What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Demand Planner position at Buddy's Pizza?
Senior Demand Planner
Buddy's Pizza
Detroit, MI | Full-Time | Reports to Director of Supply Chain
About Buddy's Pizza
Buddy's Pizza is a Detroit institution — home of the original Detroit-style pizza since 1946. With 19 full-service restaurant locations and a rapidly growing Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) channel, we're scaling our supply chain to match our ambitions. This is a high-impact role at a company where your work directly shapes how we grow.
The Role
We're looking for a Senior Demand Planner to own demand forecasting and inventory planning across two distinct channels: our 19-unit restaurant operation and our expanding retail/CPG business. This role sits at the intersection of operations, sales, and finance — translating market signals into actionable supply plans. This role is responsible for the management of product logistics and delivery to customers within 36 states.
The right person thrives in a mid-size environment where they can build processes, not just follow them. You'll have visibility across the entire business and a direct line to leadership.
Key Responsibilities
- Demand Forecasting: Develop and maintain rolling demand forecasts for both restaurant and CPG channels, incorporating seasonality, promotions, new product launches, and market trends.
- CPG Channel Planning: Manage retail demand signals including retailer POS data, promotional lifts, distribution gains/losses, and new store authorizations. Collaborate with CPG sales to translate pipeline activity into actionable forecasts.
- Restaurant Operations Planning: Forecast ingredient and supply needs across 19 locations, factoring in menu changes, LTOs, catering, and location-level variability.
- S&OP Support: Serve as a key contributor to the Sales & Operations Planning process, preparing demand inputs and facilitating alignment between sales, operations, and finance.
- Inventory Optimization: Partner with procurement and distribution to set safety stock targets, reduce waste, and maintain fill rates across both channels.
- Analytics & Reporting: Build and maintain demand planning dashboards. Track forecast accuracy (MAPE/bias) and drive continuous improvement.
- New Product Forecasting: Develop demand estimates for new CPG SKUs and restaurant menu items using analogous product analysis and market data.
- Delivery Management: Management of BOL’s and proof of delivery and appointment time accuracy and Load accuracy.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Finance to gather demand intelligence and ensure alignment on volume assumptions, as well as challenge unwarranted deductions.
Required Qualifications
- 5 years of demand planning, forecasting, or supply chain planning experience
- CPG industry experience required — understanding of retail sell-through dynamics, trade promotions, retailer replenishment, and distributor/broker networks
- Proficiency with demand planning tools (e.g., SAP IBP, Oracle Demantra, Kinaxis, Blue Yonder, or similar); advanced Excel/Google Sheets at minimum
- Strong working knowledge of S&OP / IBP processes
- Demonstrated ability to manage forecasts across multiple channels or business units simultaneously
- Analytical mindset with strong statistical forecasting fundamentals (time series, regression, causal modeling)
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Economics, Mathematics, or related field
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in food & beverage CPG specifically (frozen, refrigerated, or perishable products a strong plus)
- Familiarity with foodservice or restaurant supply chain operations
- Experience in a high-growth or scaling environment — building processes, not just inheriting them
- APICS CPIM, CSCP, or IBF CPF certification
- Experience working with retail partners (grocery, club, convenience) and understanding of their planning cycles
- Comfort with BI tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker)
Location
Location: Detroit, MI — on-site preferred; remote considered for exceptional candidates
What Makes This Role Compelling
- Dual-channel complexity — you're not just running a static forecast; you're balancing a mature restaurant business with a high-growth CPG rocket ship
- Visibility — direct access to senior leadership in a company that's scaling fast
- Impact — you'll be building the demand planning function, not filling a seat in a 50-person planning team
- Culture — Buddy's is a Detroit legacy brand with the energy of a growth-stage company