Sr. Demand Planner (Remote Eligible)

OVERVIEW

The Sr Demand Planner facilitates demand review through the PEAK process, developing and communicating an accurate demand plan for both financial and operational purposes. This position is responsible for executing demand planning activities based on strategies set by the US. The Sr Demand Planner will need to demonstrate strong leadership with cross-functional teams to execute and communicate the demand plan.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Lead the Demand Review PEAK process:

• Forecast performance evaluation: Leads monthly review of forecast accuracy and bias, identifying key misses, root causes, and learnings to inform future cycles.
• Insight generation & action planning: Translates findings from retrospectives into clear insights and proposes forecast enrichments, adjustments, or structural changes where needed, aligning with established US strategies.
• Forecast ownership: Consolidate & support in development of the demand forecast for the Business Unit, Driver Attribution Model demand forecast, incorporating Business Unit leadership feedback and overrides as needed to arrive at an integrated and accurate plan
• Driver attribution and business analysis: Oversee assessing and pressure testing of key forecast drivers, seeking a deep understanding of demand forecast driver attribution and their influence on the forecast, risks, and opportunities
• DP narrative design: Constructs Business Unit Latest Estimate narrative with support from Business Unit teams, proactively identifying key forecast changes, tradeoffs, and decisions needed for discussion in Business Unit Demand Review (BU DR) Meeting
• Risks & opportunities: Analyzes demand forecast impact of different risks/opportunities embedded in the estimate, communicating these within the context of the broader US strategy.

Demonstrate Analytics/Data Mastery:

• Forward-looking strategic thinking: Ability to synthesize disparate data into coherent, forward-looking business strategy and tactics for advancing business priorities, with BU leadership support and adherence to US-defined strategies.
• Analytics/data mastery: Strong data science / analytical skillset, including:
  • In-depth understanding of how a forecast model works, strengths/pitfalls of the ML model, and the core elements of the model's predictivity
  • Able to analyze and diagnose core forecast drivers and understand the impact on the forecast with DAR
  • High fluency/dexterity in working with data
  • Ability to recognize trends within data and translate them into a forecast narrative
• Technical Aptitude: Demonstrated proficiency in using OMP or similar demand planning tools
• Tool/data collaboration: Works closely with the SFAs and DAs to ensure tool robustness and data availability and granularity at the necessary level to feed the demand forecast

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Proactive communication: Conducts proactive cross-functional outreach to understand forecast and key drivers, extract business insights, understand risks & opportunities, and explain the output of the model to the business
• Input coordination: Reviews and validates inputs and, if needed, holds input owners accountable for delivery, collecting updates via standardized tools, templates, and processes
• Community of practice: Actively foster and contribute to a community of like practitioners
  • Identify and drive continuous improvement on systemic planning issues (process, data, parameters, tools) to reduce recurring issues and improve performance.
  • Coach and support other planners through mentoring and standard work.
• Customer operations: Deep understanding of both customer operations, with the capacity to understand, explain, and reconcile demand drivers and how they interact to drive the business
• Supply chain operations: Strong foundation in supply chain network management and operations
• Financial acumen: Strong financial acumen

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in Engineering, Supply Chain, Data Science, or Predictive Analytics with 5+ years of relevant industry experience
• Strong executive communication with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to influence without authority and network cross-functionally
• Experience with planning
• Experience in analyzing complex data and presenting recommendations/statistical models or predictive analytics with an executive presence and influencing across multiple functions
• Ability to act in a fast-paced environment and rapidly prioritize while responding to change
• Strong curiosity/tenacity with critical thinking skills to problem solve

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree
• CPG / fast-moving consumer forecasting experience
• Demand Planning Experience

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

• This role is open to remote work arrangements; candidates must live more than 50 miles from their assigned work location to be eligible. International relocations will not be considered for this role. 
• General Mills will not sponsor applicants for this position for work visas.

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.