Demand Planner

Your Tasks

Are you ready to take on a dynamic role in an international environment? We are looking for a Demand Planner for a full-time position (40 hours/week). This opportunity starts with a limited contract for one year, with the potential to become a permanent position.

As a Demand Planner based in the Netherlands you will work as part of the Belgium-Netherlands (Benelux) Demand Planning team, collaborating locally with various departments, including Sales, Shopper & Customer Marketing, Finance, Customer Service, and Marketing. Your key responsibility is to drive improvements in the quality of business planning within the local Sales & Operations process and various key performance indicators, with a particular emphasis on Service Level in-Full, Forecast Accuracy, and Forecast Bias.

Main responsibilities: 

• Lead the local Sales & Operations process, considering all different department perspectives to produce a high-quality business planning


• Analyze key performance indicators, especially Service Level in-Full, Forecast Accuracy, and Forecast Bias, to identify areas for improvement, root causes of performance gaps, and opportunities for optimization


• Utilize the latest artificial intelligence & machine learning baseline forecasting methods for each product to build an unbiased and accurate demand plan using SAP APO


• Work with cross-functional teams to enhance promotional and launch planning, ensuring that demand forecasts accurately reflect market trends and customer order behavior


• Collaborate with Sales & Customer Service teams to deepen the shared understanding of different sales channels and customers


• Support the regional supply team (COE), to ensure optimal stock distribution across different warehouses, optimized safety stock levels, and run agile processes to enable quick reactions to unforeseen market dynamics while ensuring product availability and minimizing critical stock


• Identify new ways of working with regards to processes and systems that enable working more efficiently and effectively


• Become a proactive team member of the Benelux Demand Planning team, sharing, and learning from each other, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and mutual support

Your Profile

• Academic degree in Supply Chain or related field


• Experience in a commercial or Demand & Supply Planning environment; FMCG experience preferred


• Strong analytical mindset


• Ability to build effective internal and external partnerships


• Proactive in addressing issues and problems


• Excellent communication and presentation skills


• Ability to challenge current work practices to improve performance


• Knowledge of SAP APO


• Strong working experience with Microsoft Excel


• Strong knowledge of statistical forecasting methods and business analytics tools (e.g., Power BI, Analysis for Office, Power Query)


• Experience with AI-assisted forecasting is an added advantage


• Languages: Fluency in English is a must (Fluency in French and Dutch as well is an added advantage)