Senior CPFR Planner

MGA Entertainment, Inc.•Minneapolis, MN

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior CPFR Planner manages the end-to-end planning process for assigned retail customers and sales channels, serving as the primary Operations point of contact for assigned Sales Leads and customers. The role owns forecasting, replenishment, order management, inventory planning, and execution activities. The planner develops and maintains collaborative demand plans using statistical and AI-driven forecasting tools, customer insights, sales and marketing intelligence, financial plans, POS trends, and inventory performance. Responsibilities span demand planning, CPFR collaboration, chase and cancel management, import order management, inventory health, and customer service performance. The role works closely with Sales, Supply Planning, Customer Service, Logistics, Finance, and Operations to meet customer requirements and support company financial and service objectives through proactive planning, collaboration, continuous improvement, and execution excellence. This is a hybrid position requiring at least two days per week in the office. The position reports to the Director, Amazon & Alternative Channel Retail Operations / Demand Planning / Supply Chain.

Requirements

At least five years of experience in CPFR, Demand Planning, Customer Supply Chain, Supply Chain, Sales Operations, or related planning roles.
Strong knowledge of end-to-end supply chain processes, including demand planning, replenishment, inventory management, import planning, and customer order execution.
Ability to build strong relationships across organizational levels and with external customers.
Strong analytical, root cause identification, and problem-solving aptitude.
Ability to analyze complex business data, draw sound conclusions, and formulate action plans.
Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Strong customer service orientation and interpersonal skills.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to thrive in ambiguous situations.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including PivotTables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, formulas, and data analysis.
BS/BA degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.

Nice To Haves

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) experience.
Experience supporting national retail customers.
Experience with CPFR processes and customer collaboration.
Experience managing retailer replenishment, inventory planning, and order management.
Experience with demand planning systems such as SAP IBP/APO, Blue Yonder, Kinaxis, Oracle, o9, or similar.
Experience using retailer portals and POS data, such as Retail Link, Vendor Central, Nielsen, Circana/IRI, or similar.
Experience with statistical forecasting techniques.
Experience leveraging AI, Machine Learning, or advanced analytics to improve demand forecasting, identify demand patterns, automate planning activities, and enhance forecast accuracy.
Experience using AI-enabled planning platforms, predictive analytics tools, or generative AI technologies such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT Enterprise, or similar.
Experience with data visualization tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or similar.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary Operations point of contact for assigned Sales Leads and retail customers.
Own end-to-end customer planning from demand planning through order fulfillment.
Develop and maintain collaborative customer forecasts using statistical models, AI-driven tools, sales inputs, customer intelligence, POS trends, promotional plans, and financial assumptions.
Lead CPFR meetings and planning discussions with internal and external business partners.
Build partnerships with customer replenishment teams to improve service levels, inventory productivity, and forecast alignment.
Communicate critical business changes, supply risks, and opportunities to internal and external stakeholders.
Analyze and update SKU-level demand signals using shipment history, POS data, statistical forecasts, promotions, seasonality, AI-generated insights, and business intelligence.
Calculate statistical baseline forecasts and maintain customer demand plans.
Select and use forecasting methods, statistical models, AI-enabled planning tools, and software to create customer- and SKU-level forecasts.
Use POS information, syndicated market data, shipment history, and customer intelligence to analyze sales trends and support forecast assumptions.
Develop forecasts for new product launches, transitions, and discontinued items using product lifecycle knowledge.
Improve forecast accuracy by evaluating promotions, inventory changes, consumer trends, category performance, media plans, and AI-generated recommendations.
Submit volume projections supporting budgets, financial forecasts, and long-range planning.
Manage replenishment planning to support customer service, inventory, and sales objectives.
Manage chase and cancel activities by reviewing customer order changes and coordinating execution across Sales, Customer Service, Supply Planning, Logistics, and Operations.
Manage import order planning and monitor inbound inventory in support of customer demand and promotional timelines.
Monitor customer inventory positions, weeks of supply, fill rates, and service levels, and recommend corrective actions.
Coordinate order prioritization and allocation decisions during supply constraints.
Resolve customer order exceptions and communicate recovery plans to internal stakeholders and customers as appropriate.
Participate in the monthly S&OP process for assigned customer portfolios.
Develop customer forecast rollups and provide insights on market trends, customer demand, inventory risks, and business opportunities.
Build consensus with Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Supply Planning on key assumptions and forecast changes.
Support monthly Demand Alignment meetings and communicate key planning decisions.
Ensure business plans are supported through demand planning and replenishment.
Prepare, monitor, and publish KPIs, including Forecast Accuracy (WMAPE), Forecast Bias, Fill Rate, OTIF, Inventory Health, Customer Service Levels, Chase & Cancel Performance, Import Order Status, and Planning Scorecards.
Monitor orders against forecasts and respond to planning exceptions with collaborative action plans.
Identify issues requiring immediate escalation and recommend corrective actions.
Conduct root cause analysis for forecast errors, inventory risks, and customer service issues.
Prepare customer business reviews covering operational performance, trends, risks, opportunities, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Produce reports for analysis of sales, inventory, forecasts, replenishment performance, and customer service metrics.
Identify opportunities to improve planning, replenishment, customer collaboration, and operational processes.
Research and recommend process improvements, best practices, automation, and emerging technologies.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement operational improvements.
Support implementation of planning systems, AI-enabled technologies, reporting tools, and automation initiatives.
Drive continuous improvement to enhance forecast accuracy, customer service, inventory performance, planning efficiency, and supply chain execution.