Strategic Demand & Capacity Planning Manager

Astronics•Waukegan, IL

7d•$110,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Strategic Demand & Capacity Planning Manager is responsible for developing and maintaining the organization’s long-range demand, capacity, and operational readiness plans to support business growth, customer commitments, and strategic objectives. This role serves as the primary link between Business Development, Program Management, Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance, and Executive Leadership to ensure future customer demand is understood, forecasted, and translated into actionable business plans. The Strategic Demand & Capacity Planning Manager proactively identifies future constraints, capacity limitations, supply chain risks, and investment opportunities, enabling the organization to make informed decisions regarding staffing, procurement, production capacity, inventory strategy, and capital investments. The position plays a critical role in aligning market opportunities with organizational capabilities and ensuring the company remains prepared for future growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Engineering, Finance, Economics, or related field.
8+ years of experience in demand planning, capacity planning, operations planning, program management, supply chain management, business planning, or related disciplines.
Experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or other complex technical industries preferred.
Experience supporting executive-level strategic planning activities.
Experience working within cross-functional organizations.
Advanced Microsoft Excel
Power BI
PowerPoint
ERP/MRP Systems
Business Intelligence Platforms
Demand Planning Software
Capacity Modeling Tools
SQL
Power Platform

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred.
Aerospace and defense markets
Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)
Integrated Business Planning (IBP)
Capacity modeling
Long-range forecasting
Program Management
Supply Chain Management
Business Development support

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain short-term, mid-term, and long-term demand forecasts.
Consolidate customer forecasts, backlog, bookings, market intelligence, and business development opportunities into integrated demand plans.
Analyze demand trends across product lines, customers, and business segments.
Identify forecast changes and potential business impacts.
Establish forecasting methodologies and reporting standards.
Monitor forecast accuracy and recommend improvements.
Develop enterprise capacity models for engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, customer service, and program management functions.
Evaluate current and future resource requirements.
Identify capacity constraints before they impact customer commitments.
Support workforce planning and organizational growth strategies.
Recommend investments in personnel, equipment, facilities, and infrastructure.
Partner with Business Development to monitor industry trends, customer developments, competitor activity, and emerging technologies.
Analyze aerospace and defense market conditions that may impact future demand.
Evaluate customer acquisition opportunities and forecast impacts.
Support strategic planning initiatives through market-driven insights.
Partner with Supply Chain to identify long-lead-time material risks and supply chain constraints and to develop strategic procurement plans.
Support advanced procurement initiatives.
Recommend inventory strategies to support future demand.
Assess supplier capacity and readiness risks.
Partner with Business Development to evaluate pipeline opportunities.
Support capture planning and growth initiatives.
Analyze resource and operational impacts of potential new business awards.
Provide operational readiness assessments for major opportunities.
Develop executive dashboards and planning tools.
Present demand forecasts, capacity analyses, and strategic recommendations to leadership.
Support annual strategic planning and operating plan development.
Provide scenario planning and sensitivity analyses.
Assist leadership in evaluating growth strategies and investment opportunities.
Facilitate Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes.
Lead cross-functional planning reviews.
Align Program Management, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Finance around future business requirements.
Drive organizational readiness planning.
Develop and improve forecasting models and planning processes.
Implement best practices for demand planning and capacity management.
Improve visibility into future business requirements.
Increase forecast accuracy and planning effectiveness.