Job Description
Main Purpose of Job
- The Demand Planner will be responsible for driving forecasting activities across the business product portfolio at the customer level.
- This role involves creating and maintaining accurate forecasts, analyzing market data, tracking sales performance, and ensuring optimal product availability.
- The Demand Planner will collaborate with various stakeholders to enhance forecast accuracy and support the overall sales and marketing strategies.
Main Responsibilities
Demand Forecasting:
- Develop monthly statistical forecasts for a 6-month horizon at the customer and pack format level.
- Translate qualitative sales discussions into actionable quantitative data to impact baseline forecasts.
- Analyze and incorporate marketing and trade information into baseline forecasts.
- Aggregate customer-level forecasts to budget center forecasts and break them down by SKU with relevant product mix.
- Capture and assess the impact of new product development activities on the baseline forecast.
- Review and validate forecasts across different sales levels within the region.
- Submit forecasts to HQ within set deadlines, ensuring accurate data capture and assumptions.
Sales Business Operations, Analysis, and Tracking:
- Track customer performance against forecasted pack formats.
- Conduct customer trend and change analysis.
- Identify customers not meeting growth targets and escalate to relevant stakeholders.
- Establish and maintain inventory standards to ensure optimal product availability at customer locations.
- Conduct quarterly customer business health-check analysis, measuring key variables such as average daily stock, the split of business between TDI & Cash Route, average daily vehicle on the establishment, and customer P&L.
- Collaborate closely with the supply planning team to ensure timely product availability.
- Monitor order fulfillment rate by the customer to enhance customer satisfaction.
- Provide daily sales operations reports to relevant stakeholders.
- Track and manage forecast accuracy and bias, implementing necessary adjustments.
- Conduct gap analysis and develop mitigation plans aligned with the regional sales team.
Trade Insight and Analysis:
- Establish and update the market universe on a monthly basis.
- Conduct market visits to collect data on distribution, weighted distribution, and share of shelf.
- Engage with customers to identify gaps and communicate them to relevant channels for resolution.
Selection Criteria (Qualifications, Experience & Knowledge) Essential
- Minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in General Management or General Sciences (BSc/HND).
- 2-4 years of relevant experience in demand planning or a similar role.
- High proficiency in Excel and other analytical tools.
- Understanding of the financial impact of decisions.
- Ability to build and leverage relationships to improve results.
- Open-mindedness and willingness to experiment with new improvement initiatives.
Desired:
- Good understanding and application of Power BI.
- Knowledge of bottling operations.
Key Competencies / Skills: Generic:
- Strong interpersonal skills to manage resources and operations at multiple levels.
- Problem-solving skills.
- Assertiveness.
- Teamwork.
Functional:
- Advanced Excel skills.
- High numeracy and analytical skills.