Sr. Demand Planner

GG BRANDS COMPANY•Sharonville, OH

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Demand Planner is a strategic business partner responsible for developing an accurate, assumption-based demand plan while driving cross-functional alignment across Sales, Brand, Finance, Supply Planning, and Operations. This role leverages advanced analytics, business acumen, and critical thinking to identify risks and opportunities, challenge assumptions, influence decisions, and improve forecast accuracy and business performance. As a key partner to the S&OP Manager, the Senior Demand Planner helps lead the Demand Consensus process, drives continuous improvement, and supports the organization's transition to a more strategic, exception-based planning approach.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, Analytics, or related field (or equivalent business experience).
5-7 years of experience in demand planning, forecasting, supply chain, analytics, or a related field.
Experience participating in Demand Planning, S&OP, or Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes.
Advanced forecasting and ERP system experience (Oracle preferred).
Experience using advanced analytical and business intelligence tools, including Power BI and Excel.
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and drive alignment without direct authority.
Experience evaluating business performance, financial impacts, risks, and opportunities to support decision-making.
Proven cross-functional leadership and strong business partnership skills.
Experience leading process improvement initiatives and implementing planning best practices.

Nice To Haves

APICS or IBF certification a plus
APICS, CPIM, CSCP, or IBF certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Own demand forecasts for assigned businesses, brands, channels, and customers.
Develop assumption-based demand plans using statistical forecasts, market intelligence, customer insights, and commercial inputs.
Evaluate demand signals, identify meaningful trends, and distinguish material business changes from normal variability.
Challenge forecast assumptions and ensure significant changes are supported by clear business drivers.
Maintain a single aligned forecast and effectively communicate risks, opportunities, and key assumptions across the organization.
Own forecast accuracy, forecast bias, and continuous improvement of planning performance metrics.
Identify recurring sources of forecast error and implement corrective actions to improve forecast performance.
Partner with the S&OP Manager to lead the Demand Consensus process and drive alignment across Sales, Brand, Finance, Supply Planning, and Operations.
Translate demand insights, forecast changes, risks, and opportunities into actionable business recommendations.
Challenge assumptions, evaluate business impacts, and provide a fact-based point of view to support decision-making.
Identify and escalate material risks, opportunities, and gaps to plan.
Drive accountability for key decisions, actions, and business commitments.
Lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders without direct authority to drive alignment and decision-making.
Analyze complex datasets using Oracle, Power BI, Excel, and other analytical tools to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
Conduct root cause analysis on forecast errors, bias, and demand variability.
Apply exception-based planning principles to focus on the highest-value business issues.
Perform scenario modeling and sensitivity analysis to assess potential business outcomes and recommend actions.
Develop independent, data-driven recommendations that influence business decisions and improve performance.
Lead discussions on forecast changes, assumptions, risks, opportunities, and required business actions.
Quantify the financial and operational impacts of forecast decisions and business changes.
Identify gaps between demand plans, sales expectations, and financial objectives, and recommend actions to close them.
Support long-range demand planning, risk assessments, and scenario development.
Maintain a thorough understanding of forecast assumptions, business risks, and variances to plan.
Partner with Sales and Brand teams to evaluate customer trends, promotional activity, distribution changes, and new product initiatives.
Provide data-driven recommendations that support business growth and improve financial and operational performance.
Drive continuous improvement of demand planning processes, methodologies, and forecasting tools.
Champion materiality-based and exception-driven forecasting approaches.
Support implementation of new planning systems, analytical capabilities, and reporting tools.
Share best practices and coach planners in analytical thinking, business ownership, and recommendation-based planning.
Serve as a backup and strategic partner to the S&OP Manager.