Schneider Electric - Demand Planner

- To forecast the demand of products for the Indian market, in collaboration with the business teams.

- 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 finance to understand demand forecast drivers.

- Utilize a collaborative and consensus approach by working with Sales, Marketing and Customer Finance to obtain and ensure that current and accurate information is used for demand forecasts.

- Use and maintain the Demand Planning software as the primary forecasting system tool.

- Provide input to the Supply Planning organization in developing inventory strategies on existing items, new products, and product phase-outs.

- Closely coordinate and communicate customer action plans with supply planning

- To measure performance and drive continuous improvement.

Main Job Functions:

Create statistical forecasts:

- Gather, analyze and validate data

- Execute statistical modeling software

- Review resulting statistical forecast model

- Apply error analysis techniques to improve forecasting

- Summarize/aggregate statistical forecasts

Review sales plans, customer finance Budget Updates or Latest Estimates and demand drivers:

- Present, solicit, and assess feedback on the various forecasts from sales, and finance

- Recommend adjustments for operational forecasts

- Review promotional plans with sales

Achieve consensus for operational demand forecasts by facilitating a collaborative planning process with sales, marketing and finance personnel:

- Prepare relevant material to facilitate research and discussion

Provide input to volume planning ( Latest Estimates / annual process)

- Facilitate and manage demand planning/customer meetings

- Achieve consensus with the business side and the demand chain

Maintain demand planning system and software

- Enter and modify data and ensure the correctness of product hierarchy

- Monitor trends in forecast error

- Identify relevant market-related data and competitive intelligence

Prepare and maintain relevant reports pertaining to demand planning process

- A customer demand forecast which incorporates current and accurate market information that allows the company to correctly predict customer demand and provide its supply chain with the appropriate information to plan how to meet that customer demand.

- Improved relationships among planners, sales, marketing and finance, which will lead to effective knowledge sharing and an optimal consensus forecast to better guide the company.

- Refined systems and methods to continually improve forecasts so that the company can better anticipate customer needs.

- Execute with excellence in the area of customer replenishment and feedback to the Supply Chain group the opportunities and risks regarding customer replenishment performance metrics.

- An accurate forecast resulting in a better service to our customers and an optimized cost of our logistic operations.

- Monitor and improve reference level forecasting of products to improve inventory efficiency of organization.

- Good collaboration with other functions of supply chain for ease of visibility on major changes

NETWORK OF INTERACTION Major interaction parties :

(Internal e.g. colleagues, Sales & Marketing Dept, Unions & etc. External e.g. legal advisor, customers, distributors, Clients & etc)

- India Planning General Manager

- Supply Planning Manager

- Plant Managers

- Business VPs

- Marketing Managers

- Products Managers

- 2 Demand Planners

REQUIREMENTS

Education: Post graduate in supply chain or marketing (APICS or certification in Demand forecasting will be preferred)

Job Related Experience: +8 years experience

Business Understanding: Good knowledge on our Electrical products, channels and marketing practices

Others (e.g. language skills, technical skills): Preferably experience with KINAXIS along with SAP and APO-DP