Demand Plannerat CDW Careers

This position resides within the Procurement department. 

This role is responsible for creating a baseline plan and collaborating with Marketing, Sales, Finance, and Operations to develop a consensus demand plan at both detail and aggregated level. The Demand Planner also supports continuous improvement initiatives focused on streamlining planning processes and reducing non-value-add activities. 

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Build and maintain successful relationships across departments and with our partners, to drive efficiencies and better serve our customers. 

Other Responsibilities

• Identify and develop strategic initiatives that will improve inventory planning and forecasting processes. 
• Responsible for creating and maintaining statistical forecast models within assigned category(s), incorporating business intelligence and forecast information gathered from Sales and Partner Programs. 
• Review historical sales trends, research demand drivers, prepare forecast data, develop statistical forecast models, and evaluate forecast results as well as measure the impact of forecast accuracy. 
• Make recommended adjustments to forecast targets based on changes in demand and market trends. 
• Align with Product Management on product promotions, emerging technologies, partner management and category performance goals. 
• Partner with other functional areas to ensure the demand consensus processes are agreed upon with workable volume forecasts (mid and long term); ensure gaps and overlaps are addressed, scenarios are completed, and issues appropriately escalated to meet business objectives. 
• Publish monthly demand plan to supply planning. 
• Collaborate with supply planning to resolve supply gaps. 
• Work closely with the Supply Planner to provide input in developing strategies on current product, new product, and discontinued product. 
• Develop practices to effectively manage and monitor key supply chain metrics such as inventory turns, inventory aging, customer backorder and strategic pricing offers. 
• Negotiate strategic buys to create an inventory advantage, drive VIR goals, and increase profitability. 
• Develop strategic long-term team initiatives and efficiency improvements. 
• Demonstrate strong leadership and decision-making skills to effectively manage risk. 

Education and/or Experience Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Information Technology or Supply Chain related field and 3 years of Supply Chain Experience. 
• OR 7 years of Purchasing/Supply Chain Management experience. 

Required Qualifications

Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively interact and present to all stakeholders including executive leadership.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated price negotiation and analytical skills.
• Critical thinking and resourcefulness to solve problems with supply chain and inventory management.
• Strong understanding of supply chain and demand planning process and associated leading practices.
• Strong analytical skills to recognize and interpret both history and forecasts.
• Advanced Excel capability, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP and formulas.
• Ability to travel, as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• 2 years of experience with Access and SQL.
• 1 year of experience with Power BI or similar tool.
• Working knowledge of Supply Chain Management in highly transactional and volatile markets.
• 2 years of experience with demand planning / forecasting applications (preferably as a user; JDA Demand & Fulfill a plus).
• JDA/Blue Yonder experience.

COVID-19 Update:
CDW is committed to maintaining a workplace that is free of known hazards and to ensuring the safety, health, and well-being of coworkers and candidates for employment and their families, as well as the community.

CDW requires all coworkers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with the only exceptions being a documented, legally required medical or religious accommodation.  Prior to starting with CDW, successful candidates will be required to: (i) be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide CDW with proof of full vaccination; or (ii) apply for and receive a medical or religious-based accommodation to be exempt from the mandatory vaccination policy.