OPT Demand Planning Analyst Jobs
Demand Planning Analyst roles are a strong fit for F-1 OPT students with backgrounds in supply chain, operations research, or data analytics. Most positions require proficiency in forecasting tools and ERP systems. Your 12-month OPT window, plus a potential 24-month STEM extension, gives you meaningful runway to build employer relationships and secure H-1B visa sponsorship.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
The Demand Planner plays a key role in Safran's Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning (SIOP) process by translating customer requirements, program assumptions, and market intelligence into a reliable, integrated demand plan.
This position serves as the primary planning interface among Program Management, Customer Support, Finance, Supply Chain, Operations, and Procurement. The Demand, or Program, Planner develops and maintains a rolling 24-month forecast in units and sales value, providing the demand baseline used for supply planning, capacity planning, inventory decisions, and financial forecasting.
The role is responsible for consolidating customer schedules, purchase orders, aircraft-rate assumptions, aftermarket requirements, and program risks and opportunities into one controlled demand plan. The planner evaluates forecast changes, identifies significant variances and volatility, and facilitates cross-functional alignment before publication of the monthly consensus forecast.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
- Financial & Operational Alignment: Timely follow of the monthly process to develop and publish a 24-month rolling demand forecast in units and dollars, which becomes the basis for operating plans and financial projections.
- Demand Planning & Analysis: Analyze historical demand, filter out outliers/exceptions, identify the most appropriate statistical forecasting algorithm, develop base plan, understand variance, propose improvement opportunities, communicate consensus, and incorporate demand signals into forecast.
- Risk Mitigation: Actively manage risks related to short-term material shortages, supporting on-time customer delivery. Manage forecast by exceptions, utilizing demand planning tools and reports to identify areas of highest volatility and error.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Interact with Sales, Purchasing, Supply Planning and Operations to understand and interpret the potential impact market trends and demand drivers can have on demand and adjust the statistical forecast to reflect those impacts.
- SIOP Process Facilitation: Participate in monthly collaboration meetings with supply chain to review published forecasts, resulting buy plans, and issues/opportunities to optimize inventories and increase sales. Champion demand planning best practices and support continuous improvement in the forecasting and collaboration processes.
- Performance Optimization: Analyze forecast accuracy & bias and develop enhancements to continuously improve forecast accuracy across various lead time lags. Improve On-Time Delivery (OTD) and reduce Excess & Obsolete (E&O) inventory through data-driven analysis.
- Other duties may be assigned.
Job Requirements
Required Competencies
Education/Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, Operations, Engineering, or a related field.
- Three to five years of professional experience in demand planning, business planning, program planning, supply chain planning, financial planning, or a related analytical role.
- Experience working with sales forecasts, customer demand, operational plans, and financial information.
- Experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or another complex, long-lead-time industry is preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Experience with SAP or a comparable enterprise resource planning system.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data analysis, scenario modeling, pivot tables, and complex formulas.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications; experience with Power BI or other visualization tools is preferred.
- Working knowledge of demand planning, forecasting, inventory, capacity planning, and SIOP principles.
- Ability to analyze historical demand, customer schedules, forecast changes, and financial variances.
- Ability to develop clear assumptions and distinguish between firm demand, forecast demand, risk, and opportunity.
- Strong meeting-facilitation, presentation, and written-communication skills.
- Ability to influence and align stakeholders without direct reporting authority.
- Ability to communicate effectively with operational teams, functional leaders, and executives.
- Strong attention to detail, data accuracy, and process discipline.
- Ability to summarize complex information and provide clear recommendations.
- Familiarity with continuous improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, or structured problem-solving methods.
- APICS/ASCM, IBF Certified Professional Forecaster, or comparable certification is preferred but not required.
Leadership Skills / Management Skills / Personal Skills
- Analytical thinking and sound judgment
- Customer and program orientation
- Planning, organization, and prioritization
- Effective communication and active listening
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Constructive challenge and influencing skills
- Problem-solving and root-cause analysis
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Integrity and accountability
- Dependability and follow-through
- Initiative and continuous-improvement mindset
- Ability to work effectively with ambiguity
- Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines
- Ability to identify emerging risks and escalate them appropriately
- Change leadership and process discipline
TRAVEL SPECIFICITY
Travel to customer, supplier, and partner locations may be required, including travel between domestic or international sites.
Expected travel: Up to 10%
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to remain in a stationary position and occasionally move about the office and laboratory. Constantly operates and uses a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copier/printer and laboratory machinery. The ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information. The ability to observe, identify and assess details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). Occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds across the office for various needs.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment is split between office & laboratory work, with most work being performed in the office. The noise level in the office is typically quiet while the noise level in the lab can occasionally require hearing protection.
EXPERIENCE IN RELEVANT BUSINESS SECTOR
Experience working with manufacturing companies. Experience within the aerospace industry is a plus but not required.
