Hybrid Demand Planner (Lead) bei LifeStraw

Demand Planner (Lead)

Job Title: Demand Planner                              Department:
Operations 

Reports to: Senior Manager Operations    Location: Baltimore, MD 

About us

At LifeStraw, we believe everyone deserves equitable access to safe drinking water. We design beautiful, simple, and functional products that provide the highest protection from unsafe water based on where and how they will be used. We also take our responsibility to people and planet seriously. For every product sold, a child in need receives access to safe water for an entire year. We have been partners in the fight for the eradication of Guinea worm for 25 years, and we actively respond to emergencies across the globe. We are Climate Neutral Certified and from product to packaging, we measure and minimize our environmental impact. We strive to support underrepresented communities through our actions, our products, our marketing, and our communications. We live, work, and create with impact in mind. We fight for good and always err on the side of action.

Position Overview 

The Demand Planner will lead the creation and communication of consensus demand signal to the supply team. The position will work cross-functionally with internal teams to ensure the timely and successful delivery of our products and will be responsible for leading the monthly demand management process and the integration of the output from this process into the Sales and Operation Planning Process (S&OP), working closely with the Product Mangement, Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain, Operations and Finance teams. The position will also play a key role in supporting LifeStraw’s inventory planning, transportation, distribution, and warehousing.  

What You’ll Be Doing – The Essentials 

• Generate monthly forecasts to drive S&OP process which includes sales, production, and product management teams, aligning all stakeholders in a consensus forecast. 

• Key contributor to support the timely and successful delivery of products to our customer. 

• Interact and build relationships with all levels of personnel requiring good communication skills. 

• Enhance aggregate reporting tools used to evaluate monthly/weekly metrics and impact to financial impact goals. 

• Develop and maintain metrics to track business performance, such as forecast accuracy, forecast bias and collaborative customer engagements. 

• Active in the strategic planning process for key business units. 

• Schedule and facilitate reviews with the planning and procurement teams to ensure proper alignment of customer needs and production plans. 

• Implement and maintain adequate demand sensing techniques & processes, including a baseline statistical forecast ensuring the timely adjustment to forecasts, based on latest business intelligence and demand trends. 

• Opportunity to help scope and develop reports, metrics, and tools that improve our forecasting capabilities. 

• Work closely with supply chain and manufacturing team to manage exceptions and identify improvement to the process. 

• Opportunity to manage operational and system related projects, designed to create efficiencies that allow LifeStraw to grow and scale over the next 3 years. 

• Obtain hands-on knowledge of Sales Operations processes, systems, and key metrics. 

• Commit to LifeStraw core behaviors including Fighting for Good; Living, Working and Creating with Impact in Mind; Erring on the Side of Action; and Leaving Everything Better.   

• Contribute to LifeStraw’s impact on People and Planet including volunteering locally. 

What We’re
Looking For 

• Ability to generate reports with limited information and build databases from scratch. 

• Ability to work with multiple and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. 

• Clear understanding of main metrics and tools required for start-up projects. 

• Excellent communication skills, self-motivated, accountable and ability to handle multiple priorities. 

• Confident self-starter with competitive drive, initiative, decisiveness, and the ability to stay focused on results despite changing conditions. 

• Strong team player who drives results by securing the commitment and buy-in of others. 

• Must be motivated and able to work with minimal supervision. 

• Pro-active approach to problem solving. 

• Ability to work across multiple time-zones and global teams. 

• A high level of empathy and understanding. 

• Strong customer service mind-set. 

• Exhibit a passion for process improvement. 

• Ability to recognize and effectively embrace and adapt to change. 

• Demonstrated problem-solving and analytical skills. 

• Ability to apply independent judgment and use of technical skills to address and resolve internal and external customer requests. 

• Knowledge of Supply Chain procedures and demand planning techniques. 

• Cultural awareness and the willingness to work across different global time zones. 

• Sense of humor.  

Experience and Education Profile 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration or similar discipline. 

• 3+ years working in Planning, Operations, Data Analysis or relatable work experience. 

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office required, particularly in Excel. 

• Proficiency in SQL, big data management, Tableau is a plus. 

• Familiarity with an ERP system and forecasting tools; Netsuite experience is a plus. 

• Experience in analyzing data and making recommendations. 

• Experience in collaborating within a manufacturing environment. 

Essential Physical Demands and Typical Working Conditions 

Physical demands include bending, carrying, pushing-pulling, reaching, sitting, standing, walking and extremes of temperature and humidity, as well as travel between physical locations. Hazards include stairs and communicable diseases.