Demand Planner

Valeo Foods; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Matched pension up to 10%

Death in service

Cycle to work scheme

Many more benefits

Job summary

Valeo Foods UK seeks a Demand Planner to own forecasting for a defined set of customers and products. You will build and maintain forecast models, generate management information, and act as the key liaison for customer supply chain in partnership with Commercial and SOP teams.

You will collaborate across teams to maintain an accurate 18-month rolling forecast, review trends, and optimise inbound supply. The role requires strong analytical skills and experience in FMCG demand planning.

Qualifications

• Strong analytical and numerical abilities.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
• Ability to work with large amounts of complex data.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Commercial to maintain an 18-month rolling forecast.
• Review historical sales trends and develop statistical forecasts.
• Maintain forecasts across SKUs and customers in a dynamic portfolio.
• Support IBP meetings with demand projections and reports.
• Liaise with production planning to maximise service levels.
• Prepare KPI reports for the demand planning process.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Data handling

Education

Degree in supply chain/analytics

Job description

At Valeo Foods UK we bring together a family of much-loved UK food brands supported by the scale and ambition of a global investment partner. From Kettle’s bold crunch to Rowse’s natural sweetness, through to Matthew Walker and Barratt Sweets, our portfolio blends heritage, craft and category-leading innovation.

Alongside our branded portfolio, we are also one of the UK’s largest suppliers of private label products, partnering with major retailers to deliver quality and category expertise that meets the needs of millions of households every week.

As a business, we’re on a journey of transformation. We’re strengthening our operations, driving quality and investing in our people. It’s an exciting, fast-moving environment where heritage meets new thinking, and where every colleague contributes to shaping the future of food across the UK.

Join us and play your part in building the next chapter of some of Britain’s most loved brands.

Job Description

We are looking for a Demand Planner to join our team, they will be responsible for all forecasting activities associated with a defined set of customers and products. Create and maintain forecast models, management information and be the key liaison for customer supply chain, working closely with Commercial and SOP teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with Commercial to maintain timely and accurate 18 month rolling forecast at multiple levels of aggregation and time horizons as part of a demand planning function for your portfolio of SKUs and customers.
• Review historical sales trends, research demand drivers, prepare forecast data, develop statistical forecast models, and evaluate forecast results.
• In close co-operation with the Commercial teams, create, monitor and revise forecasts for all or part of the Snacks portfolio ensuring accuracy measures are met and continuously improved.
• Establish close working relationships with key customers in order to improve forecasts and optimise inbound supply, including regular customer facing reviews. Maintain a collaborative approach to forecasting to maximise benefits for both parties.
• Actively participate in Integrated Business Planning meetings generating reports and providing demand projections for the horizon, analysed by working with Sales, Marketing and Finance.
• Ensure due diligence and rigour in IBP Forecast Challenge meetings.
• Analyse trends and promotional volumes to make adjustments and recommendations to cross functional groups where necessary.
• Maximise customer service level via effective liaison with the production planning team and monitoring of daily forecast/demand.
• Provide input to the Supply Planning organisation in developing inventory strategies on existing items, new product, and product phase-out.
• Maintain integrity demand planning systems and software.
• Prepare and maintain relevant reports and KPI’s pertaining to demand planning process.

Qualifications

Personal Attributes:

• Strong Analytical Skills / Numerate
• Excellent Communication and Facilitation Skills
• Ability to Work with Large Amounts of Complex Data

Experience and Qualifications:

• Work experience in a Demand Planner role is essential.
• Experience in FMCG supply chain preferred.
• Broad knowledge of forecasting, product distribution, and inventory control.
• Good IT skills, including advanced Excel.
• Maths or Business qualifications an advantage.

Additional Information

Hybrid Role - 2 to 3 days on site (Ideally Leeds area)

What we offer you in return

• Matched pension scheme up to 10%
• Death in service
• Cycle to work scheme
• And plenty more!