Demand Planning Manager - #1161750

The Demand Planning Manager is a senior individual contributor responsible for establishing, governing, and continuously improving the policies, procedures, and performance metrics that underpin the organization’s demand planning function. This role owns the demand planning framework end to end, ensuring standardized processes are documented, enforced, and evolved in line with best practice. The incumbent partners cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Operations to define how market intelligence is captured, validated, and translated into actionable demand signals, driving optimal inventory levels, service performance, and revenue attainment.

Key Responsibilities

Policy Development and Governance

• Author and maintain the Demand Planning Policy, defining the principles, authorities, escalation paths, and compliance requirements for all forecasting activities

• Establish governance cadences (monthly policy reviews, quarterly audits) to ensure adherence to approved planning standards

• Define roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities (RACI) for all participants in the demand planning process

• Develop and enforce data governance standards for forecast inputs, ensuring traceability, version control, and audit readiness

• Recommend and implement policy amendments in response to organizational changes, market shifts, or audit findings

Procedures and Standard Operating Practices

• Design, document, and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for statistical forecasting, consensus building, assumption logging, and exception management

• Define the end-to-end demand planning workflow, including trigger points, decision gates, approval hierarchies, and handoff protocols between functions

• Establish procedures for new product introduction (NPI) forecasting, product phase out, and promotional demand overlays

• Define escalation and exception handling procedures for forecast overrides, ensuring all adjustments are justified, documented, and approved per policy

• Maintain a controlled document library for all demand planning procedures, ensuring version control and periodic review cycles (minimum semi-annual)

Metrics, Measurement, and Continuous Improvement

• Conduct root cause analysis on forecast variances and recommend corrective actions with documented remediation plans

• Propose new practices such as demand sensing, machine learning augmented forecasting, and external signal integration (e.g., leading economic indicators, channel sell through data)

• Lead periodic process maturity assessments and recommend capability uplift initiatives

• Benchmark internal practices against industry standards and recommend adoption of emerging methodologies

SIOP/S&OP Process Ownership

• Own and govern the demand review step of the Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) process, including the meeting cadence, agenda structure, and output requirements

• Define and enforce the procedures for preparing, reviewing, and approving the consensus demand plan prior to executive presentation

• Establish the standard format and content requirements for SIOP demand submissions, including scenario analyses, risk registers, and assumption logs

• Reconcile top-down financial targets with bottom up statistical and sales driven forecasts per documented reconciliation procedures

• Recommend process enhancements to the SIOP cycle based on post meeting retrospectives and stakeholder feedback

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Procedural Alignment

• Partner with Sales and Product Management to establish procedures for incorporating pipeline intelligence, NPI forecasts, and customer insights into the demand plan

• Collaborate with Supply Planning and Procurement to define the handoff procedures and service level agreements (SLAs) for demand signal transmission

• Work with Finance to align demand forecasting procedures with revenue planning cycles, ensuring consistent assumptions and reconciliation checkpoints

• Engage with regional and country teams to validate local market assumptions per standardised regional input templates

Systems, Tools, and Automation

• Define system usage policies and user access protocols for demand planning tools and ERP modules

• Recommend and implement automation opportunities to reduce manual effort, improve repeatability, and enforce procedural compliance

• Develop dashboards and reporting aligned to the approved KPI framework, providing visibility into demand performance, process adherence, and policy compliance

• Champion data quality initiatives by establishing validation rules, exception reports, and remediation workflows for forecast input data

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Finance, Business or related field

• 8-10 years of related experience in a material planning/ sales inventory control/ logistics/ customer service within a manufacturing and operations environment.

• Has Business analytics, data science knowledge

• Strong understanding of Continuous Improvement and Lean Techniques and applications

• Demonstrates proficiency in all MS office applications

• Excellent verbal and written communications skills

• Skilled in data visualization tools (PowerBI, Smartsheet, Microsoft List/Planner)

• Demonstrated leadership and organization skills with a team orientation.

• APICS / CPIM Certificate would be an asset.

The successful candidate will embrace Vertiv’s Core Principals & Behaviors to help execute our Strategic Priorities.

OUR CORE PRINCIPALS: Safety. Integrity. Respect. Teamwork. Diversity & Inclusion.

OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

• Customer Focus

• Operational Excellence

• High-Performance Culture

• Innovation

• Financial Strength

OUR BEHAVIORS

• Own It

• Act With Urgency

• Foster a Customer-First Mindset

• Think Big and Execute

• Lead by Example

• Drive Continuous Improvement

• Learn and Seek Out Development

At Vertiv, we’re on a mission to empower the people that will power the future. From a simple swipe to life-changing medicines, from push notifications to generative AI. We design, manufacture, and service the products and solutions that keep the world connected. With $6.9 billion in revenue, a strong customer base and global reach spanning over 130 countries, we are uniquely positioned to deliver greater value to our customers and create new opportunities for our people.

Vertiv is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We promote equal opportunities for all with respect to hiring, terms of employment, mobility, training, compensation, and occupational health, without discrimination as to age, race, color, religion, creed, gender, pregnancy status (including childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity / expression (including transgender status or sexual stereotypes), genetic information, citizenship status, national origin, protected veteran status, political affiliation, or disability. If you have a disability and are having difficulty accessing or using this website to apply for a position, you can request help by sending an email to hel••••••@vertivco.com. If you are interested in applying or learning more about this role, please visit the company’s career page located on Vertiv.com/Careers