Demand Planner
13 days ago
Austin
Job Description Senior Manager, Demand Planning Location: Remote - US Based Reports To: VP, Supply Chain Role Overview Kettle & Fire is seeking a Senior Manager, Demand Planning to build, lead, and scale our demand planning and S&OP capabilities as we continue our high-growth trajectory. This role is responsible for developing and owning a best-in-class demand forecasting process, including: • Executive-level S&OP alignment, • Innovation forecasting, • Promotional planning The ideal candidate is a self-starter who thrives in building processes and tools from the ground up and is energized by creating structure in a fast-moving environment. Key ResponsibilitiesDemand Planning & Forecast Ownership • Own and manage the end-to-end demand forecasting process, including:, • 18-month rolling baseline forecast, • Promotional and trade forecasting, • New product innovation forecasting, • SKU-level and customer-level forecasting, • Develop and maintain statistical and analytical forecasting models, • Analyze POS and syndicated data (e.g., Circana/IRI, Nielsen) to inform forecast assumptions, • Perform root cause analysis on forecast variances and drive corrective actions, • Partner with Sales and Marketing to assess promotional lift, innovation ramp curves, and customer pipeline opportunities, • Support annual operating plan and monthly reforecast processes with FinanceS&OP / IBP Process Leadership, • Build and institutionalize the company’s S&OP process, including:, • Demand review, • Cross-functional alignment, • Executive S&OP meeting facilitation, • Develop executive-ready materials summarizing forecast assumptions, risks, and opportunities, • Drive alignment across Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Operations, • Establish clear decision-making frameworks and accountability within the S&OP cycle, • Create transparency into risks, gaps, and capacity constraintsAnalytics, Systems & KPIs, • Develop and manage demand planning KPIs:, • Forecast Accuracy, • WAPE, • Bias, • Service Impact, • Design reporting dashboards and standardized metrics, • Build scalable models to support growth and increasing SKU complexity, • Assess current planning systems and recommend future-state tools as the business scales, • Partner with IT to implement and optimize demand planning systems as neededCross-Functional Leadership & Influence, • Serve as the key bridge between Commercial and Supply Chain, • Build strong relationships across Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Procurement, • Provide data-driven insights to influence commercial and operational decisions, • Drive transparency and alignment on revenue and supply risks, • Communicate complex analytical concepts in clear, actionable languageTeam Development & Scaling, • Define the future-state structure of the demand planning team, • Hire, coach, and develop planners as the organization grows, • Establish standard operating procedures and best practices, • Drive continuous improvement in forecasting capability and process maturityQualificationsRequired Experience, • 7–10 years of experience in demand planning, forecasting, or supply chain planning, • Experience in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) or consumer products industry required, • Proven experience building or leading an S&OP or IBP process, • Strong expertise in SKU-level forecasting and promotional planning, • Advanced Excel and data modeling skills, • Experience analyzing syndicated and POS data (Circana, Nielsen, IRI, etc.), • Experience working with ERP and demand planning systems (e.g., SAP, Blue Yonder, o9, NetSuite, etc.), • Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders, including executivesPreferred, • Experience in high-growth or scaling organizations, • Experience evaluating or implementing demand planning tools, • People management experience or demonstrated leadership capabilityWhat Success Looks Like, • S&OP process is structured, disciplined, and trusted by executive leadership, • Forecast accuracy improves and bias is actively managed, • Innovation and promotional forecasts are predictable and actionable, • Cross-functional teams view Demand Planning as a strategic partner, • Tools and reporting scale with business growth, • Clear roadmap for team structure as complexity increasesLeadership Profile, • Self-starter who builds structure where none exists, • Strong analytical thinker with business acumen, • Comfortable influencing executive audiences, • Solutions-oriented and proactive, • Detail-oriented but able to operate at both tactical and strategic levels, • Thrives in ambiguity and growth environment