Demand Planner

The Demand Planner is primarily responsible for developing and maintaining demand forecasts for the assigned business Division / s to a 24-month rolling horizon according to the ANZ SIOP process. This position will make an impact on ANZ supply chain KPIs by ensuring that valid final consensus forecast (FCF) in the demand planning system drives supply planning and inventory management. The FCF will reflect a balanced contribution of system-generated statistical forecasts and business insights received in collaboration with Commercial teams. The Demand Planner will partner internally with Portfolio Managers, Sales, Finance, and local / regional Supply Chain to support this objective.

• Key Responsibilities
• Own the monthly demand planning process for the assigned Division / s, and drive pre-SIOP discussions with Commercial partners to support and facilitate the SIOP cycle
• Maintain the FCF in the demand planning system to support supply planning team in creating in-time purchase orders and ensuring product availability
• Collate demand opportunities and risks through the forecasting process, and include them properly to the forecast
• Act as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for queries and ad-hoc analyses on the demand forecast, backorder projection, lost sales, and inventory projection
• Ensure ownership and deep understanding of the underlying assumptions of the volume forecast,
• Partner with Finance to understand the key assumptions behind financial forecast, and be able to reconcile the valorized volume forecast to the financial forecast and justify the gaps
• Present forecasts, plans and metrics for effective decision-making communications in SIOP reviews
• Facilitate SIOP Demand Reviews for the Division
• Optimise inventory for the Division, by balancing availability, operating cost, and working capital.
• Work closely with supply planning to generate the planned purchase orders
• Proactively identify imbalances between customer orders and available inventory, and coordinate with stakeholders (commercial and supply planners) on the optimal path to resolve the gaps
• Develop expertise in the demand & supply planning system and SIOP process for Thermo Fisher ANZ
• Propose initiatives and contribute to process improvement projects to achieve the KPI targets
• Exhibit passion and professionalism for continuous improvement in planning process maturity
• Engage with local and regional planning colleagues in Thermo Fisher to share learnings and optimise overall planning outcomes.
• Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Direct : a) forecast accuracy metrics such as forecast error, bias,, forecast value add, b) service level metrics such as On-Time and In-Full (OTIF) allocation, c) inventory metrics such as inventory cover, inventory value, Excess and Obsolete (E&O)
• Process : demand planning process adherence, demand planning process maturity development
• Indirect : customer service metrics such as order cycle time, OTIF delivery
• Frequent Contacts

Internal :

• Product : Division Commercial Leads, Category Managers, Product Managers, Division Directors
• Sales : Account Managers, Regional Managers
• Finance : FP&A Managers, Finance Analysts
• Supply Chain : Demand Planners, Supply Planners, Planning Managers, Supply Chain Director
• IT : System Analysts, BI Developers

External :

• Software Functional Consultants
• Supply Chain Planners in other Thermo Fisher regions
• Minimum Requirements / Qualifications

Qualifications & Experience

• A Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain, Business Management, or a process-oriented discipline is required. APICS certification will be highly regarded.
• Two-plus years of demand and / or supply planning experience.

Skills & Attributes

• Demonstrated proficiency in demand and supply planning systems and ERP systems,
• A good understanding of demand planning, inventory management, and supply replenishment processes (MRP / DRP)
• Very good skills in building analytical tools (MS Excel essential, PowerBI desirable)
• Analytical mindset, with the ability to interrogate large diverse data sets and draw valid summary conclusions for presentation to different stakeholders
• Demonstrated skills in positive engagement with Commercial, Supply and Finance stakeholders
• Strong business acumen and clear problem-solving capabilities
• Process, result, and metrics oriented, with a passion for continuous improvement
• Very good verbal and written communication skills with business partners.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of initiatives and drive execution
• Demonstrates the Thermo Fisher values - Integrity, Intensity, Involvement, and Innovation (The Four I's)
• Other Job Requirements
• Adhere to OHS policies and procedures and ensure a safe and healthy workplace environment