Demand Planner

About Us

At Lindt, we are a global fast-growing consumer goods company, enchanting the world with premium chocolate. We are driven by our passion for excellence and go the extra mile ensuring that every Lindt experience is nothing short of exceptional. Our collective efforts are geared towards making a positive impact, not only in the world of premium chocolate but also in the lives of our employees, customers, and communities. Our company embraces a culture defined by the core values of Excellence, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Responsibility, and Collaboration, fostering a dynamic and collaborative environment where these principles drive our success.

Position Purpose

The individual in this position is responsible for creating and maintaining an item-level forecast utilizing sales assumptions, historical analysis, statistical modeling, market trends, and thorough collaboration and consensus across sales, brand, and finance teams. The focus will be on maximizing product availability, supporting Lindt & Sprüngli’s growth initiatives, and helping to achieve financial goals while minimizing destruction and discounts. This role leverages advanced analytics, historical data, and forecasting models to improve forecast accuracy, reduce bias, and support business planning processes.

To be effective in this cross-functional role, the individual must be comfortable working with sales, operations, production planning, marketing, and customer service, as well as presenting and communicating across various levels of the organization. This is a hybrid role that requires three days per week in our Stratham, NH corporate office.

Responsibilities

• Everyday Item Forecasting
  • Develop, maintain, and continuously improve statistical forecasting models using historical sales data, seasonality, and market trends.
  • Generate baseline forecasts using tools such as time series models.
  • Partner with the sales team to build item-level forecasts, providing recommendations and supporting analysis based on statistics, history, turns, cannibalization, etc.
  • Maintain source of growth assumptions and document monthly changes to the forecast to communicate as needed and present at a demand review meeting.
  • Monitor forecast accuracy, bias, and forecast value add; translate results into improvement actions.
  • Continuous improvement within the process to help reduce forecast error and bias (data integrity, reporting capabilities, ad hoc analysis, cross-functional communication).
• New Item Introduction
  • Liaise with sales and marketing on new item introductions and planogram updates, recommend volume and Gross Sales (GTS) for pipeline assumptions, turns and phasing, aligning with sales manager to drive appropriate supply signals.
  • Work cross-functionally with internal departments to incorporate cuts, POS, market data, IRI, and other factors for forecast and future projections of new items.
  • Provide item-level forecasting support to the Brand planning team as needed.
• S&OE (Sales & Operations Execution)
  • Run S&OE meetings for assigned brands to ensure smooth execution of the demand plan and variances to plan across the supply chain.
  • Manage and communicate the risks and opportunities for assigned product lines, ensuring the organization is aware of potential volume impacts to the operational plan and decision timing.

Requirements

• Skills & Knowledge:
  • Strong knowledge of statistical forecasting techniques (time series analysis, regression, machine learning models).
  • Strong Excel skills.
  • Robust communication and demonstrated system skills required.
  • Cognos or BI skills.
  • Demonstrated commitment to teamwork and internal client service orientation.
  • Sound analytical skills and ability to mine and interpret data, resolve abnormalities, and make decisions to drive action.
  • Ability to present information to facilitate consensus and motivate others.
• Education:
  • Bachelor’s degree required.
  • APICS, IBF, or similar certification preferred.

Pay

Compensation Range: $81,000 - $105,000. Lindt USA’s salary range reflects market rates based on our size, revenue, and location. Starting pay is determined using a wide range of factors including, but not limited to, job-related skills, knowledge, and experience as well as market conditions. A bonus and/or long-term incentive may be included as part of this compensation package.

Applicants for this position must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. The company will not sponsor applicants for work visas.