Sr Demand Planner

Ulta Beauty, Inc.•Bolingbrook, IL

10h

About The Position

The Senior Demand Planner is responsible for overseeing all aspects of inventory demand forecast for all brands under your portfolio and lead a team to achieve the strategic and financial objectives of the enterprise. In addition, this role will serve as critical tie-in across multiple stakeholders to ensure optimal performance and end to end efficiency. By taking a lead role in enterprise projects and initiatives, you’ll enable Ulta Beauty and the Merchandise department to be bigger, better, together.

Requirements

Bachelors or Master’s degree from an accredited college with a focus on Data Science, Statistics, Business Analytics, Computer Science, or a related field. A Master’s degree or MBA is preferred.
7+ years of demand planning, forecasting, or inventory management experience in a retail environment, with at least 1-2 years in a leadership role.
Proven track record of driving demand planning improvements and optimizing inventory strategies, knowledge of demand forecasting models ( e.g., Time Series, Bayesian, etc.)
Advanced proficiency in demand planning software (e.g., Manhattan – DFIO, SAP APO, O9, Blue Yonder, Kinaxis, Anaplan).
Advanced knowledge of statistical techniques and concepts (e.g., multivariate regression, A/B tests, decision trees, etc.) and experience applying these to use cases
Experience using statistical computer languages (e.g. Python, R) and related frameworks to manipulate data and draw insights from large data sets.
Experience with SQL and related data access and analysis tools to mine data, identify insights, and extract features
Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills to communicate complex ideas to various audiences in both a technical and user-friendly language
Demonstrated ability to work effectively both in a team environment and independently by handling multiple projects, meeting deadlines, prioritizing appropriately, and responding to issues quickly and creatively with an open and positive attitude
Energetic and self-motivated with a strong sense of curiosity - must be extremely organized and detail oriented with an ability to make proactive recommendations
Demonstrated ability to influence and gain credibility with team members and senior leaders.
Hands-on experience with cloud computing platforms, preferably Google Cloud Platform
Hands-on experience with designing, deploying, and maintaining machine learning pipelines

Responsibilities

Develop the full year sales construction by ensuring alignment between bottoms up SKU forecast and tops down category/season forecast within a marginal tolerance, highlighting root causes of future risks/opportunities.
Manage and refine demand forecasts using historical sales data, market trends, and promotional activities. Tune forecasting parameters
Partner with merchants and merchandise planning to grow and drive the business. Analyze market trends, historical data and customer/sales insights to drive the business
Partner with FPA to provide insights into changes (sales, receipts) that impact overall financial performance and ensure decisions are made with a thorough understanding of the impact on the bottom line
Optimize inventory levels across multiple retail locations and distribution centers to prevent stockouts and overstocking.
Leverage data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) to present insights to leadership Partner with buyers, category managers, and store operations to incorporate market intelligence into forecasts.
Lead key engagements with the ability to craft a story and tell it through impactful visuals and produce alignment to actions and decisions.
Anticipate implications of actions or decisions throughout the end-to-end planning process and proactively address as needed.
Strategically evaluate evolving trends and recommend, lead and support the implementation of new ways of working, even in an ambiguous environment
Being obsessed with positive customer outcomes and demonstrating the ability to define business problems, metric outcomes and how they will be measured and monitored for broad utilization across stakeholders.
Provide data-driven recommendations to improve supply chain efficiency and financial performance.
Identify opportunities to enhance demand planning methodologies and automation.
Lead or contribute to system enhancements and integration projects.
Utilize advanced analytical techniques, including predictive modeling, machine learning, and statistical analysis, to generate actionable insights.