What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Demand Planner position at OFI?

Description

We are a global leader in food & beverage ingredients. Pioneers at heart, we operate at the forefront of consumer trends to provide food & beverage manufacturers with products and ingredients that will delight their consumers. Making a positive impact on people and planet is all part of the delight. With a deep-rooted presence in the countries where our ingredients are grown, we are closer to farmers, enabling better quality, and more reliable, traceable and transparent supply. Supplying products and ingredients at scale is just the start. We add value through our unique, complementary portfolio of natural, delicious and nutritious products. With our fresh thinking, we help our customers unleash the sensory and functional attributes of cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spices so they can create naturally good food & beverage products that meet consumer expectations. And whoever we’re with, whatever we’re doing, we always make it real.

Position Summary

Reporting to Senior Director of Private Label, the Senior Demand Planner will support the attainment of the Company's forecast accuracy / MAPE targets by continually improving our demand planning processes. This position is responsible for the ongoing execution and improvement of the Company's Sales and Operation Planning (S&OP) process. The role of the Demand Planner will deliver value to ofi by continuously improving on the 24-month rolling demand plan, presented to the business and leadership on a monthly basis.

In their capacity as tactical administrator of S&OP, the Demand Planner will be required to develop and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders outside of planning (Sales, Product Line, Manufacturing Operations, Customer Operations, Finance, HR, IT, etc.).

The ideal candidate will have strong problem-solving skills, ability to think critically, comfort with ambiguity, able to start new projects with ease, have a heightened sense of responsibility and ownership, as well as a desire and passion to go far beyond the boundaries of the job.

Responsibilities

Develop 24-month rolling demand forecasts in revenue and volume terms , which become inputs for Latest Estimates, Operating Plans, and financial projections.

Document assumptions underlying the forecast and highlight key changes; monitor market environment vs. assumptions.
Lead the monthly Demand Review meeting with business leaders to gain agreement on the latest 24-month forecasts using input from Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service. If the organization cannot reach consensus, recommends final decision to leadership for review and decision making.
Create and implement a periodic consensus call process, covering a 13-week horizon, at the SKU, location level. The process includes talking to sales / customers, comparing orders with forecast, making decisions on adjusting upcoming weeks and identifying abnormal demand patterns; creating and reviewing forecasting exception reports.

Review and continuous improvement

Assist in defining, measuring and tracking metrics to improve demand planning performance, including forecast error metrics at all levels of the process

Define and achieve continuous improvement goals on forecast bias and forecast error

Ensure that root-cause analysis and corrective actions are completed in areas with high forecast error

Own, maintains, and configure the demand planning tools

Lead set up and configuration of parameters in the tools used for statistical forecasting. Ensure that the system is used where appropriate for base business.

Ensure that all forecasts are in the formal forecasting system and are transmitted to MRP by scheduled dates.

Use statistical techniques to analyze and improve forecast accuracy, select forecast model types, and incorporate customer-level forecast information, where appropriate.

Use historical data and promotion grid information to forecast expected lift from future promotions.

Serve as the process contributor for the demand planning process; evaluating changes which could improve results, monitoring performance of the process, surfacing and helping to resolve issues.

Seek out methods to improve forecasting, especially using latest developments in the space (AI based forecasting etc)

Scenario planning

Where supply constraints exist, develop and evaluate demand plan options such as promotion and launch dates with Sales and Marketing to optimize service levels and inventories.

Develop models to predict demand for new product introductions.

Perform “What-If?” scenarios based on price, market share, and competitive data.

Effectively lead a team of forecast analyst(s) in achieving the above goals

Perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Position Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree is required. Five (5) years of relevant work experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.

Five (5) years of relevant Planning experience is required. For candidates substituting experience in lieu of degree, ten (10) total years related experience is required.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.

Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills with a proven ability to create and maintain positive working relationships with sales team members, customers, commercialization, marketing and innovation teams is required.

Strong supervisory and leadership skills are required.

Must have excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

Ability to develop a thorough understanding of company products and logistics is required.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills are required.

Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel, PowerPoint & Word is required.

Proficient with statistical modeling and advanced planning suites

What We Offer :

We provide a comprehensive compensation package, including :

New Hire Base Salary Range in Chicago, IL : $82- 102k per annum.

Wellbeing : We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial wellbeing lifestyle for our employees and their families.

Note : This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

ofi provides equality of opportunity for all persons with respect to hiring without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation. All employment will be decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us for support at : US-Talent.Acquisition@olamnet.com At ofi, we celebrate our diversity. Olam Americas Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

Salary : $82,000 - $102,000

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