Demand Planning Manager

Role Overview

The scope of this role includes the whole of BU Africa along with all applicable Yum! brands.

Responsibilities

• Drive the creation of short, medium and long-term demand baseline forecast at menu board item level
• Coordinate the creation of a promotional forecast at menu board item level
• Work with Marketing and Finance to combine, refine and publish total business demand plan (in applicable levels/aggregated views e.g. by product; by region; by category etc.)
• Measure forecast accuracy at granular and total category levels
• Create insights from business forecast analysis to drive continuous improvement (specifically from a proactiveness point of view) in Supply Chain
• Support Supply Planning with Management short dated stock
• Work with Marketing and Finance departments on impact of mix changes on business profitability and supply planning
• Assists in developing the Annual Operating Plan (AOP), providing longer term analysis of demand to assist Supply Chain leadership in assessing longer term supply capacity needs
• Manage NPD introduction demand plans to deliver key KPI’s
• Drive service levels with incremental improvements by working closely with the supply planning and 3PL teams
• Collaboration and information sharing across functions and stakeholders
• Incorporate market intelligence into demand plans
• Coordinate cross-functional work into Demand levers
• Coordinates cross functional resolution of day-to-day issues related to supply and demand discrepancies
• Performs root cause analysis on key forecast deviations. Supports Business, Marketing, Supply Planning and production strategies and identify opportunities to meet market needs.
• Lead the integration of demand plans into KFC business through joint business planning.
• In collaboration with Supply Planning and Category Teams, ensure the right stock is in the right place at the right time to deliver customer requirements regionally and at DC level.
• Balances a complex set of variables to ensure reduction overall forecast error.
• Forecast analysis and improvement
• Analyze business: identify and manage trends. Formulate action plans.
• Review historical trends, research demand drivers, prepare forecast data, develop statistical models, and evaluate forecast results.
• Collaborates with Supply Planning Managers in planning for new items and items to be transitioned or discontinued.
• Generates KPI’s that will monitor demand expectations and take corrective action.
• Work with Supply Planner to review and assess risks to supply and demand variability and identify opportunities to manage and mitigate risk.
• Continuously evolve Demand Planning strategy and roadmap to stay abreast of industry standards and best practices.
• Development and execution of a Demand Planning strategy to fully integrate and leverage the scale of various Yum! brands to deliver a competitive advantage.
• Development of Demand and Supply Chain Digitization strategy to enable end to end automation of Planning process to ultimately drive efficiencies with the SC function.

Communication Required

• Marketing and Finance Colleagues - to create consensus total business demand plan, identifying volume gaps and readjust to plan for exceeding targets
• Supply Planning Colleagues - aiding in the translation of demand plan into a comprehensive and reliable supply plan which will be communicated to 3PL and suppliers to ultimately drive improved customer service levels

Problem Solving & Analysis

• Disagreement on demand forecast; high levels of forecast accuracy; short term gap filling initiatives; master data discrepancies.
• Some processes already exist to solve these (and similar) problems, however, it is expected of this role to develop improved approaches/methods to overcome these challenges in a more agile, comprehensive and collaborative manner.

Judgement and Decision Making

• Pushing back & recommending amendments in forecast if significant estimated inaccuracies are anticipated (which includes phasing).
• Recommending demand plan creation cycle with involved parties in the business.
• Recommending amendments in Product Master Data and signing off final approval as Product Master Data custodian/owner.

Innovation

• It is expected of this role to critically review all current demand planning and master data management processes in order to make recommendations on improving overall effectiveness.

Skills & Qualifications

• Forecasting Techniques
• Proactive problem solving
• Business Intelligence
• Driver for Results
• Analytical Thinking
• Strategic Thinker
• Advanced Excel proficiency
• Process/system thinking ability
• Ability to deal with high levels of complexity under pressure
• Good interpersonal skills
• Ability to innovate
• Effective conflict management skills
• Bachelors Degree: Supply Chain/Logistics/Engineering/Science
• Minimum 6-8 years experience in Demand Planning
• Statistics Certification