Demand Planner

About the role

The Demand Planner is responsible for leading the CPUS demand planning process and developing a robust, consensus-based demand plan that serves as the primary input for Supply Planning, Production Planning, Inventory Management, and the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process. The role collaborates closely with Sales, Customer Service, Finance, Marketing, Supply Planning, and Business Units to align commercial expectations with operational capabilities and financial objectives. The Demand Planner facilitates demand reviews, drives forecast accuracy improvements, identifies risks and opportunities, and ensures alignment between customer demand, capacity constraints, and business priorities. This position plays a critical role in supporting strategic decision-making by translating market intelligence, customer insights, and statistical forecasting into actionable demand plans that optimize service, inventory, and overall supply chain performance.

The Demand Planner operates with a high degree of autonomy and is expected to independently manage CPUS demand planning activities, forecast development, stakeholder alignment, and execution of the monthly S&OP process. The role receives broad strategic direction from the IBP and Customer Relations Manager while independently determining priorities, methodologies, analyses, and recommendations required to achieve business objectives.

The Demand Planner collaborates extensively across multiple functions and organizational levels throughout CPUS to ensure alignment between commercial demand, operational capabilities, and business objectives. Internal relationships include Sales Teams and Commercial Directors for market intelligence and promotional plans; Customer Service Teams for demand changes and service expectations; Supply Planning and Master Planning Teams for capacity and inventory balancing; Operations and Manufacturing Teams for production capabilities; Finance Teams for budget and financial plan alignment; Marketing and Product Management Teams for new product launches and innovation pipelines; North American and Global Supply Chain Leadership for strategic planning; Procurement and Logistics Teams for supply chain risk evaluation; and Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, and IT Teams for planning systems and master data quality. External relationships include Customers for demand validation and market trends; External Supply Chain Partners for collaborative planning; and Software and System Providers for planning tools and process enhancements. The role requires strong interpersonal, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate effectively across diverse functions, cultures, and organizational levels. The Demand Planner is expected to act as a trusted business partner, facilitating fact-based discussions and driving alignment in support of company objectives.

The Demand Planner significantly influences business decisions through the development and maintenance of the CPUS demand plan and associated planning assumptions. Key decisions impacted include CPUS demand forecast and customer demand assumptions; inventory strategy and inventory target recommendations; production and supply planning priorities; capacity utilization and resource allocation; product launch, innovation, and phase-out planning; identification and mitigation of forecast risks and business opportunities; demand constraint management during supply shortages; service level and customer allocation recommendations; S&OP and Executive S&OP decision-making through scenario analysis; strategic supply chain initiatives focused on service, cost, inventory optimization, and operational efficiency; planning process improvements, governance standards, and forecasting methodologies; and business contingency planning and demand-related risk management activities. The recommendations and analyses provided directly affect customer service performance, inventory investment, production efficiency, working capital, and overall business profitability.

CPUS Business Requirements: Support demand planning activities across CPUS customer groups and product categories. Understand North American market dynamics, customer buying patterns, seasonality, promotional activities, and macroeconomic trends affecting demand. Incorporate CPUS commercial strategies, market developments, and growth initiatives into demand forecasts. Ensure consistency and standardization of forecasting methodologies while accommodating US business requirements. Regulatory and Compliance Requirements: Consider US regulatory requirements, trade restrictions, import/export regulations, and other market-specific factors that may impact demand planning assumptions. Support planning activities in compliance with company policies, corporate governance standards, and applicable US regulations. Understand the impact of North American sustainability, packaging, recycling, deposit return systems (DRS), and environmental regulations on customer demand and market behavior where applicable.

Responsibilities

• Demand Planning & Forecasting: Develop, maintain, and continuously improve CPUS demand forecasts across customers, product categories, and markets. Lead the monthly Demand Review process as part of the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) / S&OP cycle. Consolidate commercial inputs, market intelligence, customer insights, promotional plans, innovation activities, and historical demand patterns into a consensus forecast. Monitor forecast performance through key metrics including MAPE, Bias, Attainment, and Forecast Value Add (FVA). Analyze deviations from plan and implement corrective actions to improve forecasting performance.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner with Sales, Customer Service, Marketing, Finance, Supply Planning, and Operations to ensure alignment between demand, supply, and financial plans. Facilitate discussions regarding demand assumptions, risks, opportunities, and mitigation plans. Support executive decision-making by providing data-driven scenario analyses and recommendations. Ensure timely communication of significant demand changes impacting capacity, inventory, and customer service.
• S&OP / IBP Process Management: Coordinate CPUS demand planning activities within the S&OP and IBP frameworks. Prepare and present demand planning results, risks, opportunities, assumptions, and recommended actions during Demand Review and Supply Review meetings. Drive adherence to planning calendar, governance standards, and demand planning processes. Support continuous enhancement of planning maturity, analytics, and decision-making capabilities.
• Analytics & Business Insights: Analyze large volumes of data to identify trends, risks, opportunities, and demand drivers. Develop predictive and diagnostic analyses to improve forecast quality and business understanding. Evaluate customer demand behavior, inventory implications, and service-level impacts. Provide meaningful business insights and recommendations to support strategic and operational objectives.
• Systems & Process Improvement: Act as a key user and subject matter expert for SAP IBP, reporting tools, and planning systems. Support implementation and enhancement of planning tools, dashboards, and reporting capabilities. Identify opportunities to standardize, simplify, and improve demand planning processes. Participate in cross-functional projects supporting supply chain transformation and digitalization initiatives.
• Risk & Opportunity Management: Identify and quantify forecast risks and opportunities. Develop mitigation plans with commercial and supply chain stakeholders. Support scenario planning and sensitivity analysis to enable proactive decision-making. Incorporate supply constraints and business priorities into the final consensus demand plan.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, or equivalent undergraduate degree, with related work experience
• 2–5 years of relevant work experience
• Management experience: Not applicable
• English: C2 Proficient

Skills

• Strong understanding of commercial, operational, and supply chain business processes
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving capabilities
• Strong business acumen with the ability to translate data into actionable recommendations
• Ability to manage large datasets and perform diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills across all organizational levels
• Strong presentation, communication, and facilitation skills
• Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional and matrix organization
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and perform effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on delivering measurable business value
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills
• Ability to drive change and challenge existing assumptions constructively
• Deep knowledge of Demand Planning, S&OP, and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes
• Understanding of Supply Planning, Inventory Management, Capacity Planning, and Customer Service processes
• Knowledge of Supply Chain Performance Metrics including MAPE, Attainment, Bias, Forecast Value Add (FVA), Service Levels, Inventory Turns, and OTIF
• Understanding of financial planning and its integration with operational planning processes
• Knowledge of forecasting methodologies, statistical models, and demand sensing techniques
• Experience with SAP IBP Demand, SAP IBP S&OP, Advanced Excel, Power BI, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft Office applications
• Understanding of product lifecycle management, innovation planning, and portfolio management processes
• Knowledge of supply chain optimization and inventory management concepts
• Understanding of Continuous Improvement methodologies and business process management principles