Demand Controller

Patties Food Group; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Development opportunities

Wellbeing initiatives

Hybrid working arrangements

Free take home product

Job summary

Patties Food Group is seeking a commercially minded Demand Controller to join our Supply Chain team in Mentone. You will manage short-term demand across our portfolio, aligning customer orders with forecasts and coordinating cross-functional actions to protect service levels and reduce costs.

You will bring five+ years in demand or supply planning within FMCG, strong analytics, and effective stakeholder management. Hybrid working and product take-home benefits are available.

Qualifications

• 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 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.

Responsibilities

• Manage alignment between customer order plans and sales forecasts across the short-term planning horizon.
• Monitor actuals versus forecast, identify risks, variances and actions required.
• Coordinate cross-functional decisions when demand diverges from plan, including constrained supply and potential stockouts.
• Support delivery of daily case-fill targets while improving forecast accuracy and reducing bias.
• Manage short-term planning changes, demand prioritisation and pipeline-fill activity.
• Partner with Sales through customer collaboration meetings to strengthen forecast alignment.
• Collaborate with Demand Planners and Supply Planners on inventory targets and hedging strategies.
• Coordinate product phase-ins for NPD launches and phase-outs to minimise stock at risk.
• Build strong working relationships across Sales, Customer Experience, Operations and the wider Supply Chain team.

Skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Commercial judgement

Data analysis

Communication

Problem solving

Forecasting

Education

Tertiary qualification in business or supply chain

Job description

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.

• 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.

• 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!

• access to development opportunities
• wellbeing initiatives
• hybrid working arrangements
• free take home product

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.