Senior Demand Planner, Compounding

Baxter; Northampton; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare company in Northampton seeks a Compounding Demand Planning Lead to manage the Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning process. Responsibilities include leading cross-functional collaboration, analyzing sales trends for accurate forecasting, and managing production planning for compounded products. Candidates should have extensive demand planning experience, strong analytical skills, and a Bachelor's degree. This role offers professional development and a commitment to work-life balance.

Benefits

Competitive total compensation package

Professional development opportunities

High importance placed on work life balance

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3+ years' experience in supply chain planning.
• Extensive knowledge in demand planning methodologies.
• Prior SIOP experience and demand review leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead and drive the cross-functional monthly planning rhythm.
• Analyze sales trends and prepare strategic forecast data.
• Collaborate with departments to ensure accurate demand forecasts.
• Manage production planning for compounded products.

Skills

Demand planning processes

Mathematical/statistical ability

Analytical skills

Relationship building

Decision making

Demand forecasts

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's degree (preferred)

APICS certification (preferred)

Tools

RapidResponse

Tableau

Job description

Overview

The Compounding Demand Planning Lead is responsible for developing, leading, running and managing the Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning process through close collaboration with cross-functional teams. They own and drive consensus and manage the Executive SIOP in their respective geography and are a key contributor to the global SIOP process. This role is responsible for all forecasting activities related to Compounding Finished Goods at the appropriate level as well as Baxter finished goods ('FG') used as raw materials in Compounding units across Western Europe. These forecasts incorporate current and accurate market information, ensuring the company can correctly predict customer demand and provide the supply chain with the appropriate information to plan how to meet that customer demand. This role provides a collaborative demand signal that will drive manufacturing, distribution and inventory. The role creates and maintains forecast models continually refining and improving forecasts for their respective categories, incorporating business intelligence, to anticipate customer demand and has responsibility for gathering and analyzing data for new product launches and forecast information gathered from multiple sources. This role has responsibility for the production planning of items manufactured at our Compounding sites and supplied via distribution centers across Western Europe as 'stocked' products. This role is accountable for budget and inventory management of raw materials held within the Compounding Units to ensure we are maintaining the correct level of these raw materials to facilitate the compounding activity whilst remaining aligned to budget and Baxter's target for inventory holding.

Responsibilities

• Own, lead, and drive the cross-functional monthly planning rhythm. Develop and manage monthly S&OP meetings with cross-functional leaders. These include commercial reviews with marketing teams and senior leadership meetings. Set a targeted, high-impact agenda. Compile inputs from collaborators across the business. Monthly review with Senior Leadership Team.
• Uncover, support and lead issue identification (supply constraints, available capacity) and initiate and lead cross-functional resolution - coach and support to ensure comprehensive, fact-based decisions
• Utilising advanced analytics, manage significant and complex product portfolio
• Analyse historical sales trends, research demand drivers, prepare strategic forecast data, develop statistical forecast models, and evaluate forecast results and recommend areas for improvement as well as potential risks
• Analyse and monitor trends in forecast error and work with the commercial team to reduce the error and lead cross-functional research activities to reconcile significant variances and refine the forecast model to reflect updated sales and marketing assumptions.
• Develop and lead demand forecasts (operational forecasts) at multiple levels of aggregation for multiple time horizons as part of a demand planning function.
• Update forecast with applicable supply constraints and ensure forecast accuracy and bias analysis. Measure, analyze and report key process metrics and monitor adherence to key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Production planning for stocked compounded codes held within our distribution centers across Western Europe
• Responsible for completion of MRB process for stocked compounded FG's.
• Proactively collaborate and influence with marketing and sales and finance leaders at all levels on portfolio changes to ensure the forecast reflects new product launches as well as changes to existing products.
• Collaborate and drive a consensus approach by working with Commercial, Finance and Supply Chain partners at all levels of the organisation to obtain and ensure that current and accurate information is used for demand forecasts (Country/Cluster demand review meeting and prep).
• Responsible for providing volume input to the Supply Planning organisation in developing inventory strategies on existing items, new products, and product phase-outs.
• Recommend and implement improvements to business processes and find opportunities to improve operational efficiencies.
• Use the relevant planning software as the primary forecasting system tool and update forecast with applicable supply constraints.

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge and experience in demand planning processes, techniques and methodologies. Strong mathematical/statistical ability; analytical and quantitative skills. Hands-on experience with modelling, forecasting, analysis and simulation tools.
• Significant knowledge and proven ability to establish strong relationships across different parts of the organisation (commercial, sales, marketing, product development, finance and manufacturing) related to the segment they are planning for. Ability to influence at the highest levels.
• Prior SIOP experience and working experience in leading S&OP (or leading Demand Review). Prior experience with S&OP process design and implementation for multiple business units.
• Business domain experience in the supported process and technology (RapidResponse and Tableau) areas (nice to have).
• Educational background: A Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience is required; a Master's degree or comparable experience is preferred. APICS certification is preferred.
• Minimum of 3+ years' experience in supply chain planning, including demand planning, S&OP, identifying planning process improvements, training, and coaching team members/colleagues.
• Advanced mathematical and/or statistical abilities, including forecasting and forecasting methods with an understanding of their financial and operational impacts.
• Advanced analytical, interpersonal, decision making, and presentation skills.
• Knowledge of software related to demand planning is preferred.

At Baxter, we believe every person—regardless of who they are or where they are from—deserves a chance to live a healthy life. It was our founding belief in 1931 and continues to be our guiding principle. We are redefining healthcare delivery to make a greater impact today, tomorrow, and beyond. Baxter colleagues are united by our Mission to Save and Sustain Lives. Together, our community is driven by a culture of courage, trust, and collaboration. Every individual is empowered to take ownership and make a meaningful impact. We strive for efficient and effective operations, and we hold each other accountable for delivering exceptional results. Here, you will find more than just a job—you will find purpose and pride.

• Competitive total compensation package
• Professional development opportunities
• High importance placed on work life balance