Manager, Demand Planning

Purpose and Relevance for the organization:

 

Leads and coordinates the demand planning process for assigned channel(s), ensuring accurate, timely, and strategically aligned demand plan inputs. This role is a key partner to the Senior Manager, acting as a right hand in facilitating cross-functional meetings, driving process improvements, managing timelines, and solving operational challenges. In addition to providing guidance, validation, and reporting, the Manager mentors junior team members, oversees channel-specific projects, and ensures alignment between commercial, financial, and operational targets.

 

Responsibilities:

 

Channel Planning & Facilitation

• Partner with Category Demand Planning to validate and guide demand plan inputs for assigned channel(s).
• Support volume-to-value translation and lead key commercial and financial discussions.
• Facilitate Demand & Supply (D&S) meetings and other planning touchpoints, ensuring alignment across stakeholders.
• Perform assumption checks to confirm timely, accurate, and logical category inputs that meet channel objectives.
• Ensure mass uploads and system updates are executed accurately and on schedule.
• Ensure the demand plan feeding the buy signal for assigned channel is flowing as expected. Help identify potential issues and troubleshoot problems.

 

Strategic Partnership & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Act as the primary deputy to the Senior Manager, helping manage the channel calendar, timelines, and deliverables.
• Proactively identify and escalate risks, opportunities, and decision points to senior leadership.
• Support the facilitation of cross-functional meetings, driving alignment between Merchandising, Finance, Channel Buying & Planning, Sales Planning, and Supply Chain.
• Represent the channel in cross-team forums when the Senior Manager is unavailable.

 

Project Management & Process Improvement

• Lead channel-specific projects from concept to completion, ensuring measurable business impact.
• Drive process changes that improve forecast accuracy, efficiency, and data quality.
• Champion adoption of best practices and global planning standards within the channel.

 

Reporting & Insights

• Oversee creation, maintenance, and delivery of channel-specific reporting.
• Consolidate and present channel performance, risks, and opportunities to senior stakeholders.
• Translate data into actionable recommendations for commercial, financial, and operational strategies.

 

Team Leadership & Development

• Mentor and provide guidance to junior team members, ensuring they understand processes, timelines, and best practices.
• Provide coaching and feedback to support skill development and career progression.
• Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented team culture.

 

KPIs:

• Demand plan accuracy for assigned channel(s).
• Achievement of channel sales, margin, and inventory targets.
• Timeliness and quality of demand plan submissions.
• On-time delivery of channel projects and process improvements.
• Effectiveness of cross-functional facilitation and decision-making support.
• Engagement and development of junior team members.

 

Key Contacts:

• Category Demand Planning teams
• Merchandising
• Finance
• Sales Planning
• Supply Chain
• Channel Buying & Planning
• Senior Leadership

 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

 

• Strong leadership and coaching skills; ability to mentor junior staff.
• Advanced project management capabilities, with proven ability to deliver process improvements.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving