Senior Manager, Demand Planning

Saputo; Georgetown; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation upon hire

Group insurance

Group retirement plan with employer"s"

Telemedicine and family assistance

Employee Share Ownership Plan with an

employer matc

Job summary

Saputo is seeking a Senior Manager, Demand Planning in Canada to lead the demand planning function across the Canadian Division. The role focuses on building an accurate, responsive demand plan while balancing customer needs, operations, and finances.

You’ll partner with Sales, Operations, Finance and Supply Planning to align market insights with forecasts. You will role model leadership, drive forecasting governance, and modernize forecasting capabilities within a fast-moving dairy environment,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience required; Master’s degree considered an asset.
• 5+ years of experience in demand planning, S&OP, IBP or operations planning, preferably in CPG/food/dairy.
• Proven experience leading teams and influencing cross-functional stakeholders in complex environments.
• Strong business acumen connecting planning to operational performance, cost, inventory and service outcomes.
• Experience with advanced planning systems (SAP APO, Kinaxis) is an asset.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Power BI.
• Bilingualism in French and English is considered an asset.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end demand planning process with governance and aligned views of demand.
• Develop a high-performing team through coaching and capability building.
• Drive improvements in forecast accuracy and bias reduction using analytics.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Finance and Supply Planning to integrate market insights into plans.
• Incorporate promotions, customer initiatives and external signals into planning.
• Lead monthly Demand Review within the IBP framework with executive alignment.
• Ensure demand plans align with financial commitments and strategic priorities.
• Drive adoption of best practices and digital planning capabilities.

Skills

Demand planning

S&OP

IBP

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Forecasting

Analytics

Excel

Power BI

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration / supply chain management / economics

Master's degree (asset)

Tools

SAP APO

Kinaxis

Excel

Power BI

Job description

At Saputo, we bring good to the table by making high-quality products, investing in our people, and supporting communities around the world . As a top 10 global dairy processor, we value contributions that matter and strive to foster an inclusive, growth-driven work environment. Ready to bring your best?

Overview of the Role

The Senior Manager, Demand Planning, will lead the demand planning function for the Canadian Division, ensuring the organization can anticipate and respond to changing market dynamics. This role shapes an accurate and responsive demand plan that balances customer needs, commercial opportunities, operational constraints, and financial commitments. Through close partnership with Sales, Operations, Finance, and Supply Planning, the successful candidate will drive cross-functional alignment, enhance forecast accuracy, and support informed business decisions that maximize service levels while minimizing inventory risk and obsolescence.

The ideal candidate is a proactive and influential leader who thrives in complex environments, demonstrates resilience in the face of challenges, and continuously seeks opportunities to strengthen processes, capabilities, and business outcomes. Their ability to translate insights into action and lead through change will be instrumental to the success of both the team and the broader organization.

The role offers direct exposure to senior leaders, ownership of a critical planning function, and the opportunity to modernize forecasting, IBP governance, and digital planning capabilities in a complex, fast-moving business.

How you will make contributions that matter:

• Develop a high-performing team through coaching, talent management, succession planning, and capability building. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Lead the end-to-end demand planning process, ensuring robust forecasting governance, disciplined operating rhythms, and a single, aligned view of demand.
• Drive continuous improvements in forecast accuracy, bias reduction, and decision-making effectiveness. Strengthen reporting and root-cause analysis capabilities, and leverage advanced analytics to improve forecasting insights, identify trends, and support proactive business decisions.
• Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Finance and Supply Planning to integrate market insights into demand plans, annual operating plans and longer-term demand outlooks. Facilitate alignment on risks, opportunities, assumptions, and gap mitigation strategies to support business objectives.
• Integrate promotional activities, customer initiatives, innovation launches, market intelligence, and external demand signals into planning processes. Develop scenarios and mitigation plans to manage uncertainty and support profitable growth.
• Lead the monthly Demand Review process within the IBP framework, facilitating executive discussions, driving decision-making, and ensuring alignment on volume, assumptions, risks, and opportunities to ensure organization wide alignment
• Ensure demand plans are aligned with financial commitments and strategic priorities. Partner with Finance and Commercial teams to evaluate the impact of demand decisions on revenue, inventory, logistics, and operational costs.
• Lead the adoption of best practices and digital planning capabilities such as advanced analytics and AI-enabled forecasting.

You are best suited for the role if you have the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, supply chain management, economics, or a related field, or equivalent work experience required. Master's degree is considered an asset.
• 5+ years of experience in demand planning, S&OP, IBP or operations planning, preferably within CPG, food manufacturing or dairy, with demonstrated career progression through increasing scope, accountability, or leadership responsibility.
• Proven experience leading teams and influencing cross-functional stakeholders in a complex manufacturing or multi-site environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with senior leaders, Sales, Finance, and Integrated Business Planning.
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to connect planning decisions to operational performance, customer impact, cost, inventory, and service outcomes.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and recommend clear actions.
• Experience with advanced planning systems (SAP APO, Kinaxis, etc) is an asset.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and Power BI.
• Bilingualism in French and English is considered an asset.

We support and take care of our employees and their families by offering:

• Vacation upon hire
• Generous and complete benefit coverage with group insurance
• Group retirement plan with employer contribution
• Telemedicine and assistance program for employees and their families
• Employee Share Ownership Plan with an employer matc