Senior Demand & Production Planner

We’re looking for a Senior Demand & Production Planner to play a pivotal role in connecting marketing, sales, operations, and procurement within our fast-moving CPG manufacturing organization. This individual will lead the S&OP process and own our monthly demand and production planning cycles, ensuring our finished goods inventory and production strategies align with business goals, growth, and working capital priorities.

This is a highly visible and strategic position — the hub that ties together financial forecasting, operational execution, and supply chain strategy across multiple co-manufacturers nationwide.

Must be California based!

Key Responsibilities:

S&OP Leadership

• Lead and facilitate the monthly Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process with marketing, sales, finance, and operations teams to create plans that deliver improved profitability, drive forecast accuracy, and ensure that inventory strategies align with business goals, growth, and working capital priorities.
• Translate the financial forecast into a demand plan that is actionable for operations and supply planning down to the materials level.
• Present planning scenarios, risks, and opportunities to cross-functional leaders.

Demand Planning

• Build and maintain detailed SKU-level demand forecasts using historical trends, promotional calendars, innovation (and discontinuation) plans, and sampling plans.
• Track forecast accuracy, variance, and root-cause analysis — drive continuous improvement in forecast performance with S&OP stakeholders.
• Partner with the systems and data teams to improve forecasting tools, automation, and process efficiency.

Production Planning

• Manage the finished good purchase orders and production plans across multiple co-manufacturers to align with demand plans, lead times, and MOQs.
• Collaborate closely with operations, procurement, and co-manufacturing partners to ensure execution readiness and responsiveness to demand changes.
• Monitor production adherence (OTIF) and resolve supply/demand imbalances proactively.

Inventory & Supply Strategy

• Own finished goods inventory strategy and targets across all manufacturing and distribution sites.
• Manage an Inventory Control Specialist and set clear processes for inventory reconciliation and accuracy.
• Balance supply availability with working capital efficiency — minimizing excess and scrap risk while meeting customer service and revenue goals.
• Develop ordering strategies and replenishment logic to ensure the right product is in the right place at the right time.

Qualifications:

• 8 years of experience in demand planning, production planning, and supply chain management within a CPG or manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience leading S&OP or IBP processes across cross-functional teams.
• Strong analytical and data-driven mindset — expert in Excel and planning systems and tools (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Anaplan, Kinaxis, Power BI, or similar).
• Deep understanding of supply chain dynamics, lead times, coman relationships, and working capital trade-offs, as well as a deep understanding of forecasting and the macro and micro level variables that contribute to demand planning development and accuracy.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills; able to translate data into actionable business insights.
• Experience managing or mentoring direct reports.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Finance, Business Administration, or a related analytical field.