Forecasting Manager

Jack Link's Protein Snacks•Minneapolis, MN

6h•$130,000 - $150,000

About The Position

The Manager, Forecasting plays a critical role in developing and maintaining accurate customer-level forecasts that support Jack Link’s Sales, Supply Chain, and Finance teams. This role focuses on integrating sales inputs, promotional plans, historical trends, and category insights to help build a reliable demand plan. The ideal candidate is highly analytical, detail-oriented, and skilled at turning complex data into clear planning assumptions. This role partners closely with Demand Planning, Sales, Marketing, RGM, and Category to ensure alignment across all elements of the forecasting process.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Analytics, or related field.
3–6+ years of experience in CPG forecasting, sales planning, demand planning, analytics, or business operations.
Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel, forecasting platforms, and data visualization tools.
Experience working with syndicated data (Nielsen/IRI/Circana), POS, shipment history, or demand signals.
Strong communication skills, with ability to explain assumptions and influence cross-functional partners.
Detail-oriented, organized, and capable of managing multiple inputs on tight timelines.

Nice To Haves

Experience with SAP, APO, Anaplan, or similar enterprise planning systems.
Exposure to S&OP or IBP processes.
Experience in snacks, beverages, or high-velocity CPG categories.

Responsibilities

Work with Sales to co-own the customer-level sales forecast inputs used within the demand planning system.
Build and maintain weekly, monthly, and annual sales forecasts for assigned customers/channels.
Integrate trade promotions, distribution changes, new item launches, and pricing changes into forecast models.
Analyze historical trends, consumption data, and shipment patterns to identify forecast risks and opportunities.
Ensure the Sales forecast aligns with broader S&OP timelines and commercial planning cycles.
Partner with Sales teams to gather forecast assumptions, validate planning inputs, and reconcile differences.
Work with Demand Planning to provide clear, documented assumptions for supply planning.
Collaborate with Marketing and Innovation to incorporate launch forecasts, activation plans, and pipeline expectations.
Partner with Category Management and RGM to incorporate category trends, elasticity, price pack mix, and promo expectations into forecasts.
Provide weekly/monthly forecast variance analysis and identify root causes of inaccuracies.
Monitor key metrics such as forecast accuracy, bias, service levels, and customer performance trends.
Deliver insights on volume drivers including promotions, distribution, seasonality, and mix changes.
Support scenario planning and sensitivity analyses for major promotions, retailer resets, and new item launches.
Maintain accurate data inputs in forecasting and planning.
Ensure that forecast assumptions are documented and updated consistently across all systems and reports.
Partner with Sales & IT on enhancements to forecasting dashboards, tools, and templates.
Support training and capability-building for Sales teams to improve forecasting consistency and data quality.
Contribute to continuous improvement efforts across the sales planning and forecasting workflow.
Help streamline processes, eliminate manual reporting, and standardize recurring planning cycles.
Support the Director in refining forecast governance, calendars, and communication routines.
Identify opportunities to improve accuracy, reduce bias, and simplify inputs from cross-functional teams.
Perform other duties as assigned.