Demand Planner

About us

With over 200 brands sold in nearly 180 countries, we're the world's leading premium drinks company. Bring your passion and use your curiosity as you explore, collaborate, and innovate to build brands consumers love. Together with passionate people from all over the world, you'll test new insights, learn and grow, and unlock a brighter, more exciting future.

Join us to create a career worth celebrating.

About the Function:

Our Finance team deliver sustainable growth for our business, customers, and much-loved brands. We're part of a $12.2 billion gross profit organisation, responsible for driving an exceptional level of performance and creating the potential for future growth.

Whether we're utilising our digital capabilities and analytics to advise our business strategy or creating capacity to invest in the future - no two days are the same in our Finance team. Wherever your skills lie, we'll help you to learn and develop, supporting you along the way in our inclusive culture.

• Understand the principles that underpin statistical forecasting and practices that support Sophisticated Statistical Forecasting, to support existing and future statistical modelling and improvement within Diageo. Model algorithms using the latest data and technology and translate AI and Machine learning into business language.
• Has experience in demand planning in a similar environment using statistical tools, building block assumptions, opportunities and risks, and S&OP/IBP to agree plans.
• Can maintain a statistical dataset, including data cleansing, item relationships and product families to facilitate the delivery of a statistical forecast with minimal rework. Can do this in the appropriate Diageo tool as selected.
• Display critical thinking and digital dexterity by using data to tell a story based on fact and trends.
• Can handle a sophisticated building block management process, which is digitally driven, updated using demand sensing and insight, and fully integrated with forecast and O&R to deliver a seamless integration with other business plans.
• Can create and maintain appropriate commercial scenarios as required. This includes articulation of key building blocks and assumptions, the impact of volume, price, promotion, inventory and other related drivers, and the link between decision options and relate outcomes.

• Pro-actively works with the IBP Lead and baseline planners, being responsible for the statistical forecast and highlighting deviations to the shipment and/or depletion trends.
• Use and maintain the planning software as the primary forecasting system tool.
• Collaborate with IBP Leads and other departments on all forecast history cleaning activities including documenting adjustments and assumptions (market trends, seasonality, promotions).
• Maintain statistical parameters for "best fit" model & generate a baseline at least 18 months rolling.
• Maintain system master data including CVC creation, disaggregation factors and attributes.
• Analyze outliers through appropriate reports and make corrections.
• Support scenario planning for promotions, innovation, and major events (duty, economics change, etc.) through stat analysis.
• Provide reports and insights to collaborators to improve the use of statistical forecasting forecast.
• Generate multivariate sophisticated Statistical Forecasting, including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Create and maintain the statistical forecast for the market monthly. This includes data management, solution management and technology use and integration.
• Create and maintain the demand plan for the market monthly, by combining the statistical baseline, building blocks and assumptions and other plans and data to create a single demand plan.
• Understand the detail underpinning demand plans and changes and maintains appropriate information to support information requests.
• Support the management of Opportunities and Risks in the Demand Plan and the analysis of Demand Plan performance (accuracy and bias)
• Develops a key understanding of dynamic market drivers and how they impact overall demand and uses this information to validate or challenge market demand assumptions.
• Develops focused and enhanced capabilities to bring to bear the demand planning process for value including the use of analytics, data modelling, demand sensing and artificial intelligence.
• Supports the digitization of planning processes through the elimination of manual processes and information.
• Supports the continuous improvement of business processes in their area of work.

• Baseline understanding of the end-to-end Supply Chain Planning processes; Supply Planning, Distribution Requirements Planning, Inventory Planning, Conversion, Logistics, Procurement and Customer Service
• Demonstrated proficiency in statistics and/or forecasting methodologies with an understanding of their financial and operational impacts
• Strong analytical, organizational and decision-making skills
• Good communication skills - verbal, written and presentation.
• Proficient in MS applications e.g. Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook
• Can handle an appropriate change management process to ensure market adoption of IBP, using Diageo principles, processes, and resources, as well as their own skills, capabilities, and position.
• Minimum 5 years' experience working in IBP/S&OP
• Experience with advanced planning software with Supply Planning (SAP APO system and Business Intelligence/BW)
• Has practical experience of Demand Analytics, to analyse demand performance and trends, marketing, and sales activity impact (including pricing), and reach conclusions on what that might meant about current and future demand plans.
• Firsthand planning experience in IBP, S&OP, S&OE, Demand Planning.
• Growth Mindset
• Passion for data and a performance culture.
• Very strong analytical skills.
• Collaboration: Proven track record to foster and maintain strong working relationships and influence at all levels of the organisation. At ease working effectively with a diverse group of collaborators and business cultures.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written combined with the ability to engage effectively at all levels in the organisation.
• Digital dexterity. Previous experience (and hunger to learn) on advanced planning tools, digital control towers, BI, etc.
• Critical Thinking and robust problem-solving ability.
• The most vocal voice of truth.
• Collaborate efficiently.
• Stands for digitization and does not tolerate drift.
• Robust discernment.
• Evidence of strong bias performance.
• Evidence of reconciliation.
• Superbly understand the Rout to Market and consumer insights of the market they will operate in.