Manager/Sr. Manager, Demand Planner

As the Manager/Sr. Manager of Demand Planning, you will develop and maintain an annual buy plan that supports the company’s sales strategies. Collaborating with the Product, Marketing, and Sales teams, you will forecast sales and ensure that inventory levels align with monthly sales goals and trends. You will analyze item performance, stock levels, and sales data on a weekly basis, presenting your findings to the Director of Product. Additionally, you will work closely with our warehouses and accounting team to schedule future purchase orders, ensuring inventory aligns with warehouse capacity, maintainable months of supply, and company growth. You will also negotiate costs and minimum order quantities with suppliers and manufacturers to secure the best rates. Some travel will be required to maintain strong supplier relationships. The ideal candidate has experience in purchasing, is highly analytical and communicative, and can lead a team to align inventory with sales goals. A creative eye and entrepreneurial spirit are essential.

The details:

• Location: Hybrid – this role will work from our Bellevue office 3 days/week and from home the remainder. However, additional on-site presence may be required to support team collaboration, meetings, and other business needs.
• Hours/Contract: Full Time; working typical PST business hours will require some flexibility including evenings & weekends on occasion
• Physical requirements: Ability to handle long periods of both sitting and screen time
• Travel requirements: 0-10%
• Compensation: $110,000 DOE with annual bonus potential

As the Manager/Sr. Manager of Demand Planning, you will be responsible for:

Inventory Management

• Accurately forecast future sales and inventory based on actual sales, trends, new item launches, and marketing initiatives.
• Work cross-departmentally with Finance, Sales, and Marketing to ensure inventory levels support all business needs.
• Manage inventory flow by assessing months of supply, lead times, and sales goals, proactively adjusting purchase orders to meet business needs.
• Work closely with warehouse management to understand any storage constraints
• Develop and maintain close communication with warehouse so they can plan warehouse space for incoming inventory
• Monitor warehouse space utilization to identify potential issues like inefficient storage or over-allocation of space to certain products
• Manage product allocation across different sales channels.
• Ensure sufficient stock levels to meet customer demand without overstocking.
• Communicate with Marketing and Sales teams to understand future initiatives and planned growth.
• Use strong computer and Excel skills to enter, monitor, and adjust inventory levels for products moving between numerous warehouses.
• Deliver a monthly purchase order report to the management team, indicating open purchase orders and expected arrival dates.
• Provide detailed reporting and analysis on inventory status, sales performance, and the accuracy of previous forecasts.
• Deliver a monthly sales update to management based on trends, new item launches, and inventory on-hand.
• Proactively identify potential business risks, such as stockouts, and create/suggest mitigation plans to address them.
• Continuously evaluate and refine demand planning processes to improve forecast accuracy.

Assortment Strategy

• Execute an assortment strategy based on customer needs, product performance, industry trends, and business analytics.
• Support Lifecycle Planning Activities Via SKU Rationalization Recommendations & Item Status Maintenance
• Develop Standard Operating Procedures to establish consistency and guide the buying team to success.
• Analyze various suppliers to ensure the company is receiving cost-effective deals on existing components.
• Assist in component sourcing and collaborate with the Product Development team on mood board creation to visualize and plan new product launches.
• Conduct competitive research by reviewing competitors’ websites and assembling and analyzing information to understand how competition impacts the business.
• Mentor associate-level planners to support their career development, providing clear pathways for success and contributing to the success of the buying and planning team.

Other responsibilities as required and as the position evolves.

We want you to have:

• 4+ years of finished goods and component management experience in a food, beauty, or CPG company.
• Data-driven and analytical; able to take data and create action plans that result in successful outcomes.
• Professional communication style (both verbal and written) with strong presentation, organizational skills, and a high sense of urgency.
• Demonstrated ability in problem-solving and process improvement
• Highly motivated self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Team player with the ability to serve as a player/coach when needed and roll up your sleeves to get the job done.
• Strong attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.
• Strong Excel Ability - Pivot tables and formulas (Comfortable with Multi-sheet workbooks, lookups, summarization functionality, and if-then)
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, MS Teams) and the ability to learn new computer systems quickly and retain the information.

Note: At any time, with or without notice, HydroPeptide LLC reserves the right to add/delete/change the position’s requirements.