Overview

Good people, working with good people, for our common good.

Sound good?

KeHE-a natural, organic, specialty and fresh food distributor-is all about "good" and is growing, so there's never been a more exciting time to join our team. If you're enthusiastic about working in an environment with a people-first culture and an organization committed to good living, good food and good service, we'd love to talk to you!

Primary Responsibilities

The Demand Planning Manager is responsible for strategically overseeing the forecasting and S&OP/IBP activities associated with KeHE products. This includes oversight in creating and maintaining SKU forecasts by using forecast models and incorporating business intelligence gathered from our key partners (sales, marketing, finance), historical information, syndicated data and other sources.  Additionally, drives a best-in-class Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) / Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process collaborating cross-functionally with Sales, Category Management, Finance, Demand/Supply Planning and Operations. The Demand Planning  Manager is responsible for leading the monthly S&OP / IBP process for the company focused on short term to long term planning, alignment and decision-making optimizing customer service levels, operational costs and revenue attainment.

Essential Functions

• Oversees the development and maintenance of demand forecasts at multiple levels of aggregation over a rolling 52-78 week planning horizon
• Uses historical shipment trends, consumption trends, syndicated data, customer sales and inventory data, and demand assumptions to develop and refine the demand forecast
• Leads cross-functional research activities to reconcile significant variances demand plan and refine the forecast model to reflect updated sales and marketing assumptions
• Leads monthly collaboration meetings with Sales, Category Management and Finance that provide clarity of assumptions, business actions and trends, and provides the foundation for strategic discussions to drive the business
• Drives cross-functional alignment across Sales, Category Management, Supply Chain, Operations and Finance
• Creates and drives continuous improvement of world-class Demand Planning and S&OP / IBP processes, to increase the level of process maturity and the influence it has in driving business decisions across the company
• Monitors the demand plan performance throughout the week/month to provide detailed input to Sales and Category Management for use in demand reviews and S&OP meetings
• Measures, controls, and improves demand planning and S&OP plan accuracy through clearly defined metrics
• Provides strategic leadership and direction for the demand planning/forecasting process and team
• Leads and drives the cross-functional weekly & monthly S&OP cadence
• Develops and maintains key relationships / interfaces:
  • Category and Account Management
  • Customer Fulfillment Team
  • Demand Planning, Supply Planning/Procurement and Vendor Management
  • Operation/Distribution
  • Finance
  • Business Development and On Boarding Team
• Supports new business launches, new product ramp-ups, network optimizations, key launch initiatives, etc. in collaboration with Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance and Marketing
• Leads process for supply-demand balancing, constraints, allocations and forward-looking projections
• Drives implementation, evaluation, and adaptation of demand management processes and analytical models and system settings

Minimum Requirements, Qualifications, Additional Skills, Aptitude

• Bachelor’s degree in related field required, MBA a plus
• 5+ years’ experience in Demand Planning, Supply Planning and/or S&OP/ IBP
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to lead, contribute, and influence cross functional partners
• Ability to partner with and influence others without direct authority; build consensus and build collaboration cross-functionally and across all levels
• Ability to communicate clearly, accurately, and directly, both verbally and in writing, to a widely varied audience
• Comfortable in a fast-paced environment with minimal direction and able to adjust workload based upon changing priorities
• Attention to detail and accuracy – essential
• Passion for driving continuous process improvements
• Strong business acumen, analytical, organizational, critical thinking and decision-making skills
• Proficient user of MS Office: Word, PowerPoint, Project and Visio, with advanced expertise in Excel
• Experience with Tier-1 planning and analytical tools Ex: Manhattan DFIO, JDA, Oracle/Demantra, SAP/APO, Power BI, Tableau or similar
• IBF or APICS CPIM or CSCP Certification preferred
• Demonstrated knowledge of statistical forecast methodologies and best practices
• Experience with managing new business on boarding, product launches and phase outs
• Understanding of financial planning process and impacts to business functions
• Fresh perishable business experience preferred
• Experience using syndicated data