Demand Planning Manager Benelux
Job Location: Brussels
Company Description
Ferrero is a family-owned company with a truly progressive and global outlook and iconic brands such as Nutella®, Tic Tac®, Ferrero Rocher®, Raffaello®, Kinder Bueno® and Kinder Surprise®. As the love for our brands continues to grow, so too does our global reach. Represented in more than 50 countries, with products sold in more than 170, the Ferrero Group is loved by generations around the world. The secret to our global success? 40,000 dedicated employees who celebrate care and quality to craft a business, careers and brands we are proud of. Join us, and you could be one of them.
Diversity Statement
Ferrero is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all of our people are equally talented in their own way. In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at Ferrero. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative and highly rewarding.
About the Role:
The primary objective of this role is to actively contribute to the achievement of annual business objective, encompassing both volume targets and product freshness, while mitigating the risk associated with stockouts, product returns and obsolescence.
A key responsibility involves conducting an independent review of the sales forecast meticulously prepared by the Sales team.
To achieve best-in-class Sales Forecast Accuracy, Service Level and Cost to Serve you will drive the enhancement of our current set-up. You will be accountable for implementing end-to-end planning operative model consistent with Group guidelines valuing country specificities.
Main Responsibilities:
As the Demand Planner Benelux, you will play a central role in shaping the Customer Plan from a bottom-up perspective. You will contribute with valuable feedback to the Sales team, ensuring alignment with our strategic goals. Collaborating with Sales and Marketing, you will define a volume plan crucial for P&L creation, derived from the Bottom-up Company Plan.
In managing the Rolling Forecast, your meticulous approach involves monitoring and validation, drawing on historical data for insightful comparisons. You will proactively share plan adjustments with the Sales team and will ultimately validate the final Forecast version. If any risks arise, your role includes highlighting them and, if necessary, escalating to the Country Manager for arbitration.
Remaining vigilant in the dynamic market landscape, swiftly identifying anomalous trends, you will collaborate with Sales and Supply Chain teams to propose effective remediation actions to ensure product availability, freshness and prevention of stocks.
Your contribution extends to preparing weekly projections, aligning them with current sales trends. Addressing any issues that arise, you will contribute to consensus Meetings, fostering collaboration among Sales, Supply Chain, and Marketing for seamless problem-solving. Your dedication ensures a robust and agile planning process, vital for the success of our commercial endeavors.
Who we are looking for:
The ideal Demand Planner Benelux possesses a bachelor’s or master’s degree in business, statistics, or logistics management and more than 8 years of FMCG experience, specializing in sales forecasting, supply and demand planning, and business intelligence.
Candidates must showcase expert budget and project management skills, including the ability to influence effectively. Proficiency in SAP, Excel, and Power BI is expected, reflecting thoughtful precision.
Managing a team of two sales forecast professionals requires both technical expertise and effective management skills.
How to be successful in the role and at Ferrero:
Consumers, quality and care are at the heart of everything we do. So, to be successful at Ferrero, you’ll need to be just as consumer and product centric as we are - dedicated to crafting brilliant results for consumers around the world.