Description

TITLE: Demand Planner

REPORTS TO: Senior Manager, Demand Planning

LOCATION: Chicago, IL

Lactalis Heritage Dairy is currently seeking candidates to join our team in Chicago!

Lactalis Group, the world leader in dairy, is a family-owned business with more than 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals worldwide, committed to providing healthy and delicious dairy products that bring people together every day. At Lactalis, our core values of AMBITION, ENGAGEMENT, and SIMPLICITY are at the heart of everything we do.

If you’re looking for a unique experience with a company that offers strong brands, professional expertise, and a dynamic work environment that champions entrepreneurial spirit, hands-on responsibility, and real opportunity for career development, we want to hear from you!

Lactalis Heritage Dairy: inviting you to share with us your STORY, your PASSION, and your EXPERTISE.

From your PASSION to ours

The Demand Planner is accountable for developing a shipment demand plan utilizing consumption input, sales input, statistical models, historical sales data, trade inventory assumptions and channel inputs. The principle objective is to deliver the most accurate unbiased, unconstrained demand plan based on all cross functional input. This role is responsible for the demand disaggregation process including translating input from the sales team into an executable item/location forecast to be utilized in the supply planning processes, which requires collaboration with sales and marketing to resolve discrepancies using analysis, category reviews and the facilitation of monthly demand review meetings.

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Develop demand forecasts (operational forecasts) at multiple levels of aggregation for multiple time horizons as part of the overall demand management process
• Collaborate with marketing, sales, and finance to understand marketing programs, new product introductions, pricing changes, promotions, and distribution changes to meet customer demand
• Lead monthly consensus process based on information gained to develop a forecast to meet Supply Chain service, inventory goals, and create the monthly financial forecast.
• Leverage the demand planning tools & systems to anchor the forecast with a statistical baseline and utilize event-modelling to enrich the baseline with new information based on aligned planning assumptions.
• Develop a 2-year forecast by demand forecasting unit in the planning system to be utilized for manufacturing and deployment planning
• Provide input to the Supply Planning organization in developing inventory strategies on existing items, new products, and product phase-outs
• Track weekly and monthly forecast error to identify contributing factors. Utilize continuous improvement tools to focus on root cause along with analytical reporting and tools to identify areas of opportunity and process improvement
• Perform total brand and item mix analysis and provide insights to lead volume discussions
• Become brand volume expert through understanding consumption and shipment trends in addition to category and industry dynamics
• Partner with supply planning to understand supply chain implications of forecast changes
• Perform both product and customer segmentation analysis to determine appropriate focus areas
• Present the latest brand/segment forecast and associated assumptions

Requirements

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, engineering, business, logistics, or related field
• 2 years of experience in demand planning/forecasting. Additional cross functional experience in supply planning, or other supply chain disciplines is preferred
• Proficiency in Excel and general knowledge of other MS Office applications
• Knowledge of customer and consumer behavior and how those behaviors impact the demand plan
• Knowledge of the methodologies of statistical forecasting and how this forms the basis of a demand signal
• Knowledge of how to develop a demand plan and the various inputs that are used
• Ability to demonstrate a drive for results within demand planning and understand how this links with the organizational goals.
• Proven ability to build effective relationships with all departments and employees in a collaborative team-oriented environment
• Experience with supply chain software implementation is preferred
• Strong problem-solving skills in a fast-pace, ever changing environment

Lactalis Heritage Dairy is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities.