What does a demand planning manager do?
A demand planning manager is an individual who supervises a team of demand planners in all the demand planning activities of an organization. Demand planning managers must develop effective forecast models based on industry trends and demand patterns and implement solutions to improve demand forecast accuracy. To have a successful demand planning operation, managers must work closely with the management, inventory, supply chain, and sales teams. They also assist in employee recruitment as well as organize training for team members.
Demand planning manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real demand planning manager resumes:
- Develop and manage the in-house RMA process, which include ERP deployment.
- Lead successful implementation of QAD ERP system on time and $226k under budget.
- Identify specific organizational structure and system requirements need to achieve CPFR.
- Develop and manage dual eligible program for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.
- Manage communication between key areas of logistics within division including transportation, warehouse, production, sales and senior management.
- Develop efficient reporting system including KPIs to measure and track demand planning efficiency.
- Develop and maintain KPIs to identify risk & opportunities.
- Assist in the implement of the JDA planning system.
- Convert MRP-driven schedule into a visual KANBAN scheduling system.
- Reduce work in process (WIP) inventory levels by over $50K.
- Perform cycle counts in the raw warehouse, WIP, and finish goods; report status.
- Utilize MRP, MPS, and bill of materials to determine availability of materials and escalation paths.
- Utilize point of sale (POS), inventory, orders, and shipments to create and validate detail forecasts.
- Analyze key business drivers, POS data, and reporting metrics and drive improvement in the forecasting process with demand team.
- Communicate replenishment requirements to manufacturing plants, logistics and suppliers.
Demand planning manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Demand Planning Managers are proficient in Supply Chain, Forecast Accuracy, and KPIs. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Interpersonal skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Demand Planning Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Supply Chain, 14%
Collaborated extensively with Supply Chain Managers and plants to determine manufacturing levels, global inventory and managing customer expectations.
- Forecast Accuracy, 11%
Manage monthly forecast accuracy by implementing a forecast consumption review programs to drive service level improvements and increase inventory turns.
- KPIs, 10%
Developed efficient reporting system including KPIs to measure and track demand planning efficiency.
- Logistics, 6%
Managed communication between key areas of logistics within division including transportation, warehouse, production, sales and senior management.
- Capacity Planning, 5%
Managed capacity planning and material scheduling for site wide operations.
- Continuous Improvement, 5%
Review historical sales trends and demand drives to utilized potential statistical models for continuous improvement for forecasting systems and models.
"supply chain," "forecast accuracy," and "kpis" are among the most common skills that demand planning managers use at work. You can find even more demand planning manager responsibilities below, including:
Creativity. The most essential soft skill for a demand planning manager to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." Additionally, a demand planning manager resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "work closely with production planning and distribution to identify demand changes and make appropriate adjustment to the flow of inventory. "
Interpersonal skills. Many demand planning manager duties rely on interpersonal skills. "managers must deal with a range of people in different roles, both inside and outside the organization.," so a demand planning manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways demand planning manager responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "trained new employees in business practices, new business development, and interpersonal communication. "
Analytical skills. demand planning managers are also known for analytical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to demand planning manager responsibilities, because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." A demand planning manager resume example shows how analytical skills is used in the workplace: "analyzed modeling and liaised with sales, account managers and executive leadership to translate data into s&op; and erp. "
Organizational skills. A big part of what demand planning managers do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to demand planning manager responsibilities because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical demand planning manager tasks: "provided project leadership for cross-organizational supply chain initiatives, including ccusa concentrate supply chain study and demand management infrastructure upgrade initiative. "
Communication skills. Another common skill required for demand planning manager responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of demand planning managers all the time, as "managers must be able to communicate effectively with a broad-based team made up of other managers or staff members during the advertising, promotions, and marketing process." An excerpt from a real demand planning manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a demand planning manager does: "established new seasonal demand forecasting process to drive increased communication between customers and supply chain functions. "
The three companies that hire the most demand planning managers are:
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Compare different demand planning managers
Demand planning manager vs. Manager, field marketing
A field marketing manager oversees a company's field marketing operations, aiming to improve brand awareness and reach sales goals. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around devising marketing strategies, participating in organizing campaigns and trade shows, setting objectives for the team, and monitoring the progress of marketing programs, ensuring they are functioning effectively and efficiently. There are also instances when the manager must address issues and concerns, performing corrective measures when necessary. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach company goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a demand planning manager are more likely to require skills like "supply chain," "forecast accuracy," "kpis," and "logistics." On the other hand, a job as a manager, field marketing requires skills like "digital marketing," "integrated marketing," "project management," and "salesforce." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Managers, field marketing earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $100,565. On the other hand, demand planning managers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $122,537.The education levels that managers, field marketing earn slightly differ from demand planning managers. In particular, managers, field marketing are 8.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a demand planning manager. Additionally, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Demand planning manager vs. Product manager
A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real demand planning manager resumes. While demand planning manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "supply chain," "forecast accuracy," "kpis," and "logistics," product managers use skills like "product management," "qa," "product strategy," and "project management."
On average, product managers earn a higher salary than demand planning managers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, product managers earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $114,839. Whereas demand planning managers have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $122,537.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Product managers tend to reach similar levels of education than demand planning managers. In fact, they're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Demand planning manager vs. Market manager
A marketing manager is an executive who manages a brand or product's promotion positioning. Marketing managers analyze the trends in the industry and the demand for certain products and services. Typically, they attract more customers to purchase products and/or services and raise brand awareness through marketing campaigns. They research, identify, examine, and evaluate product demand. Also, they review advertising materials like print ads to boost the marketing strategy of the company and strengthen its campaign.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from demand planning manager resumes include skills like "supply chain," "forecast accuracy," "kpis," and "logistics," whereas a market manager is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "business development," "strong analytical," and "excellent interpersonal. "
Market managers make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $85,133. On the other hand, demand planning managers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $122,537.Most market managers achieve a lower degree level compared to demand planning managers. For example, they're 7.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Demand planning manager vs. Supply chain manager
A supply chain manager is an individual who takes responsibility for managing hardware, equipment, and any other logistical details of an organization. Supply chain managers work alongside the external partners for parts and raw material procurement. They make sure that global companies coordinate with their sources of goods. These professionals also assess their suppliers and negotiate corporate contracts with vendors. The skills they needed include technical understanding, project management, cost accounting skills, and business ethics.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between demand planning managers and supply chain managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a demand planning manager might have more use for skills like "forecast accuracy," "capacity planning," "demand management," and "demand review." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of supply chain managers require skills like "project management," "customer service," "chain management," and "strong project management. "
In general, supply chain managers earn the most working in the professional industry, with an average salary of $109,431. The highest-paying industry for a demand planning manager is the technology industry.In general, supply chain managers hold similar degree levels compared to demand planning managers. Supply chain managers are 0.8% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of demand planning manager
Updated January 8, 2025
