General Purpose

The Demand Planning Analyst will be responsible for leveraging the new planning system (Arkieva) to establish best in class demand planning processes and partner with the sales and planning team members to create a consensus driven demand plan for major customers. It will include bottoms-up forecast at the item level on a weekly and monthly basis, and the outcome of this process will be the establishment of monthly S&OP meeting, accountability of sales forecasts and cross functional collaboration with inventory and supply planning departments.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Become a subject matter expert on the Demand Planning module of our new advanced planning system (Arkieva) to create the best possible forecast model.
• Own the process to collaborate with Sales to accurately input the bottoms up forecasts for new, refresh and carry forward items for every season.
• Manage weekly and monthly demand plans based on new product introductions, retail placements, store count and confidence level. Keep the sales team accountable for the most updated and accurate information.
• Maintain Retail Planning ladders for assigned customers, developing season forecast while monitoring performance to identify opportunities and reduce liabilities.
• Monitor assortment sales performance to optimize sell through for customers.
• Analyze POS (point of sale) data and retailer inventory data to validate the initial sales projection is adequate and reasonable at any given time. If not, adjust, reach a consensus driven demand with Sales & Planning and reflect the final demand in Arkieva.
• Support Integrated Business Planning (IBP) Processes, helping to coordinate and represent the final demand for monthly S&OP meetings.
• Contribute to the order fulfillment process by evaluating and approving assigned customer order volumes are warranted, align with demand.
• Collaborate with key partners in PD, Procurement and PMT to address any missing or inaccurate product data in the ERP system.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Manages People: No

Required Qualifications

Education/ Years of Experience

• Bachelor's degree in business admin, data science, or supply chain or other relevant field highly preferred
• 5+ years of professional experience as analysts in forecasting, planning and/or supply chain, preferably in toy and/or apparel manufacturing industry.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAO’s)

• Knowledge of ERP Systems, preferably in Sage 3, SAP, Oracle. Plus, with new system implementation experiences
• High proficiency with data systems and spreadsheet tools, specifically Microsoft applications such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint as well as Google applications such as Google Doc, Slide, and Sheet
• Proven experience leading process improvements, achieving business transformation through change management
• Passionate about data analytics, especially in demand planning
• Flexible and open-minded to changes
• Ability to cross-functionally work with others, influence decisions, have difficult conversations during disagreements and adopt alternative methods to drive a consensus demand
• Ability to link the high-level strategies to day-to-day execution details
• Ability to keep others accountable and work towards multiple deadlines simultaneously
• Strong computer skills and ability to use necessary databases and software systems
• Excellent written and verbal communication & presentation skills
• Ability to work both independently and as a team player effectively
• Ability to communicate and deal effectively with diverse individuals at all organizational levels in a professional manner

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the toy/game industry
• Experience in a global organization
• Multilingual a plus

Working Conditions

Environment: Office

Extreme Exposures: None

Schedule: Regular office

Physical Requirements:

Sedentary; Lifting up to 10 lbs

Must be able to sit at a desk for long periods of time

Travel Required: Yes – Limited

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

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