DEMAND PLANNING MANAGER at Kent Precision Foods Group in Muscatine, Iowa

Job Description:

POSITION SUMMARY:

Are you ready to join a US Best Managed Company?! Kent Precision Foods Group, a member of the Kent Corporation family of companies, has an opportunity to join our team as a Demand Planning Manager. You will work closely with cross-functional teams including Sales, Marketing, Operations, Customer Service and Finance to develop and maintain demand plans that meet business objectives. As the primary voice of demand planning to the organization, you will play a key process leadership role in Integrated Business Planning, Integrated Tactical Planning, budgeting, and sales planning processes.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Use statistical analysis and forecasting tools to develop and manage the accurate and reliable demand plans that reflect the current business environment.


• Collaborate with cross functional teams to gather input on sales forecasts, promotional plans, and market trends as an input to the demand planning process.


• Work with production planning, scheduling and procurement teams to ensure materials and capacity are available to support production schedules.


• Develop and maintain inventory targets and safety stock levels to balance inventory investment with customer service objectives.


• Analyze and report on demand planning KPIs, including forecast accuracy, inventory turns, customer service levels, brand trends, top customer groups and sku level sell through data.


• Identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives to eliminate bias from forecasts and optimize the demand planning function,


• Collaborate with cross functional teams to manage new product launches, promotions, and other events that impact demand.


• Monitor forecast accuracy metrics and bias by customer with sales and adjust based off sales trends or new sales information.


• Monitor actual sales performance and adjust demand plans as needed to ensure inventory levels are optimized and customer service levels are maintained.


• Coordinate the monthly Demand Planning Review meeting to gain agreement on the latest forecasts using input from Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service  


• Responsible for leading the demand planning function to ensure accurate demand forecasts, production planning, and inventory management as part of the integrated business planning and integrated tactical planning processes.


• Responsible for leading and designing initiatives, systems, workflows, and measures that drive improvement in overall demand plan accuracy, bias, and forecast value-add.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum 5+ years experience in demand planning, forecasting or a related field in a manufacturing environment.


• Intermediate to advanced skills in MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.) is required


• Experience with data analytics and forecasting tools such as PowerBI, Tableau, or creating dashboards via Excel


• Experience with ERP systems and demand planning tools


• Experience with SQL and relational data bases


• IBP or S&OP experience is preferred but not required


• A solid understanding of inventory management practices and procedures


• Strong mathematical and statistical knowledge


• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills


• Excellent communication and collaboration skills


• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive results


• The capability to multitask in a fast-paced environment


• Lead as an effective influencer and cross functional partner and must be a skilled collaborator that drives accountability with cross functional teammates

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Data Analytics/Data Science or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.

TRAVEL:

• 10-20% to for site visits and meetings.

See job description