Demand Planner

Demand Planner

Published 08.07.2026

Company : Safran Electronics & Defense Job field : Supply chain Location : Rockford , Illinois , United States Contract type : Permanent Contract duration : Full-time Required degree : Bachelors Degree Required experience : More than 3 years Professional status : Professional, Engineer & Manager Salary range : $87,000 - $120,000 depending on experience level

# 2026-185716

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Published 08.07.2026

Job Description

The Demand Planner plays a key role in Safrans Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning (SIOP) process by translating customer requirements, program assumptions, and market intelligence into a reliable, integrated demand plan.

This position serves as the primary planning interface among Program Management, Customer Support, Finance, Supply Chain, Operations, and Procurement. The Demand, or Program, Planner develops and maintains a rolling 24-month forecast in units and sales value, providing the demand baseline used for supply planning, capacity planning, inventory decisions, and financial forecasting.

The role is responsible for consolidating customer schedules, purchase orders, aircraft-rate assumptions, aftermarket requirements, and program risks and opportunities into one controlled demand plan. The planner evaluates forecast changes, identifies significant variances and volatility, and facilitates cross-functional alignment before publication of the monthly consensus forecast.

Essential Job Functions

• Financial & Operational Alignment: Timely follow of the monthly process to develop and publish a 24-month rolling demand forecast in units and dollars, which becomes the basis for operating plans and financial projections.
• Demand Planning & Analysis: Analyze historical demand, filter out outliers/exceptions, identify the most appropriate statistical forecasting algorithm, develop base plan, understand variance, propose improvement opportunities, communicate consensus, and incorporate demand signals into forecast.
• Risk Mitigation: Actively manage risks related to short-term material shortages, supporting on-time customer delivery. Manage forecast by exceptions, utilizing demand planning tools and reports to identify areas of highest volatility and error.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Interact with Sales, Purchasing, Supply Planning and Operations to understand and interpret the potential impact market trends and demand drivers can have on demand and adjust the statistical forecast to reflect those impacts.
• SIOP Process Facilitation: Participate in monthly collaboration meetings with supply chain to review published forecasts, resulting buy plans, and issues/opportunities to optimize inventories and increase sales. Champion demand planning best practices and support continuous improvement in the forecasting and collaboration processes.
• Performance Optimization: Analyze forecast accuracy & bias and develop enhancements to continuously improve forecast accuracy across various lead time lags. Improve On-Time Delivery (OTD) and reduce Excess & Obsolete (E&O) inventory through data-driven analysis.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Job Requirements

Required Competencies

Education/Experience

• Bachelors degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, Operations, Engineering, or a related field.
• Three to five years of professional experience in demand planning, business planning, program planning, supply chain planning, financial planning, or a related analytical role.
• Experience working with sales forecasts, customer demand, operational plans, and financial information.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or another complex, long-lead-time industry is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience with SAP or a comparable enterprise resource planning system.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data analysis, scenario modeling, pivot tables, and complex formulas.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications; experience with Power BI or other visualization tools is preferred.
• Working knowledge of demand planning, forecasting, inventory, capacity planning, and SIOP principles.
• Ability to analyze historical demand, customer schedules, forecast changes, and financial variances.
• Ability to develop clear assumptions and distinguish between firm demand, forecast demand, risk, and opportunity.
• Strong meeting-facilitation, presentation, and written-communication skills.
• Ability to influence and align stakeholders without direct reporting authority.
• Ability to communicate effectively with operational teams, functional leaders, and executives.
• Strong attention to detail, data accuracy, and process discipline.
• Ability to summarize complex information and provide clear recommendations.
• Familiarity with continuous improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, or structured problem-solving methods.
• APICS/ASCM, IBF Certified Professional Forecaster, or comparable certification is preferred but not required.

Leadership Skills / Management Skills / Personal Skills

• Analytical thinking and sound judgment
• Customer and program orientation
• Planning, organization, and prioritization
• Effective communication and active listening
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Constructive challenge and influencing skills
• Problem-solving and root-cause analysis
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Integrity and accountability
• Dependability and follow-through
• Initiative and continuous-improvement mindset
• Ability to work effectively with ambiguity
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines
• Ability to identify emerging risks and escalate them appropriately
• Change leadership and process discipline

4. Travel Specificity

Travel to customer, supplier, and partner locations may be required, including travel between domestic or international sites.

Expected travel: Up to 10%

But what else? (advantages, specific features, etc.)

5. Physical Demands

While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to remain in a stationary position and occasionally move about the office and laboratory. Constantly operates and uses a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copier/printer and laboratory machinery. The ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information. The ability to observe, identify and assess details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). Occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds across the office for various needs.

6. Work Environment

The work environment is split between office & laboratory work, with most work being performed in the office. The

noise level in the office is typically quiet while the noise level in the lab can occasionally require hearing protection.

7. Experience in relevant Business sector

Experience working with manufacturing companies. Experience within the aerospace industry is a plus but not required.

Company Information

Safran is an international high-technology group operating in the fields of aerospace (propulsion, equipment and interiors), space and defense. Its mission is to contribute sustainably to a safer world, where air transport becomes ever more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Present on every continent, the Group employs 110,000 people and generated €31.3 billion in revenue in 2025. Safran holds, either independently or through partnerships, leading global or European positions in its markets.

Safran was ranked second in the Aerospace & Defense sector in TIME magazines ""Worlds Best Companies 2025"" ranking.

Safran Electronics & Defense is an international company with more than 19,000 employees who bring together expertise and team spirit to design high-technology solutions for the aerospace, defense and space sectors. By combining human and technological intelligence, the company develops products and services for both civil and military customers, operating on land, at sea, in the air and in space.

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4747 Harrison Ave, M/S 298-6 61108

Rockford

Illinois United States

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100,000

employees worldwide

27

Number of countries where Safran is located

35

business area families