Demand Planner

About This Role

This role is responsible for delivering accurate customer demand forecasts and enhancing them with market intelligence through cross-functional collaboration. The Demand Planner ensures alignment across company functions by managing consensus on forecasts and driving continuous improvement in forecast accuracy through exception management and parameter updates. Operating within company policies and best practices, the Demand Planner plays a key role in decision-making and process improvement initiatives, working closely with the Supply Chain Planning Manager to optimize demand planning performance.

Responsibilities

• Ensure timely and accurate demand forecasts for assigned articles and categories
• Analyze and cleanse historical sales data to establish a solid foundation for forecasting
• Generate statistical forecasts for short-, mid-, and long-term horizons (up to 52 weeks)
• Forecast sales for new product introductions
• Calculate and refine promotional uplift in collaboration with other functions (e.g., Category Managers) to accurately forecast promotional sales
• Review and analyze forecast results for regular assortment, promotional articles, and future events
• Manage exceptions identified by forecasting tools, focusing on key assortments (e.g., high-rotation, new, seasonal, promotional, competitive, and top-customer articles) and take corrective actions, involving other functions as needed
• Ensure proper aggregation and reconciliation of forecasts across all levels (article, category, store, time) in both units and value
• Identify opportunities for improvement and implement solutions
• Analyze recurring exceptions and propose actions to minimize them
• Fine-tune forecasting algorithms and parameters to enhance accuracy
• Maintain Master Data in system
• Work closely with Category Managers, Department/Store Managers, and Sales teams to optimize customer service
• Gather market-related information from other functions (e.g., promotions, D&Rs, new article introductions) to support forecasting
• Incorporate market intelligence into demand forecasts
• Lead cross-functional demand planning meetings to achieve consensus on sales expectations
• Challenge sales expectations from offer and operations teams through in-depth analysis of historical sales data

Requirements

• Strong knowledge of demand planning, sales forecasting and S&OP processes
• High proficiency in analyzing data, applying forecasting methodologies and making data-driven decisions
• Hands-on experience with planning tools such as SAP IBP/APO, o9, BlueYonder/JDA, Oracle Demantra
• Solid understanding of retail math and statistical forecasting techniques with SHL proficiency recommended