Demand Planner

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Drive the creation of short, medium and long-term demand baseline forecast at the menu board item level
- Coordinate the creation of a promotional forecast at the menu board item level
- Work with Marketing and Finance to combine, refine and publish the total business demand plan (in applicable levels/aggregated views e.g. by product; region; category, etc)
- Measure forecast accuracy at granular and total category levels
- Create insights from business forecast analysis to drive continuous improvement (specifically from a proactiveness point of view) in the Supply Chain
- Maintain all product-related Master Data - including BOM files and price masters.
- Support Supply Planning with Management short dated stock
- Work with marketing and finance departments on the impact of mix changes on business profitability and supply planning
- Assists in developing the Annual Operating Plan (AOP), providing longer-term analysis of demand to assist Supply Chain leadership in assessing longer-term supply capacity needs
- Manage NPD introduction demand plans to deliver key KPIs
- Drive service levels with incremental improvements by working closely with the supply planning and 3PL teams
- Collaboration and information sharing across functions and stakeholders
- Incorporate market intelligence into demand plans
- Coordinate cross-functional work into Demand levers
- Coordinates cross-functional resolution of day-to-day issues related to supply and demand discrepancies
- Performs root cause analysis on key forecast deviations. Supports Business, Marketing, Supply Planning and production strategies and identifies opportunities to meet market needs
- Lead the integration of demand plans into the KFC business through joint business planning.
- Plays a leadership role in the iS&OP process through alignment of the various functions to deliver AOP & SBP business plans.
- In collaboration with Supply Planning and Category Teams, ensure the right stock is in the right place at the right time to deliver customer requirements regionally and at the DC level
- Balances a complex set of variables to ensure the reduction of overall forecast errors
- Forecast analysis and improvement
- Leads Demand Planning and iS&OP process with ways of working embedded
- Analyze business: identify and manage trends. Formulate action plans.
- Review historical trends, research demand drivers, prepare forecast data, develop statistical models, and evaluate forecast results
- Collaborates with Supply Planning Managers in planning for new items and items to be transitioned or discontinued.
- Generates KPIs that will monitor demand expectations and take corrective action
- Work with Supply Planner to review and assess risks to supply and demand variability and identify opportunities to manage and mitigate risk.
- Continuously evolve Demand Planning strategy and roadmap to stay abreast of industry standards and best practices.

Stakeholders:

- Marketing and Finance Colleagues - to create a consensus total business demand plan, identifying volume gaps and readjust to plan for exceeding targets
- Supply Planning Colleagues - aiding in the translation of the demand plan into a comprehensive and reliable supply plan which will be communicated to 3PL and suppliers to ultimately drive improved customer service levels

**Qualifications**
- B.Eng Industrial/Business/Logistics

**Experience**
- Minimum 6 to 8 years’ of experience in Demand Planning

**Knowledge & Skills**
- Advanced Excel proficiency
- Business intelligence
- Forecasting techniques
- Judgement and decision-making
- Pushing back & recommending amendments in forecast if significant estimated inaccuracies are anticipated (which includes phasing)
- Recommending demand plan creation cycle with involved parties in the business
- Recommending amendments in Product Master Data and signing off final approval as Product Master Data custodian/owner
- Problem-solving and analysis
- Disagreement on demand forecast; high levels of forecast accuracy; short term gap filling initiatives; master data discrepencies
- Some processes already exist to solve these (and similar) problems, however, it is expected of this role to develop improved approaches/methods to overcome these challenges in a more agile, comprehensive and collaborative manner.

**Competencies**
- Driver for Results
- Analytical Thinking
- Integrity
- Strategic Thinker
- Process/system thinking ability
- Ability to deal with high levels of complexity under pressure
- Good interpersonal skills
- Ability to innovate
- Effective conflict management skills

This is a hybrid role with regular field trips required.