Senior Manager, Demand Planning

Kinder's•Walnut Creek, CA

7d•$160,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Kinder’s is seeking a strategic, analytical, and forward-thinking Senior Manager, Demand Planning to shape its demand planning capabilities as the company grows. 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, strengthens cross-functional alignment, advances planning processes, and connects short-term execution with long-term objectives through S&OP and IBP. The Senior Manager partners with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, and other stakeholders to lead forecasting, planning reviews, new product demand planning, performance measurement, process improvement, and planning capability development. The role also mentors planning talent and leads complex initiatives, using analytical rigor, commercial judgment, and influence to build scalable planning solutions in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. The position is based in Walnut Creek, California, with a hybrid structure requiring four days in the office each week. Fridays are flexible, and employees may choose to work in the office or from home. The expected starting base salary range is $160,000–$180,000 per year; individual compensation depends on factors including 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 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 ability to assess effects of demand decisions on inventory, service levels, revenue, and working capital.
Ability to influence senior stakeholders, challenge assumptions, and drive cross-functional alignment.
Experience leading process improvement initiatives, implementing planning enhancements, and supporting organizational change in a dynamic environment.
Strong communication and presentation skills; ability to translate complex data into clear insights and recommendations for senior leadership.
Experience mentoring, coaching, or developing planning professionals.
Ability to connect demand trends, commercial strategies, and operational constraints to forward-looking decisions.
Ability to build relationships, facilitate alignment, and influence stakeholders at multiple organizational levels.
Ability to evaluate trade-offs, anticipate risks, and translate analysis 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 comprehensive, data-driven demand plans across assigned channels, categories, and product portfolios, aligned with business growth objectives.
Use historical shipments, POS data, customer insights, promotional activity, market trends, and commercial strategies to develop short- and long-term forecasts.
Apply forecasting methodologies, scenario modeling, and statistical analysis to anticipate demand variability, identify trends, and improve forecast reliability.
Translate complex data into recommendations that support commercial and operational decisions.
Partner with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, and other stakeholders to align commercial ambitions with operational capabilities.
Lead collaborative demand reviews on forecast assumptions, risks, opportunities, and planning trade-offs.
Influence cross-functional leaders with data-driven insights and sound business judgment, and build partnerships that promote transparency and shared accountability.
Provide leadership in S&OP and IBP, aligning demand plans with financial objectives, supply capabilities, and business priorities.
Translate commercial strategies into demand scenarios and assess implications for inventory, capacity, service levels, and operational performance.
Partner with Supply Planning, Finance, and Commercial leadership to resolve demand and supply imbalances and reach consensus on planning decisions.
Strengthen the connection between S&OE and longer-term planning.
Lead demand planning for new product introductions, product expansions, and strategic growth initiatives.
Develop launch forecasts with Innovation, Product Development, Marketing, and Sales; evaluate assumptions and demand scenarios.
Monitor new product performance against forecasts and identify trends, risks, and opportunities to improve launch execution and forecasting methods.
Support portfolio optimization through insights into product performance, demand shifts, and consumer preferences.
Establish accountability for demand planning metrics, including forecast accuracy and forecast bias.
Conduct root-cause analysis of forecast variances 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 methods, planning processes, data integrity, and cross-functional working practices.
Identify opportunities to use planning technologies, analytics, automation, and improved data integration to increase accuracy and efficiency.
Establish scalable planning processes, governance, and best practices for a growing portfolio, customer base, and operational complexity.
Champion change management and adoption of tools, processes, and planning disciplines.
Provide thought leadership and subject matter expertise to elevate analytical capabilities and planning discipline.
Mentor and develop planning talent, fostering critical thinking, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Lead complex cross-functional initiatives, balancing competing priorities and influencing outcomes without direct authority.
Demonstrate ownership, sound judgment, and a growth mindset while helping build a high-performing planning organization.