Sr. Demand Planner

ASR Group is the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar, with an annual production capacity of more than 6 million tons of sugar. The company produces a full line of grocery, industrial, food service and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group owns and operates six sugar refineries, located in Louisiana, New York, California, Maryland, Canada and Mexico. In the European Union, the company owns and operates sugar refineries in England, Portugal.  ASR Group also owns and operates mills in Mexico and Belize.  The company’s brand portfolio includes the leading brands Domino®, C&H®, Redpath®, Tate & Lyle®, Lyle’s® and Sidul®.

 

 

 

OVERVIEW

The Sr. Demand Planner will provide sales trend analysis, support, and inputs to our demand and supply plans in support of the Sales & Operations Planning process. They will successfully engage across the business acting as a liaison between Supply Planning, Sales and other cross-functional departments. This position facilitates root cause analysis of demand planning KPIs and leads action items to drive Continuous Improvement of the process. This role functions as the pivotal communication point for supply and service constraints between planning and the business team. The ongoing goal of this position is to achieve continuous improvement for customer service and simultaneously reduce finished goods inventory to achieve working capital targets, by improving forecast accuracy while also supporting overall business growth. The Sr. Planner also provides informal coaching and support to other Planners on the team and serves as a key back-up to the Sr. Demand Planning manager as needed.

 

 

DETAILED ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Execute a strategic approach to the business identifying trends in the data to help influence forecast and communicate patterns.
• Execute monthly Demand cycle: IBP SAP template analysis, 1:1 meetings with Sales, Demand call leadership and ongoing adjustments in the forecast.
• Collaborate with Sales to gather customer information in order to drive forecast improvements and meet targets. Information will include product assortments (by customer), new item introductions, timing for discontinued styles, and promotional plans. Manage and monitor the sales demand forecast through the entire planning horizon.
• Foster robust relationship with Sales team through 1 on 1 meetings.
• Support reporting and S&OP preparation, including designing/creating needed reports and maintaining existing reports. Own action items resulting from the S&OP cycle.
• Analyze and validate data and present findings to Sales as well as upper level management.
• Lead root-cause analysis for demand performance gaps in order to identify potential risks and opportunities and subsequent requirements for action.
• Develop, analyze, and communicate the short and long-range demand plan to Supply Planning to assist Supply Chain leadership in assessing capital and capacity.
• Coordinate all aspects of Demand Planning related to the delivery of projects that support growth objectives, new product development, cost reductions, operational efficiency improvements, and reduce business waste.
• Challenge sales forecast accuracy and bias to drive continuous improvement.
• Develop statistical forecasts, where applicable as baseline, to support Sales team in the development of Annual Business Plan
• Utilize SAP, Excel, Access and other systems/processes to gather demand-planning data and do analysis in and across designated distribution channels.
• Develop action plans to create sustainable demand planning processes. Support team in process documentation and obtaining cross-functional sign off.
• Lead projects within Demand Planning to elevate the maturity of department processes in alignment with the team’s vision.
• Support project work driven by other departments where Demand Planning is a stakeholder.
• Drive improvements in the department to remove waste from current processes and tools.
• Ability to handle ambiguity and make decisions with little direction.

 

 

WORK EXPERIENCES

• 5+ years’ experience in Supply Chain
• Demand Planning is highly desirable
• APICS certification a plus
• SAP experience - Integrated Business Planning module a plus
• Strong analytical skills with ability to work in dynamic environment with ability to be flexible and work in agile areas

 

 

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university required
  • Degree in Business, Supply Chain or Operations preferred

 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

• No direct reports