Senior Manager Demand Planning

About the Role: 

The Senior Manager, Demand Planning has responsibility for creating and maintaining a statistical demand forecast, effectively fitting and tuning statistical models to project seasonality and market trends, actively participate in the S&OP process, and ensure data insights and demand signals are provided to the business. The role has responsibility for ensuring the quality and timeliness of forecast information in order for the business to identify appropriate risks and opportunities and to enable an effective supply plan.

Key Responsibilities: 

1. Demand Modeling

Translate forecasts into reliable demand plans and budgets by combining different sources of information.

• Leveraging demand segmentation, identify & apply the most suitable forecasting method to each sku/demand point combination to develop HUSA’s depletions and corresponding sales forecasts 
• Execute required demand cleansing to ensure relevant statistical and baseline modelling
• Identify demand patterns, trend changes, causal relationships and main drivers behind baseline and promotional volume changes.
• Creates & communicates demand plan which is realistic and accurate, based on statistical modelling with the most suitable level of detail for key stakeholders to drive planning performance
• Effectively cooperates with Commercial Department to ensure an accurate demand plan – ensuring collaboration and monthly sign-off on plans
• Generate alternative scenarios for the demand plan including the identification of risks and opportunities
• Measure the forecast errors and incorporate in the forecasting model
• Continuously improves demand forecasting techniques and methods by performing root-cause analysis and leading improvements related to forecast modelling

2. Planning Process Management

Improve the quality of the demand plan, by ensuring that the appropriate planning process is applied and the right tools are used.

• Lead the demand plan preparation and contribute to the demand review meeting within the S&OP cycle by delivering timely and accurate information.
• Centralize the information flow related to the demand planning process (single point of contact)
• Escalate structural issues on the demand planning process when required.
• Prepares and leads the corresponding Demand Review meeting, ensuring agenda adherence and meaningful participation from commercial counterparts (and other stakeholders)
• Escalates issues for demand plan review when strategic customers are affected
• Identifies alternative scenarios (risks and opportunities) for the respective S&OP Demand Review
• Provide stability to the demand planning process

3. Performance Management

Ensures delivery of demand planning metrics against defined KPI metrics

• Tracks performance with KPI’s such as forecast accuracy, bias, etc.
• Defines & execute areas of improvement and generate action plans through a ‘review and resolve’ cycle to address any areas of sub-optimal performance, ensuring corrective action

4. Business Relationships

• Enables mutually beneficial business relationships through needs identification and the delivery of business requirements
• Collaborate with Customer Supply Chain managers for forecast enrichments
• Collaborates with business stakeholders to Identify and resolve any critical issues and/or imbalances impacting the business
• Includes both key internal and external relationships:
  • Heineken USA – Key business functions including Operations, Finance, Sales, Marketing, Other
  • Other Stakeholders – Including Support Partners and any other key stakeholders

Basic Qualifications/Requirements:

• Bachelors Degree (Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Business, Finance or other relevant subject)
• 5+ years’ experience in Operations / Supply Chain within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Industry
• Proven experience with forecasting, planning, and inventory management
• Experience working on cross-functional teams
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint Skills (Access a plus)
• Advanced knowledge of Statistical Modelling
• Advance knowledge of Demand Planning software
• Knowledge of SAP and other relevant Supply Chain Planning Tools
• IBF and/or APICS Certification, a plus
• Experience using Blue Yonder Software a plus.

HEINEKEN Behaviors

• Connect
• Shape
• Develop