Demand Planning

Job DetailsLevel: ExperiencedJob Location: Corporate Office - Mount Pleasant, PA 15666Position Type: SalaryEducation Level: 4 Year DegreeTravel Percentage: Occasional TravelJob Shift: DayJob Category: Supply ChainDemand & Supply Planner - Grocery Job Summary The Grocery Demand & Supply Planner is responsible for developing, managing, and continuously improving demand forecasts and supply plans across grocery SKUs and programs. This role plays a critical part in aligning sales expectations with purchasing, inventory, and financial strategies across defined planning horizons. This individual partners closely with Sales and Purchasing to build accurate, time-phased demand plans, while collaborating with Marketing, Finance, and Logistics to ensure effective execution across the end-to-end supply chain. This role requires both strategic oversight and hands-on execution in a fast-paced, high-growth Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) environment. Key Responsibilities Develop and maintain demand forecasts across weekly, monthly, and seasonal planning horizons Translate sales inputs, promotional plans, and market trends into accurate, data-driven forecasts Partner with Sales and Marketing to incorporate customer programs, promotions, and new product launches into demand plans Collaborate with Purchasing and Operations to convert demand forecasts into executable supply and procurement plans Build and manage supply plans aligned with supplier lead times, production constraints, and distribution requirements Lead or support monthly demand review and Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) / Integrated Business Planning processes Monitor forecast accuracy and continuously refine forecasting models and assumptions Analyze POS data, shipment history, promotional lift, and seasonality to improve forecast performance Balance service levels, inventory turns, and shrink/spoilage, particularly in perishable categories Identify risks and opportunities (e.g., demand variability, supply disruptions) and recommend mitigation strategies Partner with Finance to align forecasts with budgets, revenue targets, and financial plans Coordinate with Logistics to ensure plans are operationally feasible Maintain data integrity across forecasting systems and tools     QualificationsEducation & Certifications Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, Statistics, or a related field preferred but not required Professional certifications are a plus: APICS / ASCM CPIM (Certified in Production & Inventory Management) APICS / ASCM CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional) IBF CPF (Certified Professional Forecaster) Experience 5+ years of experience in demand planning, supply chain planning, or forecasting within a CPG environment (food industry preferred) Experience managing SKU-level forecasts across multiple retailers and sales channels Experience supporting or leading S&OP / Integrated Business Planning processes Proven experience collaborating cross-functionally with: Sales Marketing Finance Operations Vendors and external partners Experience with new product launches and promotional forecasting Experience working with retailer POS data (e.g., Nielsen, IRI, or retailer portals) Technical Skills Advanced Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, Power Query, forecasting models) Experience with demand planning or ERP systems (e.g., SAP, NetSuite, Oracle) Strong analytical capability with the ability to interpret: POS data Shipment history Promotional lift Seasonal trends Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI) preferred Leadership & Business Skills Ability to lead monthly demand review meetings and contribute to S&OP processes Strong cross-functional leadership, particularly with Sales and Marketing teams Ability to translate sales pipeline and promotional activity into statistical forecasts Experience managing and improving forecast accuracy metrics Ability to balance customer service levels, inventory investment, and operational constraints Capable of mentoring others and helping build demand planning capabilities across the organization Industry Knowledge Strong understanding of food CPG dynamics, including: Retailer replenishment processes and lead times Promotional calendars and trade spend management Shelf resets and product lifecycle management Perishability and shelf-life considerations Co-manufacturing and supplier constraints Additional Attributes Hands-on and comfortable building and adjusting forecasts directly Able to work effectively with imperfect or incomplete data Strong partnership mindset with sales leaders and key account managers Comfortable managing rapid SKU growth and innovation pipelines in a dynamic environment Ability to help scale processes and develop team capabilities as the organization grows