Global Demand Planner
About The Role
Tate is building a world-class procurement and supply chain function for one of fastest growing segments and the most technically demanding segments in the data center market: liquid cooling infrastructure. We are seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Demand Fulfillment Planner to join our growing team. This role is critical to supporting business growth by building and owning the demand forecasting function for Tate's liquid cooling business. You'll translate customer orders, program pipeline data, and sales forecast into a 12-18 month rolling demand plan that's broken down to the component level so that Strategic Sourcing Managers and Commodity Managers can source ahead of need rather than react to shortages. You'll be the analytical backbone of Tate's S&OP process, providing clean, structured demand data that allows every function to make decisions from the same number. You'll have the rare opportunity to build this function from the ground up with the full support of leadership and a clear mandate. You'll design the forecasting approach, establish cadence, and potentially shape how demand planning works at Tate.
What You'll Do
- Build and maintain Tate's demand forecast models for liquid cooling programs by using historical order data, customer pipeline, sales inputs, and program schedules as the primary data sources.
- Translate TLA forecasts from sales and program teams into component-level demand requirements working with engineering BOMs and MRP logic to explode each forecast to individual part numbers.
- Develop a 12-18 month rolling forecast that gives procurement and operations enough forward visibility to source and plan ahead of demand.
- Maintain separate demand views by program, by factory sites, and by component category giving SSMs and Commodity Managers the granularity they need to act.
- Own forecast assumptions: document, challenge, and update the model as customer commitments, program timelines, or product configuration change.
- Serve as the demand data owner in Tate's S&OP process: prepare the demand review package for each monthly S&OP cycle, presenting forecast in a format that drives decisions.
- Facilitate the demand review step of S&OP: working with sales, program management, and engineering to align on a single consensus forecast before it's presented to operations and finance.
- Identify and flag forecast variances early. When actual orders diverge from plan, the ability to quantify the impact and communicate it to procurement and operations with enough lead time to respond is a must have.
- Track forecast accuracy over time by measure bias, timing error, and mix error by program and component category, and continuously improving the model based on what's actually happening.
- Have the soft skills and self-direction to work directly with sales and program managers to capture near-term demand changes. Building a relationship where they proactively share pipeline updates rather than procurement finding out last minute.
- Partner with engineering to ensure BOM changes are reflected in the demand model properly.
- Provide the Materials & Inventory Planner with component-level demand data to drive materials requirements planning.
- Collaborate with SSMs and GCMs to translate the demand signal into sourcing actions.
- Support finance with demand-driven revenue and cost forecasts for budgeting and quarterly planning cycles.
- Build the demand planning process within Tate's ERP and planning tools by establishing the data architecture, input workflows, and output reports that make the forecast accessible and actionable.
- Develop and maintain a forecast accuracy dashboard: tracking performance by program, product, and time horizon, and presenting results in S&OP.
- Identify data gaps such as but not limited to missing lead times, unreleased BOMs, incomplete order data and work with the relevant functions/stakeholders to close them.
- Evaluate and recommend improvements to Tate's planning tools and processes as the function matures and volume scales.
Additional Expectations
- Remain compliant with the Code of Conduct and Policies which includes the Kingspan Group Compliance Policy.
- Ensure that all duties related to product compliance are adhered to in accordance with the Product Compliance Policy, Laws, Regulations, and market demands.
- Responsible for all tasks to achieve compliance goals and demands of the Compliance Management System.
- Must raise concerns related to the Compliance Management System to their supervisor, manager, or any member of the Leadership Team, or through the confidential whistle blower service.
What You'll Bring
- Education: Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, Business Analytics, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or related field; master's degree or MBA is a plus.
- Experience: 3-8 years of experience in demand planning, supply chain planning, or S&OP within a manufacturing or industrial environment such as data center infrastructure, HVAC, precision manufacturing, or engineered products experience is a meaningful advantage. Demonstrating experience building or significantly improving a demand forecasting process.
- Technical Skills: Strong quantitative and analytical skills – proficient in statistical forecasting methods, demand segmentation, and forecast accuracy measurement. Proficiency in ERP systems (XA-INFOR or similar). Power BI skill highly desired.
- Experience participating in or running in S&OP cycles, product lifecycle, and/or core team cross functional work.
- Strong communication skills who is able to translate a demand model into clear, confident narratives for sales, operations, and finance audiences who don't speak forecast.
- Comfortable in operating in ambiguity and building from scratch. Someone who can make progress and create a playbook.
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally, if necessary.
Employee Benefits
- Pay Range: $110,000 USD to $125,000 USD
- Career Scope and Advancement: As we grow, new positions and career opportunities arise, offering accelerated paths for the right candidates, locally and globally.
- World of Wellness: Philosophy: We empower you to take charge of your health and well-being. You'll have access to a wide range of medical, dental, and vision benefits, along with personalized guidance from a "Health Advocate." We also offer other supplemental options, including 401k, legal, disability, and theft insurance, to ensure your financial wellness.
- Corporate Social Responsibility: Through Planet Passionate we are determined to reduce our manufacturing carbon (CO2e) emissions to as close to zero as technically possible, together with halving carbon intensity in our primary supply chain. We are very involved in our community, and you will have ample opportunities to support us in creating a better world.
- Skills Development: Given the dynamic pace of our business and a strong collaborative environment, your new role will be diverse and multifaceted – allowing you to be more versatile and develop a broader skill set.
- Mentorship and development: At Tate, we don't believe in hierarchy, we work together as one team for one common goal. You will have access and exposure to our senior leaders and experts for learning in your role, and additionally mentorship for the future.
- Culture: We have a great team culture, highly collaborative, supportive, and social. Together we innovate, collaborate, take ownership, and strive for excellence.