COMPANY INFORMATION
Safran is an international high-technology group operating in the fields of aerospace (propulsion, equipment and interiors), space and defense. Its mission is to contribute sustainably to a safer world, where air transport becomes ever more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Present on every continent, the Group employs 110,000 people and generated €31.3 billion in revenue in 2025. Safran holds, either independently or through partnerships, leading global or European positions in its markets.
Safran was ranked second in the Aerospace & Defense sector in TIME magazine's "World's Best Companies 2025" ranking.
Safran Electronics & Defense is an international company with more than 19,000 employees who bring together expertise and team spirit to design high-technology solutions for the aerospace, defense and space sectors. By combining human and technological intelligence, the company develops products and services for both civil and military customers, operating on land, at sea, in the air and in space.
LOCATION
Location: Rockford, Illinois, United States
Contract type: Permanent
Contract duration: Full-time
Required degree: Bachelor's Degree
Required experience: More than 3 years
Professional status: Professional, Engineer & Manager
Salary range: $87,000 - $120,000 depending on experience level
INTRODUCTION
The Demand Planner plays a key role in Safran's Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning (SIOP) process by translating customer requirements, program assumptions, and market intelligence into a reliable, integrated demand plan.
This position serves as the primary planning interface among Program Management, Customer Support, Finance, Supply Chain, Operations, and Procurement. The Demand, or Program, Planner develops and maintains a rolling 24-month forecast in units and sales value, providing the demand baseline used for supply planning, capacity planning, inventory decisions, and financial forecasting.
The role is responsible for consolidating customer schedules, purchase orders, aircraft-rate assumptions, aftermarket requirements, and program risks and opportunities into one controlled demand plan. The planner evaluates forecast changes, identifies significant variances and volatility, and facilitates cross-functional alignment before publication of the monthly consensus forecast.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
- Financial & Operational Alignment: Timely follow of the monthly process to develop and publish a 24-month rolling demand forecast in units and dollars, which becomes the basis for operating plans and financial projections.
- Demand Planning & Analysis: Analyze historical demand, filter out outliers/exceptions, identify the most appropriate statistical forecasting algorithm, develop base plan, understand variance, propose improvement opportunities, communicate consensus, and incorporate demand signals into forecast.
- Risk Mitigation: Actively manage risks related to short-term material shortages, supporting on-time customer delivery. Manage forecast by exceptions, utilizing demand planning tools and reports to identify areas of highest volatility and error.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Interact with Sales, Purchasing, Supply Planning and Operations to understand and interpret the potential impact market trends and demand drivers can have on demand and adjust the statistical forecast to reflect those impacts.
- SIOP Process Facilitation: Participate in monthly collaboration meetings with supply chain to review published forecasts, resulting buy plans, and issues/opportunities to optimize inventories and increase sales. Champion demand planning best practices and support continuous improvement in the forecasting and collaboration processes.
- Performance Optimization: Analyze forecast accuracy & bias and develop enhancements to continuously improve forecast accuracy across various lead time lags. Improve On-Time Delivery (OTD) and reduce Excess & Obsolete (E&O) inventory through data-driven analysis.
- Other duties may be assigned.
Job Requirements
Required Competencies
Education/Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, Operations, Engineering, or a related field.
- Three to five years of professional experience in demand planning, business planning, program planning, supply chain planning, financial planning, or a related analytical role.
- Experience working with sales forecasts, customer demand, operational plans, and financial information.
- Experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or another complex, long-lead-time industry is preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Experience with SAP or a comparable enterprise resource planning system.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data analysis, scenario modeling, pivot tables, and complex formulas.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications; experience with Power BI or other visualization tools is preferred.
- Working knowledge of demand planning, forecasting, inventory, capacity planning, and SIOP principles.
- Ability to analyze historical demand, customer schedules, forecast changes, and financial variances.
- Ability to develop clear assumptions and distinguish between firm demand, forecast demand, risk, and opportunity.
- Strong meeting-facilitation, presentation, and written-communication skills.
- Ability to influence and align stakeholders without direct reporting authority.
- Ability to communicate effectively with operational teams, functional leaders, and executives.
- Strong attention to detail, data accuracy, and process discipline.
- Ability to summarize complex information and provide clear recommendations.
- Familiarity with continuous improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, or structured problem-solving methods.
- APICS/ASCM, IBF Certified Professional Forecaster, or comparable certification is preferred but not required.
Leadership Skills / Management Skills / Personal Skills
- Analytical thinking and sound judgment
- Customer and program orientation
- Planning, organization, and prioritization
- Effective communication and active listening
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Constructive challenge and influencing skills
- Problem-solving and root-cause analysis
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Integrity and accountability
- Dependability and follow-through
- Initiative and continuous-improvement mindset
- Ability to work effectively with ambiguity
- Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines
- Ability to identify emerging risks and escalate them appropriately
- Change leadership and process discipline
TRAVEL SPECIFICITY
Travel to customer, supplier, and partner locations may be required, including travel between domestic or international sites.
