Demand Planning Analyst

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

Demand Planning and Forecasting

• Develop, maintain, and update demand forecasts based on customer orders, historical sales, customer forecasts, and anticipated business needs.
• Analyze demand trends, order patterns, seasonality, and changes in customer requirements.
• Collaborate with Sales, Customer Service, Production, and Purchasing to align demand forecasts with business objectives.
• Monitor changes in customer demand and proactively communicate potential impacts on production schedules, material requirements, and delivery commitments.

Outside Processing and Supplier Coordination

• Forecast, plan and coordinate outside processing demand and communicate anticipated volumes and timing to external service providers.
• Coordinate with Purchasing and outside processors to confirm capacity, lead times, turnaround times, and delivery schedules.
• Identify potential supplier capacity constraints, extended lead times, and processing delays that may affect customer delivery dates.
• Work with suppliers and internal teams to develop recovery plans for delayed or constrained outside processing operations.

Inventory and Material Planning

• Monitor and recommend appropriate inventory levels for raw materials, purchased components and finished goods.
• Review material requirements and coordinate with Purchasing to ensure materials are available to meet production demand.
• Monitor inventory levels, safety stock, reorder points, and lead times to reduce the risk of shortages and excess inventory.
• Identify slow-moving, obsolete, excess, and at-risk inventory and recommend corrective actions.
• Balance inventory investment with customer service levels and operational needs.

Cross-Functional Communication

• Serve as a key point of coordination between Sales, Customer Service, Production, Purchasing, Inventory Control, and outside processing suppliers.
• Communicate forecast changes, material shortages, capacity constraints, and delivery risks to the appropriate stakeholders.
• Participate in production planning meetings, scheduling reviews, and Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) discussions, as applicable.
• Provide timely updates regarding demand changes that may affect production priorities or customer commitments.
• Collaborate with internal teams to resolve planning conflicts and improve coordination across the supply chain.

ERP/MRP System Management and Reporting

• Maintain accurate planning parameters, demand forecasts, lead times, and related master data within the ERP/MRP system.
• Review planned orders, purchase requisitions, production orders, and rescheduling recommendations.
• Analyze forecast accuracy, inventory performance, capacity utilization, and schedule adherence.
• Prepare and maintain reports related to demand trends, inventory levels, material availability, and supplier performance.
• Identify discrepancies between system recommendations and actual operating requirements and recommend appropriate adjustments.

Risk Management and Continuous Improvement

• • Identify potential risks to production continuity and customer delivery, including material shortages, supplier delays, capacity limitations, and demand fluctuations.
  • Develop contingency plans to address supply constraints and changing customer requirements.
  • Recommend improvements to forecasting accuracy, inventory management and production flows
  • Analyze root causes of recurring shortages, scheduling disruptions, and late deliveries.
  • Support initiatives to reduce lead times, expedite costs, excess inventory, and operational inefficiencies.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement efforts across planning, purchasing, manufacturing, and supply chain operations.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s in Supply Chain, Business Administration, or related field, preferred
• 2-4 years’ hands-on experience in supply chain, demand &forecast planning or related fields preferred
• Familiar with utilizing Demand Planning software
• Experience working with MRP/ERP systems
• Advanced MS Office skills – Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint, etc.
• Exhibit Company Core Values of being Customer Focused, Innovative, Action Oriented, Proactive, and Passionate
• Strong attention to detail with proven examples of follow through and effective communication
• Ability to work across the entire supply chain enterprise – externally with suppliers, customers, and internally with sales, marketing, purchasing and operations.
• Ability and desire to learn new skills and apply them quickly
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Well organized with the ability to flex daily routines and handle multiple and competing priorities to meet deadlines
• Motivated self-starter with a strong work ethic, a positive attitude
• Able to build and maintain rapport and take on cross-functional assignments as required

***This is a salaried exempt, hybrid position ($62,353.20 - $65,000.00 annually) located in Wellsville, NY***