Demand Planner Jobs in Illinois

SUMMARY

Demand Planner II plays a critical role in the Demand Planning process by owning and developing accurate 18-month rolling forecasts for assigned customer accounts. This position partners with Sales, Supply Planning, and cross-functional stakeholders to build a consensus-based demand plan that supports business performance and supply chain efficiency.

This role requires strong analytical capabilities and the ability to build effective working relationships to establish a shared understanding of key demand drivers. The Demand Planner analyzes data, identifies trends, and supports the development of actionable insights to improve forecast accuracy and reduce bias.

By owning account-level forecasts and contributing to data-driven decision-making, this role supports improved alignment, planning effectiveness, and overall demand plan performance.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Generates baseline forecasts from relevant sales history.
• Creates, analyzes, and tracks sales and operations reports and looks for trends, opportunities, issues, etc. that impact demand.
• Experience in statistical modeling techniques and concepts of forecasting, such as MAPE, WMAPE, and BIAS, to consistently drive forecasting improvements.
• Partners with managers on multiple internal teams throughout the organization for collaborative planning and management of business objectives. These teams include Product Management, Pricing and Promotions, Marketing, Finance, Sales, Supply Planning, and New Product Development.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to understand all impacts to the forecast, including merchandising promotions, competitive activity, seasonality, retail consumption, customer behavior, pricing, distribution, etc.
• Leads or assists in the development of customized reports that provide actionable, fact-based insights.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying areas of opportunity and process improvements.
• Act as the lead for Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) by planning and developing the presentation to ensure the most relevant topics are brought up for decision-making to cross-functional stakeholders (marketing, production, and R&D).
• Responsible for providing key inputs and recommendations to S&OP processes to align strategic, operational, and financial business objectives.
• Generate a continuous improvement mindset among stakeholders of the Demand phase of S&OP.
• Lead the development and utilization of tools & systems that support the automation of Demand Planning and S&OP operations.

• Tracks and reconciles KPI metrics versus established targets.
• Acts as the team lead within demand planning to execute on KPIs as well as business objectives that require multiple functions to work together.
• Facilitates teamwork and a collaborative mindset across the different stakeholders.
• Leads demand planning team on special projects, reporting needs, and ad hoc requests to accommodate a rapidly changing business environment.
• Manages the right communication level with the Supply Chain Manager.
• Identify gaps in the Finance Rolling Forecast and prepare strong plans to reduce them.

• Develop new product launch plans with input and collaboration from selling divisions, marketing, planning, production, and R&D.
• Performs as a systems super-user to investigate and recommend system efficiency improvements.
• Analyzes the following on a consistent basis to review accuracy, identify trends, and capture issues, developing plans of action based on findings:

o actual shipments versus the net required forecast plans

o finished goods actual results versus the forecast

o actual sales versus the forecast

• Utilizes system-generated reports to determine priorities and areas of opportunity and to confirm/communicate results. Creates ad hoc reporting when needed.
• Analyzes root causes for big misses in forecast accuracy on a monthly basis and provides recommendations for improvements.
• Performs other related duties and responsibilities, on occasion, as assigned.
• Comply with safety and GMP requirements.

SAFETY RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

Supports a culture of safe production and operations; follows all safety rules and procedures. Actively participates in the safety program by engaging in training activities to learn what constitutes a safety hazard; reporting safety concerns to the supervisor, submitting safety suggestions, and correcting or reporting to the appropriate people when an employee sees a workplace health or safety hazard, until it is resolved. Assists with communicating safety information to new employees. Fulfills responsibilities as outlined in the company safety management plan.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfy each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Demonstrated knowledge of forecasting technology using Oracle Cloud Demand Planning is required.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Supply Chain, Mathematics, or related field, and a minimum of seven years’ experience in an analytical role in consumer products or supply chain. Experience within the food industry and Consumer Packaged Goods environment is strongly preferred. APICS or IBF Certifications are a plus.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers and coworkers.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to work with mathematical concepts. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.

REASONING ABILITY

Excellent problem-solving skills.

OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES

Advanced skills in the MS Office suite, including advanced skills in Excel.

Data mining skills, including the ability to retrieve, manipulate, analyze, and interpret information and make recommendations, are critical to success. Strong time management, project management, and prioritization skills required, including the ability to juggle tasks and work quickly.

Must be able to manage multiple projects and complete projects on time. Must work well under pressure and be highly responsive to short deadlines. Must be self-motivated, detail-oriented, analytical, and driven to succeed. The ability to interface effectively with others at all levels is essential. Ability to make presentations for small groups. Ability to work in a fast-paced and changing environment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

2026 Benefits at a Glance