Coates Group•Chicago, IL

About The Position

Lead North Americaâ€™s integrated business planning strategy by overseeing end-to-end S&OP governance, aligning commercial, product, financial, and supply chain strategies, and driving organizational capability, operational excellence, and long-term business performance. This role serves as a strategic business leader responsible for advancing planning maturity, enabling executive decision-making, and ensuring scalable, financially aligned growth across the region.

Requirements

Enterprise leadership
Strategic transformation
Financial acumen
Executive stakeholder influence
Ability to connect operational plans with financial and strategic objectives.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data and generate insights.
Scenario planning at enterprise scale
Change leadership
Strong facilitation and leadership skills without direct authority.
Conflict resolution and decision-making capability.
Governance architecture
Team development
Bachelorâ€™s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Finance, or related field (MBA or advanced degree preferred).
12+ years experience in Supply chain, Demand Planning, Supply Planning, or S&OP/IBP roles.
Proven experience leading or managing an S&OP or Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence senior executive stakeholders across commercial, finance, product, and operational functions.
Experience developing organizational capability through team leadership, succession planning, and scalable planning structures.
Deep understanding of North American market dynamics, supply chain strategy, and integrated business planning best practices.
Thrives & deliver robust S&OP processes within a highly project-oriented business
Executive-level communication and decision-making skills, with the ability to present complex business scenarios and strategic recommendations clearly.
Experience with planning systems (e.g., SAP IBP, Kinaxis, Oracle, Anaplan, Adaptive Planning) preferred.

Responsibilities

Own and continuously improve the end-to-end NAM S&OP process, calendar, and governance.
Facilitate cross-functional alignment and resolve conflicts between demand, supply, and financial objectives.
Partner with Product Management to integrate product lifecycle plans (launches, phase-ins/outs, promotions).
Define and own North Americaâ€™s S&OP/IBP strategic roadmap
Lead executive S&OP governance and enterprise decision frameworks
Shape portfolio, lifecycle, and commercial planning strategy
Own enterprise demand strategy by establishing forecasting governance, improving forecast quality, and enabling data-driven commercial planning decisions.
Identify risks and opportunities associated with portfolio changes.
Build organizational planning capability and succession
Influence enterprise-wide financial and operational trade-offs
Sponsor planning technology investments and analytics modernization
Lead cross-functional supply and demand integration to optimize service, inventory, capacity, and profitability while proactively mitigating enterprise risks.
Enable fact-based decision-making through clear scenarios and recommendations.
Drive accountability across functions for performance outcomes.
Drive regional S&OP transformation through process modernization, digital planning capability, and scalable governance frameworks.
Serve as strategic advisor to executive leadership on demand, supply, and business performance