Position Summary

The Demand Planner is responsible for developing, managing, and continuously improving demand forecasts to support Stir Foods’ retail and foodservice & industrial business. This role partners closely with Sales, Operations, Procurement, and Finance to translate customer demand into accurate production and inventory plans. The Demand Planner plays a key role in improving forecast accuracy, service levels, and inventory turns while supporting Stir Foods’ growth and operational excellence initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Demand Forecasting & Planning

• Develop and maintain SKU-level demand forecasts across retail and food service channels.
• Incorporate sales input, promotional plans, customer forecasts, seasonality, and historical trends.
• Lead monthly demand review meetings as part of S&OP / S&OE processes.
• Collaborate with Sales and Commercial teams to align forecast assumptions.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Sales and Production Planning to translate demand into feasible supply plans.
• Coordinate with Customer Service to manage order fulfillment priorities and service levels.
• Support Finance with revenue and inventory projections.

Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Track forecast accuracy (MAPE / APE), bias, and service performance metrics.
• Identify root causes of forecast variances and implement corrective actions.
• Support inventory optimization initiatives to improve turns and reduce working capital.
• Contribute to process improvement and planning tool enhancement initiatives.

Systems & Data Management

• Maintain demand planning data in ERP and planning tools.
• Ensure master data integrity (SKU, customer, lead times, MOQ, etc.).
• Build and manage reporting dashboards for forecast and service metrics.

Business Support

• Support new product introductions and customer launches with forecast development.
• Assist in scenario planning for capacity, promotions, and growth opportunities.
• Provide ad-hoc analysis to support leadership decision-making.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, or related field.
• 3–6 years of demand planning or forecasting experience, preferably in food manufacturing or CPG.
• Experience working in S&OP / S&OE environments.
• Strong analytical and Excel skills; experience with ERP and demand planning tools
• Ability to manage multiple SKUs and customers in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in food manufacturing with short-time retail and foodservice customers.
• Knowledge of production scheduling and capacity constraints.
• Familiarity with Deacom ERP, Power BI or similar systems.
• Understanding of inventory optimization and service-level tradeoffs.

Key Performance Indicators

• Forecast accuracy (MAPE / Bias)
• Customer service levels / fill rates
• Inventory turns and working capital improvement
• Reduction in expedite costs and production disruptions
• Successful execution of S&OP cycles

Core Competencies

• Analytical problem-solving
• Business partnering
• Process improvement mindset
• Sense of urgency and ownership
• Clear communication with technical and commercial teams