Demand Planner

Position Summary

The Demand Planner – Food is responsible for building the monthly demand plan for Sealed Air’s (SEE’s) NA Food business, including the development of a rolling 36-month forecast at the profit center, product hierarchy, and SKU levels as part of SEE’s Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process. To reach consensus, the planner is responsible for working with Product Marketing, Sales, and Finance to determine key assumptions including the latest market trends, promotional activities, and new customer intel.  The Demand Planner will play a key role in implementing Class A Demand Planning and will contribute to process design, standard operating procedures, key responsibilities, and metrics.  The position will also contribute to the process enablement and implementation of new planning software, statistical forecast tools, and/or other key ambitions of the team. Key goals include forecast accuracy improvement, bias elimination, and building stakeholder confidence.

Job Description

• Responsible for the Key Performance Indicators for the Food Vertical at SEE.  Ensure forecast accuracy targets are within 5%, and bias is eliminated (+/- 2%).
• Become a Trusted Advisor to the key stakeholders within the Food Vertical at SEE.  Build stakeholder confidence and bring key/proactive analysis to help the business perform.
• Lead Food Vertical stakeholders in the development of 36-month rolling demand forecasts in units and $, which will become the basis for the latest estimates, operating plans, and financial forecasts.
• Document assumptions underlying the forecast and highlight key changes; monitor market environment vs. assumptions.
• Coordinates the monthly Pre-Demand Review meetings to gain input on necessary demand changes and understanding of key volume forecast misses from prior months.
• Create and implement a weekly forecast vs. actual sales tracking process at the necessary level to help inform our short-term forecast.  The weekly process includes comparing order receipts with the latest forecast, making decisions on adjusting upcoming weeks, and identifying abnormal demand patterns for needed forecast adjustments.
• Assist in the development of forecast error metrics at all levels of the process and achieve continuous improvement goals on forecast bias and forecast error.  Ensure that root-cause analysis and corrective actions are completed.
• Support the achievement and maintenance of the forecasting process at the Class A Planning level.
• Support in the installation of supporting software for statistical forecasting and demand plan reporting.   
• Develop and evaluate demand plan options such as promotion and launch dates with Sales and Marketing to optimize service levels and inventories.

Qualifications

Education/Experience/Qualifications:

• BA/BS Degree - Business or Technical, preferably in a quantitative field.
• Minimum 4 years of experience in Sales, Marketing, or Supply Chain with an emphasis on supply and demand alignment.
• Experience with forecasting software is highly desirable.
• Experience mapping and redesigning business processes is desirable.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to influence.
• Strong analytical abilities to identify issues and self-start programs.
• Ability to communicate clearly & liaise broadly across functions.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to change, working closely with key stakeholders to drive the same.
• Excellent relationship-building skills complemented by the proven ability to work with others, especially across team boundaries.
• Knowledge of SEE products and customers is desirable.
• Proficient with Office 365 – Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Word, & PowerPoint.
• Power BI data analysis/dashboard creation skills and SAP ERP system experience are a plus.