Global Demand Planning Director

Position Summary

The Director, Global Demand Planning is accountable for defining and leading the global demand planning strategy across a highly regulated medical device and clinical supply network. This role spans a ~$2B global division, encompassing approximately 4,000 active SKUs across six regions, and is responsible for establishing a forward-looking, data-driven demand planning capability that enables service excellence, inventory optimization, and sustainable growth.

Responsibilities

• Establish and execute a forward-looking global demand planning strategy that enables service excellence, revenue attainment, and inventory optimization across a complex, regulated product portfolio.
• Establish and lead a high-performing, globally distributed demand planning organization, strengthening capabilities in advanced analytics, business partnering, and strategic thinking while fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and talent development.
• Build strong, trust-based partnerships with Commercial leadership, translating market insights into actionable demand plans while proactively shaping strategies that enable growth, improve forecast alignment, and enhance customer outcomes.
• Drive accountability for forecast accuracy, bias reduction, and demand variability management across regions, ensuring a single, aligned demand signal that supports operational and financial plans.
• Lead the demand planning pillar of the IBP/SIOP process, embedding disciplined demand review cycles, robust scenario planning, and clear escalation pathways to support executive decision-making.
• Establish and enforce global standards, governance, and best practices for demand planning, ensuring consistency in methodologies, assumptions, and outputs across all regions and platforms.
• Partner closely with Commercial, Marketing, Finance, and Product Management teams to translate market intelligence, promotions, and new product launches into high-quality, risk-adjusted demand plans.
• Advance the adoption of statistical modeling, advanced analytics, and system-enabled forecasting tools (e.g., SAP IBP), reducing reliance on manual adjustments and improving forecast scalability.
• Provide proactive visibility into demand risks, upside opportunities, and market shifts, enabling timely cross-functional actions to protect service levels and financial performance.
• Ensure strong integration with Global Supply Planning and Deployment Planning to align demand, supply, and inventory strategies, optimizing trade-offs across service, cost, and working capital.
• Lead the evolution from reactive, judgment-driven forecasting to predictive, insights-led demand planning, continuously improving process maturity, digital enablement, and organizational capability.
• Deliver clear, concise insights on demand performance, forecast risks, and business outlook to senior leadership, enabling data-driven decisions that support growth and resilience.
• Drive the adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics to enhance forecast accuracy, demand sensing, and responsiveness, reducing reliance on manual, judgment-driven processes.
• Partner with Digital and IT to embed predictive and prescriptive forecasting tools (e.g., SAP IBP), leveraging internal and external data signals to enable real-time, insight-driven decision-making and scalable planning performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, Finance, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in supply chain planning, with demonstrated ownership of complex, multi-site supply and distribution networks.
• 5+ years of people leadership experience, including leading leaders.
• APICS certification (CPIM/CSCP) preferred.
• Executive-level communication, presence, and influencing skills, with the ability to clearly articulate insights, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Demonstrated expertise in demand planning methodologies, including statistical forecasting, demand sensing, segmentation strategies, and lifecycle planning (new product introduction, phase-in/phase-out).
• Experience in regulated industries (medical device, biotech, pharmaceutical).
• Proven ability to lead through significant change; merger and integration experience strongly preferred.
• Hands-on experience working with international supply chain teams, including navigating time zone, cultural, and regional operating differences.
• Experience leveraging advanced analytics, AI/ML, and digital planning tools (e.g., SAP IBP), to enhance forecast accuracy and enable scalable, data-driven planning.
• Proven ability to partner with Commercial organizations as a trusted advisor, translating market insights into actionable demand plans that support growth objectives.
• Advanced experience with ERP and demand planning systems; SAP IBP strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to connect demand plans to revenue, budgeting, and business performance outcomes.
• Strong analytical capability with experience using advanced analytics to drive planning decisions.

Additional Experience a Plus

• MBA or Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Experience leading a planning transformation (ERP/APS implementation, IBP implementation).
• Prior experience in both supply chain planning and at least one adjacent supply chain or business function, enabling the ability to identify upstream and downstream implications of planning decisions.