Senior Demand Planner

Conagra Brands is a leader among top brands in North America, and is committed to providing great food today’s consumers want.

This role will be based in Naperville until the move to the new location in Chicago, IL. Manages the development of demand forecasts in anticipation of customer needs and in accordance with the organization’s sales and service objectives. Directs the review of historical sales trends and forecasts. Reviews statistical forecast models and evaluates forecast results. Coordinates communication with sales, marketing, finance, procurement, supply planning and other departments to ensure that current, accurate information and data are available for forecasts. Scope: Large, more complex portfolio or equivalent number of brands

* Owns and facilitates monthly S&OP forecast consensus process * Strong project management skills with proven success in delivering complex projects * Strong collaboration and influence management skills as evident by cross functional alignment and delivery of initiatives * Collaborate with key partners in sales, brand, supply chain, and finance to obtain consistent forecast inputs * Systematically identify and work to reconcile discrepancies and close gaps among inputs on an ongoing basis * Work with production planning and deployment to transfer/translate consensus forecasts for operational purposes * Ensure successful customer promotion execution through effective planning and leverage of key customer event inputs * Track weekly/monthly forecast error results versus established targets and identify and report on root cause for forecast misses * Play a lead role in the annual planning process across the S&OP planning team. Ensure linkage to monthly volume forecast as part of financial forecasting process * Establish annual forecast accuracy targets * Assume a lead role in the use of APO Demand Planning and SAS applications * Mentor other or new demand planners. * Work across peer group to lead and participate in major process improvement activities * Support ongoing improvements in APO DP and other systems * Drive IBP process improvements to improve forecast error

* Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Finance, Business, Statistics, Mathematics or related field * Strong analytical skills and some statistical knowledge * Demonstrated communication, collaboration and leadership skills * Ideally 3-5 years consumer products forecasting and/or supply chain operations experience * Experience in and/or exposure to S&OP processes and procedures, customer planning and/or supply planning * Experience with any forecasting application or supply planning software and/or SAP, APO, SAS * Experience with or knowledge of IRI, Retail Link, and other external customer data sources * Experience in leading projects – strong project management skills * Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Suite of tools