Senior demand planner job description

in Music is a family of leading music technology and consumer electronic brands. We live and breathe music. We incorporate and build upon the latest engineering, design, and technology in the DJ, Music Production, Pro Audio, Musical Instrument, and Consumer Electronics industries. Some of our leading brands are: Akai Professional, Alesis, Alto Professional, Denon DJ, Denon Professional, ION Audio, Marantz Professional, M-Audio, MixMeister, Rane, Numark and Sonivox.

If you want to join one of the most dynamic and creative industries and be part of a company committed to innovation with a shared sense of purpose of bringing music to people, then we want to speak with you.

Reporting directly to the Director of Planning, the Senior Inventory & Demand Planner will be responsible for executing end-to-end inventory planning to support existing product as well as newly launched products. They will lead the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process for assigned product lines to effectively balance demand and supply and deliver optimal inventory performance.

This role will be focused on a specific subset of the in Music business and will work closely with our RI-based product management and development teams, regional and global sales leadership and operations teams, our manufacturing liaison office in Taiwan, and contract manufacturers to manage finished goods flow and inventory levels for our businesses.

The successful candidate will collaborate in the development of rolling 24-month demand forecasts and will be responsible for planning and managing the supply chain from placement of purchase orders to goods receipt.

We are seeking an experienced and astute supply chain professional with strong planning, analytical, and Excel skills that understands and can help implement demand and supply planning best practices at in Music.
Requirements
BA/BS degree in supply chain management, business or other related field 7+ years applicable supply chain experience (Demand Planning/Supply Planning/Inventory Management/S&OP) preferably in a consumer goods industry. Solid grasp and clear understanding of basic financial and inventory measures: sales, margin, weeks of supply, safety stock, sell thru, inventory turns. Knowledge of S&OP principles and practices. Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills with the ability to work both cross-functionally and cross-culturally within a fast-paced environment. Excellent quantitative and analytical skills, with high attention to detail and accuracy
Prior SAP ERP experience in an MRP planning environment Advanced experience in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, v-look-ups, formulas, macros, etc.) and other Microsoft Office products. Power BI experience a plus
Benefits
in Music USA offers an excellent Total Rewards package that includes generous holiday and summer hours schedule, medical benefits available within your first 30 days, 401k plans with company match, and employee discounts on in Music products.
in Music celebrates diversity. We are an equal opportunity employer, recognizing that future success in a highly competitive marketplace depends on our employees and their development.
All applicants will receive equal consideration for employment at in Music and we encourage everyone to apply regardless of color, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, religion or belief or disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.

• Create statistical forecasts:
  - Gather, analyze and validate data
  - Execute statistical modeling software
  - Review resulting statistical forecast model
  - Apply error analysis techniques to improve forecasting
  - Summarize/aggregate statistical forecasts
• Review sales plans, financial budgets demand drivers:
  - Present, solicit, and assess feedback on the various forecasts from sales, and finance
  - Recommend adjustments for operational forecasts
  - Review promotional plans with sales
• Achieve consensus for operational demand forecasts by facilitating a collaborative planning process with sales, marketing and finance personnel
• Maintain demand planning system and software
  - Enter and modify data and ensure the correctness of product hierarchy
  - Monitor trends in forecast error
• Prepare and maintain relevant reports pertaining to demand planning, forecast and inventory health across all warehouses.

Key Results:

• A sales demand forecast which incorporates current and accurate market information that allows the company to correctly predict customer demand and provide its supply chain with the appropriate information to plan how to meet that customer demand.
• Improved relationships among sales, marketing, finance, purchasing and vendors which will lead to effective knowledge sharing and an optimal consensus forecast to better guide the company.
• Refined systems and methods to continually improve forecasts so that the company can better anticipate customer demands.
• Required Education & Experience

BA/BS college degree or its equivalent
Minimum 3 years’ experience in a demand planning/forecasting role
Solid understanding of inventory management practices and procedures


Other:

Demonstrated proficiency in statistics, forecasting and forecasting methods with an understanding of their financial and operational impacts.
Experienced with a Demand Planning software

Experienced with other software packages including Windows, and Microsoft Office. This position requires strong analytical, organizational, decision making, and presentation skills. Strong interpersonal skills are also essential to effectively interact with all teams, areas and levels of business affecting the forecast process.

• Develops item, location, weekly forecasts for a 24 month rolling horizon for a subset of categories using historical trends, customer intelligence, and other demand drivers which provides a signal for the broader organization.

• Addresses planning/forecasting related issues that the manufacturing plants or stakeholders bring to the table, evaluating the problems, and finding the best course of action.

• Minimizes inconsistencies in information as this position works between and within numerous platforms to obtain all required information to manage the business, e.g., SAP, Terra Technology, WMS, and various reporting tools.

• Supports the organization to Best-in-Class IBP standards that are benchmarkable against world class companies.

• Drive collaboration and consensus with a diverse set of internal stakeholders to create quality decisions with unbiased direction on specific business units/ brands.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree required. Business/Supply Chain discipline or related field preferred.

• Minimum of 5 years in supply chain planning or comparable analytical role required.

• Consumer products industry experience preferred.

• Excellent Microsoft Office skills, including Excel. MS Access skills or aptitude to quickly learn is important.

• SAP APO, or other Supply Chain planning software experience preferred.

• Familiarity with and experience extracting information from syndicated data (ie IRi) preferred

• Ability to make assumptions and defend them

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities preferred

• Proven ability to work effectively with cross functional teams.

• Strong attention to detail and excellent analytical skills.

• Good communication and interpersonal skills.

Working Conditions

• Normal office environment with expected travel less than 10%.

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity for employees and applicants in all aspects of the employment relationship, without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.

In that regard, U.S. applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law. Click here for additional information.