Demand Controller

PATTIES FOODS; City of Kingston; Hybrid; AUD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working arrangements

Free parking on site

Free take-home product

Job summary

Patties Food Group in Mentone, Victoria, is seeking a commercially minded Demand Controller to join its Supply Chain team. You will manage short-term demand across our brands, aligning customer orders with forecasts to support service, inventory and cost outcomes.

Reporting to the Demand Planning Manager, you will partner with Sales and Planners to optimise inventory, phase-ins for NPD, and hedge strategies while building strong cross-functional relationships in a fast-paced FMCG environment.

Qualifications

• Five+ years in demand or supply planning, forecasting or analytics.
• Experience in manufacturing or distribution within FMCG.
• Strong data interpretation and decision-making skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication across functions.

Responsibilities

• Manage alignment between customer order plans and sales forecasts across the short-term planning horizon.
• Monitor actuals against forecast, identify risks, variances and actions.
• Coordinate cross-functional decisions for constrained supply and stock risk.
• Support daily case-fill targets while improving forecast accuracy and reducing bias.
• Manage short-term planning changes and pipeline-fill activity.
• Partner with Sales through customer collaboration meetings to improve forecast alignment.
• Work with Demand and Supply Planners on inventory targets and hedging strategies.
• Coordinate product phase-ins/phase-outs to minimise stock at risk.
• Build strong relationships across Sales, Customer Experience, Operations and the wider Supply Chain.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Forecasting

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

FMCG experience

Education

Tertiary qualification in business or supply chain

Job description

• Competitive salary and excellent employee benefits!
• Hybrid wokring arrangements | Free parking on site!
• Dynamic and collaborative team culture!

The Business

At Patties Food Group, we’re passionate about creating delicious, convenient food that brings people together. Home to iconic brands including Four’N Twenty, Patties, Nanna’s, Herbert Adams, Lean Cuisine and On The Menu, we are proud to be one of Australia’s leading food companies. We are looking for a commercially minded and collaborative Demand Controller to join our Supply Chain team based in Mentone.

The Role

Reporting to the Demand Planning Manager, you will play a key role in managing short-term demand across our portfolio. Working across a rolling 13-week planning horizon, you will bring together customer order plans, sales forecasts and supply capability to support service, inventory and cost outcomes.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Managing alignment between customer order plans and sales forecasts across the short-term planning horizon.
• Monitoring actuals against forecast, identifying risks, variances and actions required.
• Coordinating cross-functional decisions where demand is above or below plan, including constrained supply and projected out-of-stocks.
• Supporting delivery of daily case-fill targets while improving forecast accuracy and minimising bias.
• Managing short-term planning changes, demand prioritisation and pipeline-fill activity.
• Partnering with Sales through customer collaboration meetings to strengthen forecast alignment.
• Working closely with Demand Planners and Supply Planners on inventory targets and hedging strategies.
• Coordinating product phase-ins for NPD launches and phase-outs to minimise stock at risk.
• Building strong working relationships across Sales, Customer Experience, Operations and the broader Supply Chain team.

The Person

You will be an analytical and action-oriented planning professional who enjoys working in a fast-paced FMCG environment. You are comfortable managing competing priorities, using data to guide decisions and bringing stakeholders together around a clear plan.

To be successful, you will bring:

• At least five years’ experience in a demand planning, supply planning, forecasting or analytical role within manufacturing or distribution.
• FMCG or food and beverage experience, ideally within a complex, high-volume environment.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret demand data and translate insights into practical action.
• Excellent stakeholder-management and communication skills, with confidence influencing across functions.
• Sound commercial judgement, resilience and a proactive approach to problem solving.
• A relevant tertiary qualification in business, supply chain, analytics or a numerical discipline will be advantageous.

Why Patties?

This is an opportunity to make a genuine impact within a business that is continuing to grow and evolve. You will work with experienced, collaborative leaders and teams, with access to development opportunities, wellbeing initiatives, hybrid working arrangements and free take home product for you to enjoy!

Our values guide everything we do: Trust, Ownership, Courage and Integrity.

Patties Food Group is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences.