Basic functions:
This position is responsible for all forecasting activities associated with customers and products. The Demand Planner creates and maintains forecast models, incorporating forecast information gathered from sales, marketing, finance, retailer replenishment analysts, and other sources.
The Demand Planner is the integration point from sales and commercial into supply function. This position leads the dialogue regularly for their respective internal customers and products with key counterparts in Sales, Commercial and Supply.
• Assist Line manager to offer the best service and create visible business value for customers from ABI perspective;
• Provide accurate sales forecast as inputs for supply chain. If there are any adjustments, he/she will have to discuss in the weekly meeting with sales and supply, and monthly S&OP meeting with BUP;
• Develop and Formalize the Demand Planning end-to-end process in ABI;
• Utilize a collaborative and consensus approach to interact with Sales, Marketing, Finance and Commercial PPM to understand demand forecast drivers; align on action plans.
• Review historical sales trends, prepare forecast data, develop statistical forecast models and evaluate forecast results;
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of Sales forecast
• Actively participate in the coordination of cross-functional activities to reconcile significant variances and further refine the forecast model to reflect updated assumptions;
• Ad-hoc analysis
• Implement and Drive sales forecasts model at multiple levels of aggregation across the BU;
Main accountabilities:
• Create statistical forecasts:
- Apply error analysis techniques to improve forecasting
- Summarize/aggregate statistical forecasts
- Review resulting statistical forecast model
- Execute statistical modeling
- Gather, analyze and validate data
• Review sales plans or Latest Estimates and demand drivers:
- Present, solicit, and assess feedback on the various forecasts from sales, and finance
- Recommend adjustments for operational forecasts
- Review promotional plans with sales
• Achieve consensus for operational demand forecasts by facilitating a collaborative planning process with Sales, Commercial PPM and Supply Chain.
• Apply best practices to continuously improve process efficiency and automation
Key Results:
• Execute with excellence in the area of customer replenishment and feedback to the Supply Chain group the opportunities and risks regarding customer replenishment performance metrics.
• Demand forecast that allows the company to best predict demand and provide its supply chain with optimized production plan.
• Clear Ways of Working (WoW) and Standard Operating Procedure (S&OP) amongst Commercial PPM, Sales, Supply Planning and Finance in order to formulate monthly and weekly demand forecast plans.
• Refined systems and methods to continually improve forecasts so that the company can better anticipate customer needs.
• Improved collaborations amongst Commercial PPM, Sales, Marketing, Supply and Finance, which will lead to effective knowledge sharing and an optimal consensus forecast.
Key contacts:
• Commercial PPMs
• Other stakeholders
• Finance
• Sales, Trade Marketing, Marketing
• Supply, Production Planning
