Demand Planning Manager

Job title: Demand Planning Manager Location: Manchester Contract type: Permanent WHO ARE WE PZ Cussons is an international consumer goods business, headquartered in Manchester, UK. We employ just under 2500 people across our operations in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and Africa. Since our founding in 1884, we have been creating products to delight, care for and nourish consumers. Across our core categories of Hygiene, Baby and Beauty, our trusted and well-loved brands include Carex, Childs Farm, Cussons Baby, Imperial Leather, Morning Fresh, Original Source, Premier, Sanctuary Spa and St. Tropez. Sustainability and the wellbeing of our employees and communities everywhere are at the heart of our business model and captured by our purpose: For everyone, For Life, For Good. If you want to join a business in transformation with exciting growth plans and the opportunity to work flexibly, apply to work for us today. We have a fantastic opportunity for a Demand Planning Manager to join our Supply and Demand team here at PZ Cussons, on a Permanent Full-Time basis. This is an ideal opportunity for any supply chain/operations professional who is looking for a role that will allow them to thrive on translating data into meaningful and impactful insights, managing multiple projects that collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders across functions and externally, and want to be part of an evolving and exciting team that delivers success within an industry-leading company with well known and loved brands The Role: We are looking for an attentive and detail-oriented individual with clear communication and interpersonal skills, who is able to display strong decision making and has a deep understanding of Supply chin and Forecasting principles. You will be reporting to the Senior Customer Collaboration Manager, and you will be working with the rest of the Customer Collaboration team as the interface between the Customer Supply Chain and the business, hosting regular forecasting review meetings and be the integration point into the sales and commercial organisation. Duties/Accountabilities: Develop demand forecasts (operational forecasts) at multiple levels of aggregation for multiple time horizons as part of a demand planning function. Review historical sales trends, research demand drivers, prepare forecast data, develop statistical forecast models, and evaluate forecast results. Coordinate cross-functional research activities to reconcile significant variances and refine the forecast model to reflect updated sales and marketing assumptions. Interact with sales, marketing, and customer collaborative contacts to understand demand forecast drivers. Use the Demand Planning software as the primary forecasting system tool. Provide input to the Supply Planning organisation to support developing inventory strategies on existing items, new products, and product phase-outs. Develop and maintain a suite of reports/templates to be used in the IBP (Integrated Business Planning) process to analyse Forecast Changes, YOY movements. IBP Process - challenge the ways of working to improve the quality of information/analysis in the various forums (Commercial Planning Meeting, Forecast Consensus Meeting). Prepare and Maintain relevant Customer Specific Reports to include Stock Holding, Sales Data and Stock Cover where appropriate Track, review and publish promotional sales performance and promotional evaluations for the customers allocated Track, review and action on shelf availability numbers for the customers allocated Support the JSCP's for the customers allocated Key Attributes/Skills: Experience in commercial planning within FMCG IT literate with experience of MS office applications Intermediate or advanced Excel skills essential SAP APO (Advanced Planner and Optimizer) experience essential Deep understanding of Supply Chain and Forecasting principles Strong communication and excellent interpersonal skills. Comfortable liaising with individuals at all levels Excellent attention to detail Able to work to strict deadlines and remain calm under pressure Equal Opportunities: At PZ Cussons, we value diversity and make sure everyone feels included. We want our team to reflect society and our global customers. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and your unique perspective helps us develop brands and create new products for our consumers. If you need extra support during this process, please inform us so that we can accommodate your needs appropriately. It is important to us that all candidates feel recognised and have a good experience with PZ Cussons as part of our commitment to inclusivity.