Demand Planner

Sara Lee Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of high-quality, brand-name products for consumers throughout the world. The Corporation has operations in 58 countries and markets branded products in nearly 200 nations. Sara Lee Corporation employs 137,000 people worldwide.Each and every day, Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE) delights millions of consumers and customers around the world.  The company has one of the world's best-loved and leading portfolios with its innovative and trusted food, beverage, household and body care brands, including Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Sara Lee, and Senseo.  Collectively, these brands generate more than $12 billion in annual net sales covering approximately 200 countries.  The Sara Lee community consists of 52,000 employees worldwide.Position Summary: Responsible for overseeing and coordinating demand forecasts and developing a demand plan impacting 10 manufacturing facilities and several major businesses (including Hillshire Farm & Kahn's, Sara Lee Refrigerated Foods, Ball Park Brands and Bryan Foods) within Sara Lee US Foods. Also responsible for key customer service and supply chain related performance metrics. Key contributor to Sales & Operations Planning process for individual business units and total food group.  Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Develop and maintain an 13 week demand plan for key categories across multiple business units and distribution facilities.Aggregate business unit forecasts and develop rolling 18 month item level demand plans.Work proactively with Sales, Marketing, Demand Management and Supply Chain personnel to avoid order shortages and sell-off.Monitor business unit promotions, events and market conditions to ensure accurate demand plans.Develop, monitor and communicate reports on forecast accuracy to Business Unit and Supply Chain organizations. Drive continuous improvement.Lead the S&OP discussion from a demand/forecasting perspective. Bachelors degree in supply chain, logistics or business administration with 1-3 years of experience in demand management/planning/scheduling. In lieu of bachelor’s degree, a CPIM designation from APICS or significant experience planning within a high volume CPG environment is required. Demonstrated knowledge of AP&S technology or MRPII systems, and high proficiency using PC based applications is required. Knowledge of forecasting techniques and demand analysis methodology is also required. Proven problem-solving experience involving a variety of functional departments and management levels is also required. Strong communication skills are essential.