Sr. Demand Planner
Job Summary
The Sr. Demand Planner is a strategic leader responsible for owning the enterprise demand forecast and aligning Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Operations. This role plays a central part in the S&OP process, translating commercial strategy into an executable demand plan that supports revenue growth, inventory optimization, and service excellence. Success in this role requires executive presence, strong analytical expertise, and the ability to influence decision-making across the organization.
Responsibilities
- Manage end-to-end enterprise demand forecasting
- Lead S&OP demand planning pillar
- Drive forecast accuracy and process improvements
- Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Finance leaders
- Mentor demand planning team members
Required Skills
- 7-10+ years demand planning experience (CPG/FMCG)
- Expertise in S&OP/IBP environments
- Advanced Excel and forecasting tools
- Strong financial and business acumen
- Executive communication and influence
Job Details
Key Responsibilities:
- Own the end-to-end demand forecasting process across all channels, customers, and product categories.
- Lead the demand planning pillar of the S&OP process, including executive-level demand reviews.
- Translate commercial strategy, promotional plans, pricing actions, and innovation pipelines into a consensus demand forecast.
- Serve as the primary forecasting partner to Sales, Marketing, and Finance leadership.
- Proactively identify demand risks and opportunities and recommend mitigation strategies.
- Drive forecast accuracy improvements through advanced analytics, root cause analysis, and continuous process enhancement.
- Partner with Supply Planning and Operations to balance demand, inventory, lead time constraints and service objectives.
- Establish and monitor forecasting KPIs (WMAPE, Bias and Fill Rate) and present insights to senior leadership.
- Lead and mentor others in the demand planning team and set planning standards and best practices.
- Play a key role in system optimization, planning tool enhancements, and data governance initiatives.
- Support executive decision-making with scenario modeling and demand sensitivity analysis.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Economics, Analytics, or related field.
- 7-10+ years of progressive demand planning experience, preferably within CPG or FMCG.
- Proven leadership experience within S&OP / IBP environments.
- Advanced Excel and demand planning system expertise.
- Deep understanding of forecasting methodologies, lifecycle planning, and promotional forecasting.
- Strong business and financial acumen with the ability to connect demand plans to P&L outcomes.
- Experience with retail POS and inventory, syndicated data (IRI, Nielsen), and advanced forecasting tools.
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional alignment.
- Excellent executive communication and presentation skills.
Expectations:
- Hybrid role based in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. In-office attendance required Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; remote work optional Monday and Friday.
Preferred Qualifications:
- APICS certification (CPIM, CSCP) and/or IBF Certification.
- Experience managing high SKU complexity and omni-channel demand.
Leadership Competencies:
- Strategic and systems thinking.
- Executive presence and decision leadership.
- Strong change management and continuous improvement mindset.
- Talent development and coaching.
- Results-oriented with a bias toward action.