Senior Manager, Demand Planning

KARL STORZ•Auburn, MA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Demand Planning is responsible for developing and managing short- and long-term demand forecasts for products distributed across North America. This strategic leadership role partners closely with Sales, Marketing, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Supply Planning, and Quality/Regulatory Affairs to ensure forecast accuracy, optimize inventory investments, support customer service objectives, and enable supplier capacity planning. The role leads the monthly Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, drives continuous improvement in forecasting and inventory management, and oversees demand planning activities related to new product launches, promotions, product transitions, and discontinuations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
7+ years of Demand Planning and/or Supply Chain experience.
3+ years of leadership or supervisory experience.
Strong Excel skills and knowledge of forecasting methodologies.
Excellent communication, presentation, and collaboration skills.

Nice To Haves

APICS certification.
Experience with SAP/ERP systems.
Knowledge of Forecast Pro, Salesforce, QlikView, and IBP.
Strong organizational and time management skills.

Responsibilities

Lead demand planning activities supporting businesses sourcing inventory through the North American Logistics Center in Auburn, MA, including KSUS, KSEC, KSEM, KSVEA, and the U.S. OR1 Division.
Recruit, develop, coach, and lead Demand Planning team members.
Facilitate cross-functional forecasting reviews and develop consensus demand plans with Sales, Marketing, and Purchasing.
Maintain and communicate short- and long-range demand forecasts to Global Demand Planning.
Lead the monthly S&OP process to align demand, supply, inventory, and business objectives.
Partner with cross-functional teams to support new product launches, commercialization activities, promotions, and product transitions.
Establish processes to proactively identify supply risks, inventory challenges, and forecast gaps.
Develop and enhance reporting and performance metrics, including forecast accuracy, new product launch performance, and product discontinuation results.
Utilize forecasting tools, predictive analytics, and Forecast Value Add (FVA) methodologies to improve forecast performance and business outcomes.
Review and update SKU classifications and continuously evaluate forecasting technologies, systems, and best practices to drive improvement.