Leader, Demand Planning

Job : 11720

Alternate Locations:

Newell Brands is a leading consumer products company with a portfolio of iconic brands like Graco®, Coleman®, Oster®, Rubbermaid®, Sharpie® and Yankee Candle® - and 24,000 talented teammates around the world. Our culture is built on values in action:
Integrity, Teamwork, Passion for Winning, Ownership, and Leadership. We work together to win, grow, and make a real impact—supported by a high-performing, inclusive, and collaborative environment where you can be your best, every day.

General Description:

The L&D Customer Demand Planning Leader is a critical leadership role responsible for owning the demand planning process for distributor channels and other strategic customers. This position ensures accurate and reliable forecasts within the S&O and S&O frameworks, serving as key inputs for supply planning, inventory management, and financial alignment. The role requires strong cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Operations, Supply Planning, Finance, Marketing and Distributor Partners to align demand signals with business objectives and operational capabilities.

As the leader of the L&D demand planning team, this individual drives Baby segment process excellence by preparing and presenting demand plans with clear assumptions, drivers, and risks, identifying gaps, and implementing countermeasures. He/She also monitors and improve process metrics to enhance forecast accuracy and performance. Success requires a proactive, resourceful individual with exceptional leadership skills, a strong analytical mindset, and the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders toward common goals.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead the demand planning process for assigned strategic and distributor channel customers across short-term (0–12 months) horizons, ensuring forecast accuracy and attainment. Clarify ambiguity, address bias, and develop approaches to new conditions to deliver unconstrained customer-level demand forecasts.

• Develop consensus demand plans by integrating statistical baseline forecasts, customer insights, POS data, Innovation assumptions and promotional calendars. Drive alignment with Sales, Finance, and Marketing teams.

• Assess customer-level POS forecasts, establish metrics, and facilitate guardrail forecasting related to promotions and expectations.

• Lead forecast collaboration with Customer and Channel Trade teams to provide a baseline dollar forecast for alignment at lower levels.

• Facilitate Baby segment demand review meetings within the S&O cycle and manage S&O execution windows to address fulfillment exceptions, risks, and disruptors.

• Identify and quantify risks within the demand plan, review gaps with Customer and Trade teams, and implement appropriate countermeasures.

• Partner with distributor teams to validate forecasts, manage replenishment requirements, and ensure alignment on promotional, innovation and seasonal activities.

• Understand key business drivers at major customers to identify growth opportunities and risks to current plans.

• Align trade marketing expectations internally through IBP/PRM processes and integrate development activities.

• Review system-generated statistical forecasts for account-level SKU/DC inconsistencies and make adjustments using prior shipments, POS data, business trends, and upcoming promotions.

• Manage demand history to realign forecasts based on item version changes, customer entity changes, and other factors.

• Ensure all discrete forecasts accurately entered into the system, including promotions, events, POGs, discontinued and new products, and version changes.

• Monitor process metrics (forecast error, bias, attainment) and lead initiatives to improve accuracy, efficiency, and system capabilities. Investigate root causes of forecast errors, implement corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement.

• Own performance reporting, post-performance analysis, and predictive insights to inform strategic decisions.

• Represent supply chain interests in cross-functional project teams to implement changes to business processes.

• Act as a strategic thought leader and change agent, collaborating on initiatives that optimize service,…