Director, Consensus Demand Planning

McKesson Corporation; Irving (TX); Hybrid; USD 136,000 - 227,000; Full time

Job summary

McKesson Corporation in Irving, TX is seeking a Director of Consensus Demand Planning to own the consensus forecast across channels and drive a governed planning process. You will lead a team that translates market intelligence into a defensible forecast and align inputs for the S&OP cycle, reporting to the VP of Demand Planning.

This is a hybrid on-site role, based at the Las Colinas office with up to 25% travel, offering a path to influence across functional partners and a focus on data-driven

Qualifications

• 12+ years in supply chain, demand planning or related roles.
• 4+ years in a leadership capacity managing teams and cross-functional outcomes.
• Experience leading demand planning in complex, high-volume environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the consensus demand planning function, establishing process and governance for cross-functional signal to single plan.
• Own inputs into the S&OP cycle, reconciling signals and ensuring defensible consensus forecasts.
• Define rights, participation, escalation paths, and accountability structures.

Skills

Consensus Demand Planning

Leadership

Kinaxis Maestro

Forecasting

Statistical methods

Cross-functional collaboration

SQL

Excel

Power BI

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain or related field

Tools

Kinaxis Maestro

SQL

Excel

Power BI

Job description

McKesson is an impact-driven, Fortune 10 company that touches virtually every aspect of healthcare. We are known for delivering insights, products, and services that make quality care more accessible and affordable. Here, we focus on the health, happiness, and well-being of you and those we serve - we care.

What you do at McKesson matters. We foster a culture where you can grow, make an impact, and are empowered to bring new ideas. Together, we thrive as we shape the future of health for patients, our communities, and our people. If you want to be part of tomorrow's health today, we want to hear from you.

Position Summary

The Director, Consensus Demand Planning sits within the Demand Planning organization, part of the Supply Chain Inventory Planning team and services as the primary owner of the consensus level demand plan. This role reports to the VP of Demand Planning and downs the end-to-end process of converting demand signals into a single, trusted consensus forecast that the supply chain executes against. The role leads a specialized team oriented around two complimentary functions: channel-aligned demand planners who translate market intelligence into forecast inputs, and a technical forecasting resource who own the integrity of the statistical baseline in the planning system. This leader sets the direction, operating standards, and performance expectations for both functions, and is accountable for the quality and credibility of the consensus plan that the team produces.

Key Responsibilities

Consensus Forecast Ownership & Governance

• Lead the consensus demand planning function, establishing the process, governance model, and operating norms for how McKesson converts cross-functional demand signals into a single agreed-upon plan.
• Own the demand planning inputs into the S&OP cycle, ensuring all signals are reconciled, enrichments are complete, and the consensus forecast is defensible and ready for cross-functional review.
• Define the decision rights, participation expectations, escalation paths, and accountability structures that make the consensus process function as a governed business process rather than an ad-hoc coordination exercise.

Market Intelligence & Enrichment

• Own the process for identifying, evaluating, and incorporating external demand-side signals into the statistical baseline forecast, including macroeconomic trends, payer policy changes, healthcare system dynamics, and geopolitical disruptions; establish and maintain a structured framework for how signals are sourced, assessed for credibility, documented, and weighted against the baseline when they diverge.
• Monitor the external environment on an ongoing basis, proactively surfacing signals that warrant a forecast adjustment and applying clear judgment on when a signal is material enough to adjust the baseline versus when it should be held as a risk assumption.
• Partner with cross functional teams to ensure long-range market assumptions are captured, validated, and reflected in the planning horizon with appropriate confidence levels.
• Ensure all enrichments are documented and traceable so that forecast decisions can be explained, audited, and used to improve future enrichment quality over time.

