Market Planner

The Market Planner assists in all demand and planning duties including estimating future product demand, managing inventory at country level, and developing forecast models.

Market Planner monitors and mitigates supply exceptions at country-level and leads and drives communications between different areas involved in the demand and supply chain process. The role encompasses a high level of risk management and order management accountabilities.

To succeed in this role, you should be professional, proactive, highly analytical, and possess excellent communication skills. The successful candidate should also have an in-depth knowledge of advanced mathematics and forecasting policies.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and develop the demand forecast (volume-value) through the S&OP cycle, based on demand trends and business assumptions, identify risk and opportunities to the plan with a high level of granularity (e.g., channels, initiatives, activations) and recommend actions to close the gap from volume forecasted and any business targets.
• Drive and conduct S&OP meetings to ensure issues/potential risks around DSI (demand, supply, and inventory) are addressed properly and timely.
• Provide visibility on past performance supporting assumptions for outlook. Portfolio management opportunities (e.g., ABC & Distribution opportunities, in/out management).
• Work with customers, sales team, oversea plant planning team and logistics to improve forecast accuracy.

• Provide portfolio trend analysis enabling to mitigate risk or explore opportunities impacting costs or revenues.

• Provide visibility of demand in week/month/quarter bucket, and a mid to long term strategic plan as supply planner to ensure end to end supply chain planning to support top line sales and business growth.

• Maintain close contact with global supply chain; effectively escalate for support for priority cases jointly with global supply chain team. Assist in risk assessment and mitigation activities.
• Own the communication strategy to the customers and sales team about product availability and possible supply issues. Lead commercial meetings to review pipelines and manage country fulfillment.
• Assessing the financial structure and inventory storage capabilities of the business.
• Anticipating stock request based on market trend and business assumptions.
• Monitor movement of materials through purchasing, storage, production, and retail distribution

• Joint accountability of inventory management:

• Ensure quality of inventory, inventory turns meet defined targets delivering high standard of customer service level.

• Suggesting changes to inventory warehousing to meet increased or reduced demand.
• Keep inventory levels based on future customer demands.
• Tracking inventory across multiple locations.

• Set preferred stock levels and prevent excess inventory.

• Work very closely with marketing / trade marketing team on promotions plans, build accurate volume projections into forecast.

• Manage NPI/NPD projects to ensure timely launching per defined schedule scope by marketing, trade marketing and commercial teams.
• Provide support to sales and marketing teams in developing seasonal demand forecasts, based on historic trends.

Profile

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, or related field. Master´s degree preferred.
• +3 years of experience as Demand Planner, Supply Planner or CPFR Sr.
• Integrity & Accountability – Operate with the highest ethical standards.
• Detailed working knowledge of effective supply chain performance, including operations management.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to judge when to deep dive – the Market Planner will be self-driven to achieve their outcomes.
• Significant experience of prioritization and ability to adapt to change.
• Proven stakeholder management skills (including influencing, communication negotiating and conflict management) and experience in a geographically diverse, matrix organization.
• Results-orientated, creative, practical, analytical, attention to detail, self-motivated, and a team-player.
• Demonstrated ability for sound decision making while working under pressure in critical situations.
• Proficiency with SAP, Microsoft excel and demand programs.
• Excel advanced level.
• English fluently.