Demand Planner

Job Description

Position Summary

The Demand Planner role supporting our beer operations is a wonderful opportunity to grow your career with a best in class company and make an impact as we embark on transforming our end to end supply chain. Day to day, this role functions as the subject matter expert on demand planning and will be responsible for the creation of accurate demand plans by applying forecasting techniques, evaluating market intelligence, and using collaborative input from various partners. The Demand Planner will manage and maintain the statistical base forecast, collaborate on application of machine learning drivers, document assumptions. and troubleshoot exceptions as needed. In addition to day to day responsibilities, this role will also be testing and providing feedback as we launch our end to end integrated supply chain system. The person coming into this role will get exposure to leadership across the organization by participating in S&OP meetings and leading cross functional calls with Sales, Marketing and Supply Chain groups to create a consensus forecast. The Planner will utilize both quantitative and qualitative information in establishing a forecast and will support the business with trend analysis.

• Leverage advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms to generate SKU-level 24 month forecasts for a regional business unit, utilizing statistical modeling and historical data and enriching the baseline with commercial intelligence gathered from Marketing & Sales business partners.
• Capture current demand signals/trends that may impact demand by using and analyzing market intelligence data, (Circana, etc), past and near-term events, holiday impacts, consumer behavior changes and macro-economic conditions.
• Communicates and leads calls with sales, marketing and supply chain groups to drive consensus on S&OP demand forecast and make recommendations on actions needed to improve forecast accuracy, including reviewing wholesaler forecasts, responding to changing sales trends, and highlighting upcoming risks.
• Summarizes in clear, concise manner key drivers in depletions performance against Annual Operating Plan, including options available for gap closure for distribution across all levels, up to the Beer Leadership Team (BLT)
• Work with various cross-functional teams on projects such as new product launches, line extensions, product discontinuations, promotions and events to optimize forecast accuracy
• Measures and reports on Demand Planning KPI's (Accuracy, Bias, Forecast Value Add, etc) and drives exception-based action toward continuous metric improvement.
• Must be able to develop various "what if" scenarios thru the utilization of key drivers and drive cross functional consensus alignment, as well as identify risks and opportunities.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, & problem-solving skills with proven ability of consolidating and analyzing large volumes of data, with the ability to tell a compelling data-driven story to drive consensus for action.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to communicate well across all levels of the organization.
• Excellent customer service skills with the ability to work with both internal and external customers.
• Foster strong relationships with data science, marketing and sales teams to integrate relevant data and insights to drive forecasting enhancements.
• Ability to own, explain, present and drive consensus of overall forecast for a business unit within weekly and monthly cross-functional meetings.
• Ensure structure of S&OP cycle meetings through setting agendas, facilitating and participating in cross-functional discussions, and driving prompt decision-making with stakeholders in supporting the overall S&OP Demand Planning process
• Demonstrates effective communication that is genuine, authentic, concise, and persuasive in both written and oral communication.

• Challenge the status quo to improve S&OP Demand Planning processes and tools using Agile frameworks - loves and embraces change.
• Stay updated and apply relevant industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in Demand Planning, Integrated Business Planning and Supply Chain Management.
• Believes in a non-hierarchical culture of collaboration, transparency, safety, and trust.
• Not afraid to "roll up the sleeves" and seeks to go outside comfort zone to learn - pushes teams to do the same.
• Empowers others to fail, learn, and grow.
• Comfortable and experience bringing structure to ambiguity.
• Possesses a spirit of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and innovation.

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain or related field, a minimum of 3-5 years' experience in a Supply Chain role, preferably 1-2 years in demand planning role.
• Proven knowledge of standard planning concepts, practices, and procedures within the CPG/Beverage Alcohol industry
• Proven knowledge and understanding of standard Integrated Business Planning practices, technology and supporting industry principles.
• Experience in developing data-based forecasts through understanding and explaining the why's, interpreting trends and recognizing patterns in data.
• Must have excellent quantitative and qualitative skills to consolidate and analyze large volumes of data, with the ability to translate information for all areas of the business.
• Make decisions independently and recommend viable solutions to problems and issues. Mediate issues that arise and drive planning and data gathering meetings to successful resolutions.
• Must have a strong attention to detail

• CPG Experience (specific to the beverage alcohol industry a plus)
• APICS and/or IBF Certification
• O9 Solutions experience

• Two days in the Chicago Office; other days as business needs require
• Must be at least 21 years of age. Must be able to sit and/or stand for long periods of time and work on a computer for extended periods. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Must be willing and able to travel up to 10%.