Statistical Forecasting & Technical Oversight

• Lead the technical forecasting function within the team, directing the resource responsible for baseline forecast generation, model configuration, algorithm integrity, and data input quality in Kinaxis Maestro.
• Own forecast accuracy and bias management at the portfolio level, holding the team accountable to measuring forecast error, diagnosing root causes, and continuously improving statistical performance over time.
• Establish the governance framework for statistical model performance, including thresholds for intervention, protocols for bias correction, and standards for when system outputs require human override.
• Ensure data inputs feeding the statistical baseline are accurate, complete, and arriving on time; partner with the COE and IT to resolve upstream data integrity issues that degrade forecast quality.

Team Leadership, Development & Continuous Improvement

• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing Consensus Demand team, setting clear performance expectations, role clarity, and accountability structures.
• Drive succession and career development within the team, with a particular focus on creating a visible path from junior to senior levels.
• Create the conditions for the team to operate with increasing autonomy as the planning system matures, investing in structured ways of working that do not depend on institutional knowledge.
• Ensure the team’s processes and documentation evolve in step with the system capabilities, retiring manual workflows as system-enabled workflows mature.
• Partner with the Customer Facing Demand Planning Lead and the COE to ensure the consensus team is integrated into the broader planning rhythm and that handoffs are clean.

Minimum Requirement

Degree or equivalent experience. Typically requires 12+ years of professional experience and 4+ years of management experience.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business or related field, or equivalent experience.

Critical Skills

• 12+ years in supply chain, demand planning, or customer operations roles with at least 4+ years in a leadership capacity managing teams and driving cross functional outcome s
• Functional proficiency in Kinaxis Maestro or comparable advanced planning system.
• Demonstrated experience leading demand planning functions in a complex, high-volume distribution or pharmaceutical environment.
• Proven ability to influence without direct authority across an matrixed or organization.
• Setting the strategic direction for a consensus demand function and translating that direction into clear team accountability s and operating standards.
• Building trusted relationships with cross-functional partners while maintaining the objecti vity required to make hard calls on the forecast.
• Project leadership and execution in complex technical environments.
• Championing cross-functional collaboration and enterprise-first mindset.
• Leading change and fostering adoption of new technologies and processes.
• Balancing statistical discipline with market intelligence, knowing when the model is right and when the business signal should take precedence.

Additional Skills

• Executive presence and strong communication skills - ability to represent the consensus demand function credibly in senior leadership for sums and translate operational complexity into clear strategic framing.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally across demand planning, supply planning, and inventory management teams.
• Change management orientation, with experience supporting organizations through system or process transitions.
• Proficiency in analyzing data to identify trends, patterns, and insights.
• Familiarity with reporting and data visualizations tools such as Excel, Power BI, Tableau or similar.
• Basic SQL knowledge or Business Objects querying language or writing.
• Ability to identify issues, assess the impact and develop solutions.

Physical Requirements

• Traditional office requirements. A large percentage of time performing computer-based work is required.
• Hybrid role, must live near Las Colinas office.
• Up to 25% travel.

This role is a hybrid position. The selected candidate is expected to work on-site at our Las Colinas office a minimum of two (2) days per week, with the remaining days worked remotely. Specific in-office days may be designated based on team needs and business priorities.

Our Base Pay Range for this position

$136,300 - $227,100

We are proud to offer a competitive compensation package at McKesson as part of our Total Rewards. This is determined by several factors, including performance, experience and skills, equity, regular job market evaluations, and geographical markets. The pay range shown below is aligned with McKesson's pay philosophy, and pay will always be compliant with any applicable regulations. In addition to base pay, other compensation, such as an annual bonus or long-term incentive opportunities may be offered. For more information regarding benefits at McKesson, please click here.

McKesson is an Equal Opportunity Employer

McKesson provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, age, genetic information, or any other legally protected category. For additional information on McKesson's full Equal Employment Opportunity policies, visit our Equal Employment Opportunity page.

McKesson is committed to being an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and offers opportunities to all job seekers including job seekers with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, please contact us by sending an email to (United States) [e-mail] or (Canada) [e-mail]. Resumes or CVs submitted to this email box will not be accepted.