Director Demand Planning

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE JOB

• Overall owner of demand planning process: Manages the demand forecasting, starting from getting forecast-tool output, collaborating with regional sales team through the Zonal Demand Planner
• Own National Volume forecast (Primary and Secondary) for the Monthly Forecasting process as well as long term Volume Forecast (PRI and Operating Segment) for the RF process (18m rolling)
• Act as custodian of the monthly/ quarterly volume market share targets closed during the RF cycles
• Improves forecasting process efficacy (primary forecast accuracy, fidelity and bias) while also driving Volume to Value forecasting by driving right market-brand salience
• Drive the S&OP process for sales Highlighting State/ brand wise performance, gap vs Budget for Volume and NS, identifying monthly risks/ opportunities along with sales and providing timely communication to Supply Chain via weekly S&OE
• Identify risks during and plan mitigation within the function by recognizing opportunities basis run-rate, market share, statistical forecast and inventory levels

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Using and maintaining Demand Forecasting Tool
• Cleaning and building-up historical database
• Anchoring Demand Planning cycle – Generates central forecast; Analyzes and validates forecasts and identifies exceptions
• Review historical sales trends, research demand drivers, prepare forecast data, develop statistical forecast models, and evaluate forecast results
• Analyze to reconcile variances and refine the forecast to reflect updated sales and marketing assumptions. Provide inputs /analytic to sales team to improve forecast accuracy in the short to medium term.
• Collaborate with sales, marketing, and planning to understand demand forecast drivers and accurate information is used for demand forecasts
• Centrally representing Sales team with supply chain function
• Driving consensus forecast by collaborative process with Sales, Marketing function
• Leading initiatives to improve forecast accuracy
• Manages weekly demand review: Works with cross functional teams and managing statistical forecast exceptions on a weekly basis
• Driving regional engagement in market intelligence and integrating into strategies for long term and short-term demand plans
• Coordinating with Zonal Demand Planners and reviewing causal factors information
• Supporting management with risk assessments and mitigation activities
• Ensuring generation of reports related to demand forecasting
• Support implementation of demand planning tool to automate and strengthen demand planning process
• Provide support to zonal team in Annual business planning process

KEY INTERFACE

INTERNAL

Zonal Heads

Region Heads

Supply Chain team

Head – Market Strategy

EXTERNAL

Forecasting

IT tool

KEY PERFORMANCE INDEX

• Customer range availability
• Secondary (depletion) forecast accuracy
• Primary forecast accuracy
• Primary forecast bias
• Primary forecast fidelity