Description

Essential Job Functions:

• Develop reliable, unbiased customer demand plans on a rolling 18-month planning horizon. Demand plans are a key element in the monthly S&OP process cycle and to MRP functionality impacting reporting and decisions relative to business strategies, supply planning, resource allocation, budgeting, and long-term planning.
• Cultivate close relationships with the global Sales team for real-time insights. Leverage multiple data points including: market intelligence, trends, Salesforce CRM, Business Unit input, the fiscal year budget plan, historical data and reporting tools.
• Determine the optimal forecast model based on forecasting strategy, product, seasonality, customer forecast, etc.
• Serve as a backup to the Administrator role of the planning software. Intermediate to advanced knowledge of the planning software.
• Communicate high risk customer demand and significant changes to stakeholders in global supply chain, impacting inventory decisions and stock planning at HQ and other Divisions.
• With the Global Planning team, measure and utilize accuracy metrics and other KPIs in action plans to better anticipate customer needs, optimize organizational use of resources, and increase efficiency and reliability throughout our global supply chain.
• Continuously improve forecasted demand plans, planning systems, and communication channels to ensure the highest forecast accuracy for our business. Identify significant variances between the demand plan and actual sales, and take cross functional actions to close those gaps.
• Validate planning methodologies and inputs relative to accuracy.
• Assess the forecasted demand plan in KGS and $ value compared to actuals and budget from multiple perspectives: by product line, item groups, top products, and key customer accounts. Track and understand demand patterns of how demand is split among different quarters of the year, and leverage this knowledge in planning.
• Translate regional forecasts into designated BU specific data for analysis, insights and focused improvements.
• Understand demand monetization logic and validate reasonableness of revenue estimates, working with appropriate individuals to refine.
• Propose and lead improvements that maximize existing resources and improve global supply chain.
• Prepare materials, participate and lead elements of the monthly S&OP process. Communicate significant demand shifts, highlight variances and trends in customer demand, and achieve consensus on projections for the next demand plan version. Communicate business changes and risk to the supply chain, build alignment and uncover potential supply issues.
• Engage teams in dialog around anticipated customer demand and scenarios to improve accuracy and make necessary adjustments in the demand plans.
• Bring visibility to assumptions used in each demand plan version.
• Manage significant mid-month demand changes with communication to supply planning.
• Follow-up with participants across commercial and supply teams to ensure agreed upon actions from S&OP meetings are completed in a timely manner.
• Knowledgeable in MRP functionality, and the programs in the ERP that interact with MRP. Serve as a subject matter expert in MRP and associated planning settings within the organization, and in collaboration with global planners.
• Maintain and utilize the 9 Box Model (mapping products on volume and purchase variability) in planning and for prioritization. In collaboration with supply chain planners in Divisions outside the USA, craft Divisional 9 Box Models to support their stock planning.
• Understand the needs and requirements of key stakeholder groups including: Sales, Business Units/Marketing, Manufacturing, Procurement, Divisions & global planners, and Finance.
• Participate in cross functional teams and projects.
• Provide customer demand insights to Business Unit (BU) leaders and others in the organization.
• Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures associated with demand planning and forecasting processes.
• Keep the organization future-focused. Leverage and build awareness of significant deviations from the demand plan and annual budget plan, and to changes in customer purchase patterns.

Education/Experience/Skills:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in the field of supply chain management, statistics or economics, business or equivalent work experience.
• Detailed, organized, and analytical
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience planning/forecasting customer demand
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Effective with time management.
• Critical thinker with strong problem solving and decision making skills, able to navigate ambiguity.
• Comfortable working independently and cross functionally in a collaborative, team environment.
• Supply Chain knowledge and experience
• Skilled in software systems, including: Sales Forecasting/Demand Planning software, ERP (Infor/M3, SAP, other), MRP, and Microsoft Office (ex: Excel, Word & PowerPoint). Flexible and adaptable in learning and understanding new technologies.

Desired:

• Familiarity with CRM (Salesforce) software
• Experience with statistics
• Power BI & Reporting
• Understanding of B2B
• APICS Certification

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $60,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Experience:

• Forecasting: 1 year (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• Kalamazoo, MI (Required)

Work Location: In person