Senior Demand Planning Specialist

The Senior Demand Planner and Analyst balances the strategic process of driving cross-functional consensus with a deep focus on the statistical accuracy of the forecast, achieved through rigorous data cleansing and advanced modeling methodologies. This role is responsible for creating and managing demand plans and developing rolling statistical forecasts to ensure high product availability across all market cycles while optimizing global inventory levels. Positioned at the center of the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes, this role requires strong leadership, data analytics, and communication skills to drive consensus across Sales, Finance, and Supply Chain. This role is a key driver in balancing supply and demand to support the achievement of our strategic goals Core Responsibilities • • Design, build, and maintain robust statistical forecast models over a rolling 24-to-33-month horizon to support mid/long-term Capacity Planning (CAPL). • Manage the Statistical Forecast scenario as a direct feed into the Demand working scenario, ensuring only actively validated plans flow to S&OP cycles • Analyze historical sales data, and market intelligence to identify underlying demand patterns, and disaggregate data from Site level down to Material-Site, Product Hierarchy , Core Business Field, or Customer level. Perform error analysis (e.g., MAPE) to continuously improve forecast quality and reduce bias • Track, analyze, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs), focusing on Forecast Accuracy and bias mitigation, providing insightful analysis on variances and driving continuous improvement initiatives. • Lead systematic monthly Root Cause Analysis (RC) and define actionable Measures (MC) for top-offending part numbers that fail accuracy targets. Set up automated alert parameters to identify and flag significant deviations between actual sales orders and the demand or consensus plans, with target to providing actionable insights for internal use and review with Customers • Analyze past sales, seasonality, and market intelligence to identify and model underlying demand patterns. • Facilitate monthly Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and Demand Validation meetings to align stakeholders on a single consensus forecast • Manage product lifecycles by maintaining planning master data (such as LifeCyclePhase), and seamlessly executing new product launches and product phase-outs • Establish and evaluate safety stock policies, Inventory planning strategies, and replenishment plans to balance customer service levels against inventory costs • Provide ad-hoc analytical support and scenario planning to senior management for decision-making regarding volume mix changes and other business inquiries. • Experience: 7+ years of experience in demand planning, supply chain analysis, or a similar role. • Education: Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Statistics, or a related field. An MBA or advanced certification (e.g., IBF, APICS) is a asset. • Possess a set of skills that include analytical capabilities, strong business discernment and judgment, and an ability to influence decisions by working across different organizational functions beyond the supply chain • Advanced experience with statistical forecasting software, S/4HANA, and S&OP planning platforms (e.g., Kinaxis Rapid Response, SAP IBP, Anaplan). • Highly proficient in Microsoft Excel (advanced modeling, formulas, data manipulation. • Strong capabilities in business intelligence and data tools (SQL, Power BI, Tableau) for building performance dashboards and automating reports. • Solid understanding of end-to-end supply chain processes, including BOM-explosions, capacity planning, and financial planning alignment