Supply Demand Planner

About the Role

Tata Consumer Products is seeking a Supply Demand Planner to join their North America team. This role is crucial in bridging the gap between commercial goals and operational execution by developing and maintaining accurate demand forecasts for all brands. The position involves collaborating with Sales, Supply Chain, and Operations teams, influencing stakeholders, promoting planning discipline, and transforming data into actionable business insights. The planner will gather information on demand-influencing factors, monitor sales performance against forecasts, and adjust plans based on evolving customer and promotional needs.

This position is based in Landover, MD, and operates on a hybrid work model. It is an individual contributor role with primary stakeholders including Sales, Marketing, and Supply Planners.

Key Deliverables

Demand Forecast Accuracy:

• Enhance and sustain statistical forecast models to generate precise demand forecasts across all product categories.
• Manage the identification of outliers and maintain base and promotional forecasts within the TPM system, transferring them to GIB.
• Analyze statistical forecast results at customer, warehouse, package, and material levels, making necessary adjustments for optimal demand forecasting.
• Identify and flag significant discrepancies between statistical forecasts and RSM-entered demand plans to boost accuracy.
• Proactively leverage trend analysis, forecast vs. actual performance, and volume data using customer promotional calendars, historical data, and current information.

Internal Processes:

• Lead demand planning meetings, preparing and presenting analyses. This role will partner with the Sales VP, Sales Strategy team, and Regional Sales Managers to collect data and integrate it into the demand plan.
• Collaborate with sales and supply teams to achieve consensus on the demand plan.
• Challenge assumptions and provide data-driven recommendations.
• Prepare for and lead monthly demand alignment meetings involving Sales, Finance, and Supply Leadership.
• Navigate complex business processes, understanding the implications for upstream (commercial) and downstream (supply planning, manufacturing, logistics) activities.
• Work closely with Supply Planners to ensure up-to-date information on capacity, capability, and supplier constraints within the supply network.

Product Lifecycle Management:

• Oversee product lifecycle management and distribution tracking to ensure timely updates for item additions/deletions, preventing forecast accuracy impacts.
• Manage end-to-end supply chain changes (SKU/Material Introduction and Deletion, Distribution/Network adjustments), including forecast requirements, sales history re-alignment, and maintenance of planning tables and SAP master data.
• Ensure customer-specific demand plans flow through the planning process and enterprise software tools (TPM, GIB, Clearview, etc.), providing item-specific input for the monthly S&OP process.

Innovation and Learning:

• Contribute to the ongoing improvement of the long-term demand planning process.
• Actively seek opportunities to enhance processes, identify issues, and propose solutions.
• Propose and implement strategies to improve demand forecast accuracy.

Additional Information

Tata Consumer Products is committed to being #Forbetter – Planet, Sourcing, Nutrition, Communities, and offering #ForBetter Opportunities. This role aligns with the strategic pillars of Strengthening our Core Business and Creating a Future-Ready Organization.