Senior Manager, Demand Planning

Kinder's•Walnut Creek, CA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Kinder’s is seeking a strategic, analytical, and forward-thinking Senior Manager, Demand Planning to shape and strengthen demand planning capabilities in a rapidly growing business. The role translates commercial strategies, consumer insights, and market dynamics into accurate, actionable demand plans that support growth, operational excellence, and customer service. It provides strategic leadership across assigned channels and categories, drives forecast accuracy and cross-functional alignment, and advances demand planning processes and capabilities. The Senior Manager partners with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, and other leaders, connecting short-term execution with long-term business objectives through the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes. The role requires analytical rigor, commercial acumen, influential leadership, and the ability to anticipate risks and opportunities and build scalable planning solutions in a fast-paced environment. The position is based onsite in Walnut Creek, California, with a hybrid work structure requiring four office days per week. Fridays are flexible, with employees able to work in the office or from home. The expected starting base salary is $160,000–$180,000 per year; individual compensation depends on factors such as education, experience, qualifications, skills, business needs, and location.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Economics, Finance, or a related field.
At least 7 years of progressive experience in demand planning, forecasting, or integrated business planning.
Experience leading complex demand planning processes across multiple product categories, channels, or customer segments.
Strong understanding of S&OP, IBP, and S&OE, and the ability to connect commercial demand with operational and financial planning.
Advanced analytical capabilities, including statistical forecasting, scenario modeling, demand variability analysis, and interpretation of POS and syndicated market data.
Experience with enterprise demand planning systems such as Anaplan, SAP IBP, or comparable platforms.
Strong proficiency in Excel and analytical reporting tools.
Track record of improving forecast accuracy, reducing forecast bias, optimizing planning processes, and delivering measurable business results.
Strong commercial and financial acumen, including the ability to assess demand decisions’ implications for inventory, service levels, revenue, and working capital.
Ability to influence senior stakeholders, challenge assumptions, and drive alignment across cross-functional teams.
Experience leading process improvements, implementing planning enhancements, and supporting organizational change in a dynamic environment.
Strong communication and presentation skills, including the ability to translate complex data into clear insights and recommendations for senior leadership.
Experience mentoring, coaching, or developing planning professionals.
Strategic and analytical thinking, including the ability to connect demand trends, commercial strategies, and operational constraints.
Relationship-building and communication skills to facilitate alignment and influence stakeholders at multiple organizational levels.
Ability to evaluate trade-offs, anticipate risks, and turn analytical insights into practical business recommendations.
Ability to lead through influence, develop others, manage competing priorities, and drive measurable results.

Nice To Haves

Experience in food and beverage, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or a similarly complex manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

Lead development and execution of data-driven demand plans across assigned channels, categories, and product portfolios, aligning forecasts with business growth objectives.
Integrate historical shipments, Point of Sale (POS) data, customer insights, promotional activity, market trends, and commercial strategies into short- and long-term forecasts.
Use forecasting methodologies, scenario modeling, and statistical analysis to anticipate demand variability, identify trends, and improve forecast reliability.
Translate complex data into actionable recommendations for commercial and operational decision-making.
Partner with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, and other stakeholders to align commercial ambitions with operational capabilities.
Lead collaborative demand reviews covering forecast assumptions, business risks, growth opportunities, and planning trade-offs.
Influence cross-functional leaders through data-driven insights and sound business judgment, and foster transparency and shared accountability.
Provide leadership within S&OP and IBP, aligning demand plans with financial objectives, supply capabilities, and business priorities.
Translate commercial strategies into demand scenarios and identify implications for inventory, capacity, service levels, and operational performance.
Partner with Supply Planning, Finance, and Commercial leadership to resolve demand and supply imbalances and build consensus on planning decisions.
Connect Sales & Operations Execution (S&OE) with longer-term planning, responding to near-term changes while supporting strategic objectives.
Lead demand planning for new product introductions, product expansions, and other strategic growth initiatives.
Partner with Innovation, Product Development, Marketing, and Sales on launch forecasts, assumptions, and demand scenarios; monitor launch performance and improve future forecasting.
Support portfolio optimization with insights into product performance, demand shifts, and consumer preferences.
Establish accountability for forecast accuracy, forecast bias, and other demand planning performance metrics.
Analyze forecast variances, identify systemic issues, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
Evaluate demand trends and business performance to improve inventory productivity, service levels, and working capital efficiency.
Present actionable insights and recommendations to senior leadership, connecting planning performance to business outcomes.
Lead continuous improvement in forecasting methodologies, planning processes, data integrity, and cross-functional ways of working.
Identify opportunities to use planning technologies, advanced analytics, automation, and improved data integration to enhance accuracy and efficiency.
Establish scalable planning processes, governance, and best practices for a growing product portfolio, customer base, and operational complexity.
Champion change management and help stakeholders adopt tools, processes, and planning disciplines.
Provide subject matter expertise and thought leadership across demand planning.
Mentor and develop planning talent, fostering critical thinking, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Lead complex cross-functional initiatives, balancing competing priorities, navigating ambiguity, and influencing outcomes without direct authority.
Help build a high-performing, future-ready planning organization through ownership, sound judgment, and a growth mindset.