Position Title: Demand Planner
Reports To: Supply Chain and Customer Service Manager, East Africa,
Our client Pernod Ricard is a worldwide leader in the wines and spirits industry with HQ for East Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.
They are seeking to hire a Demand Planner to Create and maintain forecast models across the Pernod Ricard Kenya business incorporating business intelligence and forecast information gathered from the Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Supply Chain operations; Lead and manage the S&OP process to ensure that the S&OP discipline is adhered to and Develop a robust and cost-effective supply plan that meets customer demand derived from business plans as agreed to during the monthly Demand Review meetings.
Key Responsibilities
Demand Planning
- Support the Annual business planning and monthly forecasting process by driving volume and value forecasting
- Lead the demand review and forecast alignment meetings.
- Support the Commercial Team and Commercial Analyst to ensure the rolling 18 months sales forecasting discipline is understood and adhered to.
- Collaborate with the Commercial Analyst and Commercial Team to challenge trends and capture market intelligence and understand demand forecast drivers during pre-demand and final demand review meetings.
- Ensure that the business receives an 18-month consensus demand plan (sales forecast) approved by the Commercial/Sales or Managing Director.
- Collaborate with the Commercial Analyst to review historical sales trends, research demand drivers, and evaluate forecast results to support a collaborative and consensus approach with the Sales,
- Marketing, and Finance teams, to obtain and ensure that current and accurate information is used in forecast planning.
- Plan monthly departmental alignments and make recommendations to improve the sales forecast.
- Obtain sales out forecasts to support forecasts and demand planning and to recommend stock planning parameters based on sales out forecasts per customer.
- Closely coordinate and communicate Customer action plans with Supply Planning.
- Provide input into the Supply Planning operations in developing inventory strategies on existing items, new products, and product phase-outs.
- Constantly engage with stakeholders to ensure alignment in lead times, inventory days, and inventory aging.
Data Management
- Create and maintain the appropriate master data in the Planning systems in use, minimizing errors, and avoiding duplication and obsolescence. i.e. Anaplan
- Create statistical forecasts to gather, analyze, validate data and execute statistical modeling software
- Review the results of the statistical forecast model and apply error analysis techniques to improve forecasting; summarize and aggregate statistical forecasts. Refine the forecast model to reflect updated Sales and Marketing assumptions
- Maintain the demand planning system and software to input and modify data and ensure the correctness of product hierarchy
- Monitor trends in forecast error – Identify relevant market-related data and competitive intelligence
- Drive fast, appropriate actions to minimize the impact of deviations from the Demand Plan and communicate these actions to stakeholders.
- Consistently improve the Demand Plan Accuracy (DPA accuracy level and variability) using the Forecast Value Added (FVA) concept and drive out systematic forecast bias through detailed analyses of past performance.
- Track errors using DP Reason Codes and maintain an efficient Learning Log.
- Provide input to volume planning (Latest Estimates / annual process) and achieve consensus with the business side and the demand chain
Continuous Improvement
- Maintain Monthly, Quarterly, and ad hoc reporting on Operations KPI’s internally and to the Regional Office or EMEA HQ
- Propose improvement initiatives based on KPI’s reports and sales trends
- Lead and manage the end-to-end process for New Product Introductions
- Lead and manage ad hoc projects from start to end
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business Management, Statistics, or another relevant field.
- A graduate diploma (CIPS) or any other national higher diploma in Supply Chain or Logistics is a plus.
- Min 5 years of work experience as a Demand Planner or similar role.
- Demonstrated knowledge of demand planning philosophies and processes as well as a proven track record.
- Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel to analyze demand planning and forecasting.
- Excellent IT skills and previous experience with an ERP system.
- Excellent communication and people skills.
- Sufficient knowledge of warehousing and distribution.
- A strong business perspective.
- A passion for working with customers, internally and externally.
- A strong desire to develop trust and long-term relationships.
- A strong desire to strive for service improvements and be proactive and responsive to customer demands.
- Ability to impact and influence others to work cross-functionally and externally to get commitment to ideas, and actions and deliver results.
How to Apply
If you are up to the challenge and possess the necessary qualification and experience, send your CV only quoting the job title on the email subject (Demand Planner) to vacancies@corporatestaffing.co.ke by 25th February 2023.