Demand Planner

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Create and manage SKU-level demand forecasts for DTC, retail, and marketplace channels.

• Generate forecasts by analyzing historical demand, trends, seasonality, promotions, customer and retailer strategies, marketing initiatives, and new product introductions.

• Formulate forecasts for new products and channels based on assumptions and analogs.

• Recognize shifts in demand patterns and proactively modify forecasts.

• Maintain views on baseline versus incremental demand.

• Oversee the regular demand consensus process, ensuring alignment among channel and cross-functional partners around a unified demand forecast.

• Prepare documentation that outlines forecast changes, underlying assumptions, risks, opportunities, and decision points.

• Reconcile statistical forecasts with channel expectations and business objectives.

• Record forecast assumptions and decision-making processes.

• Convert the agreed-upon demand plan into data for supply, inventory, and financial planning.

• Establish and track demand planning KPIs, including forecast accuracy and bias.

• Analyze forecast versus actual results to enhance forecast quality.

• Identify systematic forecast biases and suggest changes to processes or methodologies.

• Differentiate consumer demand from inventory limitations, out-of-stock situations, retailer ordering behaviors, and other distortions.

• Develop reports detailing demand trends, forecast adjustments, risks, and opportunities.

• Maintain demand forecasts and SKU/channel data within planning systems.

• Ensure the accuracy of SKU attributes, product hierarchies, channel mappings, lifecycle statuses, launch dates, and planning inputs.

• Assist in the setup of new SKUs, customers, and channels.

• Keep forecast versions and planning assumptions as a trusted source of truth.

• Enhance planning tools, reporting capabilities, automation, and data quality.

• Collaborate with Supply Planning and Operations regarding inventory, supply needs, and availability risks.

• Work alongside DTC and Growth/Marketing teams on acquisition strategies, promotions, subscriptions, campaigns, and demand drivers.

• Partner with Finance on budgeting, planning, revenue targets, and unit goals.

• Provide forecasts, assumptions, variance analyses, risks, and opportunities for monthly consensus and Stage Gate meetings.

• Support scenario planning and sensitivity analyses.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 7 years of experience in demand planning, forecasting, supply chain planning, inventory planning, or a similar analytical position.

• Proven experience in forecasting for DTC/e-commerce, Amazon or other marketplaces, and wholesale/retail contexts.

• Strong analytical abilities, with a knack for transforming complex data into clear insights and recommendations.

• In-depth understanding of demand planning principles, including forecasting methods, seasonality impacts, promotional effects, new product forecasting, accuracy, and bias.

• Experience handling large SKU-level datasets while ensuring data integrity.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with a talent for facilitating consensus.

• Comfortable navigating a dynamic environment with shifting priorities, channels, and demand signals.

• Proactive approach to problem-solving.

• Background in CPG, beauty, personal care, household products, or another rapidly growing consumer brand.

• Familiarity with integrated business planning or S&OP.

• Experience forecasting for retail clients using retailer forecasts, POS data, and purchase orders.

• Knowledge of subscription or replenishment-based DTC businesses.

• Experience with forecasting dynamics in Amazon or other marketplaces.

🏝️ Benefits

• Health benefits.

• Stock options.

• Generous paid time off.

• Paid holidays.

• Paid civic engagement days.

• Paid parental leave.

• 401k (employee contribution).

• Professional development stipends.

• Remote work reimbursements.

• Discounts to like-minded companies.