Introduction
Our global client within the manufacturing sector is looking for a Demand Planner to join their Durban team. Incumbent will report into the Supply Chain Manager.

The Demand Planner will be responsible for all forecasting activities associated with customers and products. The Demand Planner will create and maintain forecast models, incorporating business intelligence and forecast information gathered from sales, marketing, finance and other functions involved in the S&OP process. The incumbent will be a major player in the S&OP process preparing and maintaining the South African Demand Plan and analysing results using knowledge of proper tools to give support to all teams involved in the process.
Duties & Responsibilities

• Create and maintain proper classification of product families at multiple levels and manage master data integrity to grant reliability of data to create statistical models.
• Review historical sales trends, research demand drivers, prepare forecast data, develop statistical forecast models, and evaluate forecast results.
• Analyse and validate data to develop statistical forecasts at multiple levels of aggregation for multiple time horizons.
• Coordinate cross-functional research activities to reconcile significant variances and refine the forecast model to reflect updated sales and marketing assumption.
• Take ownership of implementation of Demand Planning tool and use it as primary source for forecasting.
• Maintain Demand Planning system and software entering and modifying data and ensure the correctness of product hierarchy.
• Prepare input and play a leading role in the monthly Demand Review of S&OP process.
• Provide support and guidance with respect to the demand forecasting process to the regional forecast coordinators to come to a consensus Demand Plan.
• Engage forecast stakeholders in value-added activities to facilitate understanding of demand information.
• Finalise Demand Plan and provide input to the Supply Planning organisation.
• Develop metrics for forecast accuracy analysis, provide an executive review of previous month's results.
• Monitor trends in forecast error identifying relevant market-related data and competitive intelligence and work in cooperation with Sales to improve forecast accuracy.
• Act as a primary role in the master production scheduling process - gathering forecast information and giving detailed demand input.
• Prepare demand reporting to support Central Supply Planning organisation.
• Interact with Central Supply Team on European optimisation planning and inventory process following part related to demand.
• Actively provide data and info to support the annual sales and inventory budget process.
• Ensure demand plan is generated on time.
• Ensure forecast accuracy is on target.
• Ensure forecast at item level is entered into SAP.
• Adhere to the company's Guiding Principles, Code of Ethics and Health & Safety Standards.

Desired Experience & Qualification

• Matric
• Relevant tertiary qualification
• Experience in a similar role
• Ideally proficient in statistics, forecasting and forecasting methods with an understanding of their financial and operational impacts.
• Solid system experience in ERP systems (SAP)
• Expert user on MS Excel (Macros & Visual basics) / MS Access
• Project management skills

Interested?
Please note: shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 5 days for interview. If not contacted, please consider your application unsuccessful.

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