Demand Planning Lead

We’re looking for an experienced Demand Planning Lead to lead our Demand Planning team and play a key role in strengthening forecasting and S&OP processes across the business.

Working within our wider Supply Chain Planning function, you’ll be responsible for ensuring we have robust and reliable demand forecasts across our product portfolios and customers, helping the business make better decisions around supply, inventory and customer service.

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This is a highly collaborative role, partnering closely with Sales, Commercial, Finance, Operations and Supply Chain teams to bring together commercial expectations and operational capabilities. You’ll help identify risks and opportunities early, challenge assumptions and ensure there is clear alignment around our demand plans.

Alongside leading and developing the team, you’ll have the opportunity to improve how we plan, driving greater forecast accuracy, stronger planning disciplines and continuous improvement across our Demand Planning and S&OP processes.

How You’ll Make an Impact

• Lead, support and develop the Demand Planning team, building capability, engagement and strong performance across the function.
• Take oversight of demand forecasts across our product portfolios, customers and regions, ensuring they are accurate, reliable and supported by clear assumptions.
• Support the delivery and continued development of our S&OP / IBP processes, ensuring demand planning is effectively connected to wider business planning.
• Lead monthly demand reviews, bringing together Sales, Commercial, Finance and Supply Chain stakeholders to create a clear and aligned view of future demand.
• Provide constructive challenge to commercial forecasts and assumptions, using data and insight to improve the quality of our planning.
• Monitor forecast accuracy, bias and other key planning KPIs, identifying root causes behind variances and driving appropriate improvement actions.
• Ensure risks, opportunities and changes in demand are identified early and clearly communicated to relevant stakeholders.
• Work closely with Supply Planning to provide clear short and medium-term demand outlooks and support the identification and resolution of demand and supply gaps.
• Drive greater consistency across forecasting processes, reporting standards and planning disciplines.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen forecast reliability, planning effectiveness and overall process maturity.
• Support the implementation and optimisation of planning systems, tools, reporting and dashboards.
• Identify and share best practice across the wider Planning and Supply Chain teams, supporting the development of scalable processes as the business continues to grow.
• Contribute to wider Supply Chain, S&OP and business transformation initiatives where required.

What You’ll Bring

• Strong experience within Demand Planning, Supply Chain Planning, Forecasting or S&OP, ideally within an FMCG, manufacturing, retail or similarly fast-paced environment.
• Previous experience leading, coaching or developing a Demand Planning or Supply Chain Planning team.
• A strong understanding of forecasting methodologies, demand planning principles and S&OP / IBP processes.
• The ability to understand the story behind the numbers, identify trends and challenge assumptions rather than simply reporting data.
• Strong analytical capability and advanced Excel skills, with the confidence to work with complex data and translate it into meaningful business insight.
• Excellent stakeholder management and business partnering skills, with the confidence to influence colleagues across Sales, Commercial, Finance, Operations and Supply Chain.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex planning information clearly to different audiences.
• A proactive and solutions-focused approach, with the ability to manage ambiguity, competing priorities and changing business requirements.
• Experience using planning systems such as SAP APO/IBP, Oracle, Anaplan or similar would be advantageous.
• Experience supporting Integrated Business Planning, planning transformation or process improvement initiatives would be beneficial. xwzovoh
• Professional Supply Chain or Planning qualifications such as APICS, CPIM or CSCP would be welcomed but are not essential.