About The Job
The goal of the position is to improve the supply chain service & performance for Industrial Accounts, Regional Accounts and/or Distributors & Artisans by being a key partner in the S&OP cross‑functional process in Chocolate Benelux & Nordics. The demand planner will manage, capture and translate the demand signal into desired supply & service requirements in close collaboration with local & regional commercial, R&D, Finance and OSCO stakeholders. You will increase visibility and communication and ultimately improve service levels at the lowest cost. Externally you will build a profound understanding of the customer’s need and help drive collaboration and intimacy with key customers.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead the demand planning process for Benelux & Nordics on Industrial Accounts and/or Regional Accounts and/or Distributors & Artisans.
* Take overall responsibility for the demand plan figures within the Demand Planning system, ensuring they are representative of the S&OP latest cycle consensus plan (constrain the forecast when needed).
* Cooperate closely with sales to understand and reflect the latest business dynamics into the final forecast.
* Be commercial’s main challenger when ensuring forecasts reflect the most realistic demand outlook.
* Reconcile top‑down, bottom‑up demand and gain consensus on new forecast assumptions.
* Intensively work with business partners (Commercial & Financial analysts) on risks and opportunities, communicate them appropriately to SC counterparts (provide context beyond the numbers).
* Team up with the GBS demand planning team: give guidance on how and where to enrich the forecast according to the latest forecast review discussions with sales, discuss and understand what is needed to improve forecast accuracy and forecast bias, and translate that into an action plan.
* Keep track of gaps with budgets and be able to explain.
* Own the full local forecast construction process while ensuring the monthly forecast cycle deadlines are met:
o Take the lead in the forecast validation with the Benelux & Nordics managing director.
o Handover the local forecast and relevant information towards regional demand planning for the regional sign‑off.
* Work closely together with Finance on the YTG/YEF, budgeting and MTP process.
* Coordinate phase‑in, phase‑out for key innovation and product launches.
* Collaborate with global supply chain organization on consolidation of supply risks and early warnings for any supply disruption, and communicate proactively to the sales community.
* Contribute in reaching the right inventory health (incl. obsolescence) via active monitoring of stocks at risk and by setting up action plans with local commercial stakeholders.
* Lead & manage the portfolio health assessment and optimisation for your portfolio.
* Act as a key contributor to the Value Creation Program identified for key/strategic customers (focus on improving service jointly, avoid cost/create shared value and bring visibility on ESG initiatives. This will require a close collaboration both internally and externally including frequent customer visits / organising workshops).
About You
* Degree in business administration, supply chain or related field.
* English and Dutch fluent.
* +5 years experience in integrated supply chain and ideally planning, managing a portfolio with high product and channel complexity.
* Experience with ERP systems (SAP, OMP, BW reporting, PowerBi) is a plus.
* Good knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint.
* Able to work in virtual teams and cross‑functional teams. Ability to balance day‑to‑day detail with a long‑term helicopter view.
* Strong networking, stakeholder and influencing skills.
* Positive communicator, easily approachable for all levels in the organization, confident to work with senior leadership.
* Solid analytical skills with ability to dig into raw data and interpret them for larger audiences.
* Self‑starter, entrepreneurial and able to manage complex analytical projects.
* Positive and agile mindset, looking for continuous improvement and embrace change.
* Methodical and well organised.
* Strong commercial acumen.
At Barry Callebaut, we are committed to Diversity & Inclusion. United by our strong values, we thrive on the diversity of who we are, where we come from, what we’ve experienced and how we think. We are committed to nurturing an inclusive environment where people can truly be themselves, grow to their full potential and feel they belong. #oneBC – Diverse People, Sustainable Growth.
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