Demand Planner / デマンドプランナー

MAIN MISSIONS
The Demand Planner is tasked with enhancing the visibility and accuracy of sales forecasts by incorporating external signals, such as competitors' actions and external events while evaluating their impact on our business. They are expected to translate these impacts into SKU-specific forecasts (up to 30 SKUs) and manage the timely entry of data into the internal forecasting system. This position is strategically significant as it contributes to the future leadership talent pipeline.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

◼ Lead the Local Demand Planning Process for a mid-term horizon (up to 24 months) at the family level, collaborating with the sales and marketing teams to co-create the demand plan.
◼ Consolidate outputs from Demand Forecasting meetings, including key assumptions, risks, and opportunities.
◼ Gather information from the Marketing team regarding new products and plan the Phase-In/Phase-Out processes.
◼ Propose a demand plan based on statistical analysis, considering market trends, customer insights, anticipated exceptions, and guidance from the Group and Cluster Executive S&OP derived from the previous S&OP cycle.
◼ Analyze data and identify gaps in comparison to budget, the previous month (m-1), the previous year (y-1), etc.
◼ Assemble the demand package, which includes risks, opportunities, key assumptions, and valued scenarios.
◼ Facilitate demand review meetings with the BU leadership team, including the preparation of the Demand Package, presentation, and action plans.
◼ Validate the agreed mid-term 24-month Demand Plan in the S&OP tool in accordance with the discussions and decisions made during the Demand Review Meeting.
◼ Ensure and update the customization of S&OP tools.
◼ Participate in Business Development/Commercial Meetings to gain forecast insights from the commercial team.
◼ Continuously challenge the existing processes and strive for continuous improvements.
◼ Ensure that the supply aligns with the demand signal and coordinate ready-to-sell inventories in Japan.
◼ Monitor inventory levels and coordinate actions to mitigate both overstock and shortages.

• Exceptional communication abilities, with fluency in Business-level English and Native-level Japanese.
• Demonstrated discipline to actively pursue continuous improvements, coupled with a curious mindset.
• Outstanding leadership capabilities, exemplifying integrity in driving transformative changes.
• A relentless and resilient approach to challenges.
• A minimum of 3 years of prior experience in FMCG Supply Chain.
• Profound analytical skills.
• Strong orientation towards systems and a keen interest in digital tools.
   
• Prior experience in the Food industry, with a particular advantage in cold supply chain operations.
• Hands-on experience or knowledge of SAP/EDI.
• Expertise in other Supply Chain domains or past experience in Sales will be regarded positively.