Senior Demand Planner

The Senior Demand Planner is responsible for planning product demand to ensure optimal inventory levels, on time customer demand fulfillment, and efficient supply chain operations.  This role involves collaborating with other departments to prepare and analyze engineering prototype demand, internal/external customer demand, sales analytics, and company financial goals to create accurate product production plans for our contract manufacturing partner.

Primary Responsibilities

• Direct all product planning activities and production plans with the contract manufacturing partner to ensure proper build plans are executed in a timely manner. 

• Demand Planning

• Develop a robust Demand Planning process jointly with Sales and Finance using quantitative and qualitative methods analyzing sales opportunities, internal demand, spares requirements, new product introduction phase in/out process, and inventory level optimization.

• Oversee demand forecasting and factory planning to ensure customer order fulfillment daily activities will meet customers’ expectations.

• Collaborate with Sales and Finance to align demand forecasts with quarterly business plans and metrics.

• Actively participate in new product planning processes to assure timely acquisition of materials to support product launches.

• Data Analysis

• Analyze historical sales data, deployment metrics, customer demand demographics, and pertinent demand pattern data to optimize forward looking demand plans.

• Drive initiatives with the contract manufacturing partner for continuous improvement and inventory level optimization.

• Identify potential risks within the supply chain, material lead times constraints and develop mitigation strategies.

• Automate the reporting for historical forecast accuracy, backlog, sales opportunities data extracts, and present demand analysis to stakeholders, providing actionable insights and recommendations in a dashboard format.

• Utilize demand planning software and tools for forecasting and reporting purposes (e.g. Salesforce, Access DB).

• Inventory Management

• Monitor inventory levels to minimize sub-assembly stockouts and excess inventory and ensuring optimal product availability per company SLA and KPI’s.

• Responsible for excess and obsolete inventory prevention, disposition, and reporting.

• Continuous Improvement

• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of demand planning and reporting.

• Plan and report on weekly shipments in a collaborative manner with Finance and Accounting as part of the cross functional revenue roadmap process between departments.

• Cross Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with other departments (e.g. sales, marketing, finance, engineering) to ensure alignment of demand planning activities with overall business objectives and financial plans.

• Participate in company quarterly revenue planning, Annual Operating Planning (AOP), budget development, and FP&A forward looking planning.

• Provide insights and recommendations based on product life cycle roadmaps and performance metrics.

• Providing processes for downstream impacts to demand plan changes.

• Performance Metrics

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPI’s) to assess overall performance of the demand plan accuracy, order delivery, E&O inventory, revenue achievement, and inventory management.

• Utilize data analytics to drive decision-making and identify areas for improvement.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of successfully managing complex demand planning processes.

• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in supply software (e.g. ERP systems, PLM systems, CRM systems, and planning tools).

• Strong knowledge of supply chain processes, logistics, warehousing, inventory management, planning, and procurement.

• Excellent analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments and management levels.

• Demonstrated experience with the fast-paced growth from start-up to NPI to Production and proven ability to navigate those phases of a company growth pattern.

Preferred Experience

• BS Degree with Masters or MBA preferred.  Advanced certifications are a plus.

• 10 years of progressive experience in demand planning and outsource contract manufacturing management.

• 10 years of direct experience with complex electro-mechanical product manufacturing in a highly rigorous specification requirement (automotive, medical, defense specifications).

• Must be a strategic thinker and leader with confidence in decision-making and speed in execution.

• Proven leadership skills in collaborating with management in presenting demand plans for approval.

• Excellent analytical and negotiation skills are required.