Senior Forecasting & Planning Manager

at  British American Tobacco

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• Demand forecasting strategy: Develop and execute (innovative) demand forecasting strategies to ensure seamless product availability and optimal inventory levels especially for the volatile New Categories.
• Demand forecasting: Deliver most accurate demand forecasts for all categories based on historical data, market trends, activation plans and business intelligence. Demand forecast encompasses (a) total category volumes for BAT and competition, (b) BAT volumes per SKU on yearly, monthly, and weekly basis, and (c) short-term demand (current year +1) for operational planning as well as long-term demand for strategic planning/ SLA purposes (3-5 years horizon) and (d) forecast uploads to APO and BPC systems.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Work closely with CE Insights & Foresights, CE Growth Management, local Finance, local Trade Marketing, Category and Supply Chain teams to holistically understand demand drivers (e.g. product launch plans, customer requirements) and gather relevant information and insights to drive commercial decision-making, align demand plans with business objectives and foster effective communication.
• Performance analysis: Analyse demand planning performance metrics regularly, identify areas for improvement and implement strategies to enhance forecast accuracy and responsiveness to market changes.
• Scenario planning: Deliver (business case) scenarios for specific initiatives (e.g. product launches, consumer activation), enabling the business to take informed decisions.
• Inventory optimisation: Implement effective practices to maintain optimal inventory levels, minimise out of stocks and reduce excess inventory, thereby supporting Operations in enhancing overall supply chain efficiency.
• Risk mitigation: Proactively identify and address potential risks to demand plans and develop contingency strategies and plans to mitigate supply disruptions.
• S&OP process: Lead demand forecast-related topics in relevant forums such as Pre-DRM, DRM and S&I, ensuring maximum transparency of latest demand forecast vs business objectives as well as associated opportunities and risks.
• Reporting: Ensure S&OP process-related inputs and outputs to local and above market stakeholders are provided on time in full.
• Simplification: Continuously identify opportunities to streamline demand forecasting and reporting processes and ways of working.
• People leadership: Provide leadership and guidance to the Forecasting & Planning team in line with the CE People Leadership Agenda, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture and mentoring team members for growth.