COE Analyst, Systems & Technology

Novolex; Lake Forest (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with company match

Medical, dental and vision insurance

Paid vacation and holidays

Tuition Reimbursement Program

Job summary

Novolex is seeking an Analyst, Demand Planning Systems Configuration to configure and maintain demand planning system logic, ensuring forecasts stay stable and aligned with planning standards.

You will own baseline planning model operations, monitor performance, collaborate with planners, and document configuration intents while ensuring governance and repeatable processes across US locations.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting or configuring demand planning or forecasting systems.
• Understanding of forecast models, hierarchies, and demand segmentation concepts.
• Experience administering or supporting automated planning, forecasting, replenishment, or optimization systems preferred.
• Experience in SIOP or integrated planning environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Configure and maintain demand planning system logic, including forecast models, hierarchies, segmentation, and baseline plan generation.
• Execute recurring baseline plan generation cycles and monitor model performance.
• Develop and maintain demand-domain test scripts and validate forecast behavior.
• Diagnose demand system issues and collaborate with Adoption & Testing analysts to explain outcomes to planners.
• Document planning model assumptions, tuning rationale, performance measures, and known limitations.

Skills

Forecast model understanding

Planning model administration

Baseline plan generation

Continuous improvement

Systems testing and validation

Root-cause analysis

Clear technical documentation

Cross-functional communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Analytics, Information Systems, or related field

Job description

Company Overview

Why Choose Us?

Novolex is a leading manufacturer of food, beverage, and specialty packaging that supports multiple industries including foodservice, restaurant delivery and carryout, food processing, grocery and retail, and industrial sectors. Novolex manufacturing and sourcing expertise spans a diverse range of substrates including resin, paper, molded fiber, aluminum and more. We provide customers a broad array of stock and customized solutions with 120 product categories, 250 brands and over 39,000 SKUs.

Our Sustainability Commitment

The Novolex sustainability vision is built upon three pillars: our products, our operations and our people. Each is critically important to our growth and future as a business. These pillars form the foundation of our company-wide commitment to sustainability, helping us achieve our ambitious goals through our wide-ranging initiatives.

Job Description

Role Overview

The Analyst, Demand Planning Systems Configuration configures and maintains demand planning system logic so forecast behavior is predictable, explainable, and aligned with approved planning standards. This role ensures that demand logic lives in the system, not in spreadsheets, overrides, or planner workarounds.

The role owns the operation, administration, and continuous improvement of automated planning models that generate baseline demand plans. The role is accountable for ensuring baseline plans are generated consistently, reliably, and in accordance with approved planning standards. The role does not own business decisions, planner overrides, consensus forecasts, or final approved plans.

Core Responsibilities

Demand Planning System Configuration

• Configure and maintain demand planning system logic, including:
• Forecast models and parameters
• Demand hierarchies and aggregation rules
• Segmentation and exception behavior
• Baseline plan generation logic / Model tuning parameters and thresholds
• Ensure forecast logic aligns with approved planning intent and governance.
• Own maintenance of the planning models that generate baseline demand plans and ensure outputs remain stable, explainable, and aligned with business requirements.

Baseline Plan Operations

• Execute recurring baseline plan generation cycles within approved planning systems.
• Monitor automated planning model performance and investigate unexpected planning outcomes.
• Maintain planning model parameters and system settings that influence baseline plan generation.
• Collaborate with Demand Planners to gather feedback on model effectiveness and identify opportunities for tuning and continuous improvement.
• Ensure baseline plans are available, complete, and ready for planner review and exception management activities.

Validation & Test Ownership

• Develop and maintain demand‑domain test scripts and task flows associated with owned configuration.
• Validate forecast behavior through structured scenarios before and after changes.
• Support regression testing to protect existing forecast behavior.
• Validate that planning model changes produce expected baseline planning outcomes before deployment.

Diagnosis & Support

• Diagnose demand system issues by tracing:
• Configuration logic
• Planning data inputs (not integration pipelines)
• System calculation outcomes
• Partner with Adoption & Testing analysts to explain system outcomes to planners.
• Analyze planning KPIs, exception trends, and planner feedback to identify opportunities to improve baseline planning performance.

Documentation

• Document demand configuration intent, assumptions, and known sensitivities.
• Maintain clear explanatory artifacts for why the system behaves as it does.
• Document planning model assumptions, tuning rationale, performance measures, and known limitations.

Out of Scope (Explicitly Not This Role)

• Owning, approving, or being held accountable for the consensus forecast or final demand plan.
• Demand planning policy or methodology definition.
• Data integrations, mass data changes, or data corrections.
• Development of independent analytical models outside approved planning platforms.
• Demand planning execution, planner overrides, customer engagement, or consensus decision-making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Analytics, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Experience supporting or configuring demand planning or forecasting systems.
• Understanding of forecast models, hierarchies, and demand segmentation concepts.
• Experience administering or supporting automated planning, forecasting, replenishment, or optimization systems preferred.
• Experience in SIOP or integrated planning environments preferred.

Core Competencies

• Demand planning systems configuration
• Forecast model understanding (system context)
• Planning model administration
• Baseline plan generation
• Continuous improvement and model tuning
• Systems testing and validation
• Root‑cause analysis of planning behavior
• Clear technical documentation
• Cross‑functional communication

Success Measures

• Forecast outputs behave consistently across planning cycles.
• Planners understand and trust demand system behavior.
• Reduced “why did the system do this?” escalations.
• Faster turnaround on demand system configuration changes.
• Decreased reliance on manual forecast overrides.
• Baseline plans are generated on time and with minimal intervention.
• Planning model performance improves through ongoing tuning and KPI-driven optimization.
• Increased planner productivity through exception-based planning and reduced manual plan creation.

A reasonable estimate of the current range is $65,000-$90,000 + bonus + benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. At Novolex, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The benefits for this role include 401(k) plan with company match, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, flexible spending and health savings accounts, paid vacation, and sick days, paid parental leave, paid holidays and wellness program.

Company Benefits

What You'll Get From Us

Benefits

With safety as our top priority and a commitment to employee well-being an important focus, we offer comprehensive and competitive benefits that include medical, dental and vision insurance as well as a variety of other well-being resources focused on mental, physical and financial health. Specific benefits and well-being programs may vary depending on where you work.

Community Engagement

At Novolex, giving back to the local communities that support us is important. Our Focused Giving Program prioritizes support for organizations whose missions promote sustainability initiatives or address food and hunger needs. We also encourage facility level support of activities in the communities where our employees live and work.

Training and Development

We offer constant opportunities for advancement. From skills development to advanced education programs, training and development programs and courses are available through MyLearning. Programs include company and industry training curricula, support for formal education through the Tuition Reimbursement Program (Non-Union), and a Learning Management System that supports and enhances employee skills at all levels of the organization.

Novolex is committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices, including but not limited to selection, hiring, promotion, transfer, and compensation to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, handicap or disability, genetics, citizenship status, service member or veteran status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. Any individual who, because of his or her disability, needs an accommodation in connection with an aspect of the Company's application process should contact [e-mail].

Formerly Pactiv Evergreen