Expected travel: Up to 10%
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to remain in a stationary position and occasionally move about the office and laboratory. Constantly operates and uses a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copier/printer and laboratory machinery. The ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information. The ability to observe, identify and assess details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). Occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds across the office for various needs.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment is split between office & laboratory work, with most work being performed in the office. The noise level in the office is typically quiet while the noise level in the lab can occasionally require hearing protection.
EXPERIENCE IN RELEVANT BUSINESS SECTOR
Experience working with manufacturing companies. Experience within the aerospace industry is a plus but not required.
COMPANY INFORMATION
Safran is an international high-technology group operating in the fields of aerospace (propulsion, equipment and interiors), space and defense. Its mission is to contribute sustainably to a safer world, where air transport becomes ever more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Present on every continent, the Group employs 110,000 people and generated €31.3 billion in revenue in 2025. Safran holds, either independently or through partnerships, leading global or European positions in its markets.
Safran was ranked second in the Aerospace & Defense sector in TIME magazine's "World's Best Companies 2025" ranking.
Safran Electronics & Defense is an international company with more than 19,000 employees who bring together expertise and team spirit to design high-technology solutions for the aerospace, defense and space sectors. By combining human and technological intelligence, the company develops products and services for both civil and military customers, operating on land, at sea, in the air and in space.
LOCATION
Location: Rockford, Illinois, United States
Contract type: Permanent
Contract duration: Full-time
Required degree: Bachelor's Degree
Required experience: More than 3 years
Professional status: Professional, Engineer & Manager
Salary range: $87,000 - $120,000 depending on experience level
See all 57+ OPT Demand Planning Analyst Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Demand Planning Analyst
Target STEM-designated programs
Demand Planning Analyst roles typically fall under CIP codes tied to supply chain management or operations research, qualifying for the 24-month STEM OPT extension. Confirm your degree's CIP code with your DSO before applying to roles with longer ramp-up timelines.
Prioritize companies with H-1B filing history
Search DOL disclosure data to identify employers who have filed H-1B visa petitions for supply chain or planning roles. Companies that have sponsored similar positions before are far more likely to sponsor you after your OPT period ends.
Lead with ERP and forecasting tool fluency
Employers sponsoring Demand Planning Analysts want candidates who reduce onboarding time. Highlight hands-on experience with SAP IBP, Oracle Demantra, or similar platforms in your resume to signal immediate productivity and reduce sponsorship hesitation.
Apply to mid-size manufacturers and retailers
Large consumer goods companies and retailers like Procter and Gamble, Target, and Walmart have established immigration programs. Mid-size manufacturers often have fewer internal candidates competing for planning roles, making sponsorship conversations more straightforward.
Time your job search around H-1B deadlines
H-1B registration opens in March each year. If your OPT expires in fall, start applying six to eight months early so employers can file your petition before the cap lottery closes. Missing this window costs you a full year.
Frame your international background as an asset
Global supply chains require planners who understand cross-border logistics, currency fluctuations, and regional demand variability. Explicitly connecting your background to these realities makes sponsorship feel like an investment rather than an administrative burden.
Demand Planning Analyst OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as a Demand Planning Analyst on F-1 OPT?
Yes. Demand Planning Analyst is a specialty occupation requiring a bachelor's degree or higher in a directly related field such as supply chain management, operations research, industrial engineering, or data analytics. As long as your degree aligns with the role and your OPT EAD is active, you're authorized to work. STEM OPT extension eligibility depends on your specific CIP code, so confirm with your DSO.
Does Demand Planning Analyst qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
It depends on your degree's CIP code, not the job title itself. If your degree is classified under supply chain management, operations research, industrial engineering, or a related STEM field, you likely qualify for the 24-month extension. Degrees in business administration or general management may not qualify. Review your program's CIP code with your Designated School Official before assuming eligibility.
Which employers hire Demand Planning Analysts and sponsor visas?
Consumer goods companies, retailers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and third-party logistics firms are the most active hirers. Companies like Procter and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson, Amazon, and large grocery chains regularly sponsor planning roles. You can browse OPT-friendly Demand Planning Analyst positions on Migrate Mate, which filters for employers open to sponsoring international candidates.
What tools and skills make a Demand Planning Analyst more sponsorable?
Employers are most willing to sponsor candidates who reduce onboarding costs. Proficiency in SAP IBP, Oracle Demantra, or Kinaxis RapidResponse signals immediate value. Statistical forecasting skills using Python or R, experience with S&OP processes, and familiarity with ERP systems like SAP S/4HANA or Oracle all strengthen your candidacy. The closer your skills match the tech stack a company already uses, the easier the sponsorship conversation becomes.
How should I handle the OPT authorization question during interviews?
Be direct and prepared. State that you're authorized to work on OPT for 12 months, that your degree qualifies for the 24-month STEM extension, and that you'd need H-1B sponsorship before your authorization expires. Bring a copy of your EAD and have your OPT end date ready. Employers who have sponsored before will know this process. For those who haven't, having clear answers removes uncertainty and keeps the conversation moving forward.