Supply Chain Demand Manager

Software Placement Group; Northampton (MA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Software Placement Group in Northampton, MA is seeking a Supply Chain Demand Manager to lead demand forecasting and planning across product lines, customers, regions and sales channels.

You will align Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Supply Chain to optimize inventory, service levels, and cost, while driving S&OP/IBP processes and continuous improvement through analytics and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in SCM or related field.
• At least 5 years in demand planning/forecasting.
• Experience leading S&OP/IBP processes.
• Proven forecast accuracy improvements.
• ERP/MRP experience.
• Advanced Excel and analytics tools.
• Strong communication & cross-functional collaboration.
• Inventory management and capacity planning knowledge.
• Ability to present to senior leadership.
• Teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and improve demand forecasts across product lines, channels, and regions.
• Lead the demand-planning portion of the S&OP/IBP process with cross-functional alignment.
• Analyze historical sales, market trends, seasonality, promotions, and new products.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Supply Planning for one approved demand plan.
• Monitor forecast performance using metrics like MAPE and bias.
• Identify root causes of variances and implement corrective actions.
• Support inventory strategies with safety stock and service levels.
• Develop demand plans for new products, transitions, and discontinuations.
• Quantify risks/opportunities and present scenarios to leadership.
• Balance demand with production capacity and material availability.
• Drive continuous improvement in planning processes and data quality.
• Apply advanced analytics/AI forecasting where appropriate.
• Prepare demand reviews and KPI dashboards.
• Establish policies for scalable processes.

Skills

Forecasting

S&OP/IBP

Excel

ERP/MRP

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Inventory mgmt

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in SCM

Master's degree in SCM

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Reporting tools

Job description

Location: Northampton, MA | Schedule: Full-time, on-site

Overview

An established manufacturing organization is seeking a Supply Chain Demand Manager to lead demand forecasting and planning across its product lines, customers, regions, and sales channels. This role is central to aligning Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Supply Chain to support product availability, inventory optimization, cost control, and strong customer service.

What you'll do

• Develop, maintain, and improve statistical and consensus-based demand forecasts across product lines, customers, channels, and regions
• Lead the demand-planning component of the S&OP/IBP process, ensuring cross-functional alignment on forecasts, assumptions, risks, and business priorities
• Analyze historical sales, customer demand, market trends, seasonality, promotional activity, new product introductions, and other factors affecting demand
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Supply Planning to gather business intelligence, challenge assumptions, and establish one approved demand plan
• Monitor forecast performance using key metrics such as forecast accuracy, MAPE, bias, and accuracy by product or customer segment
• Identify root causes of forecast variances and implement corrective actions to improve planning accuracy and reliability
• Support inventory strategies by providing demand-based recommendations for safety stock, service levels, and inventory positioning
• Identify and mitigate risks related to shortages, excess inventory, supply constraints, changing customer requirements, and demand volatility
• Develop demand plans for new product introductions, product transitions, engineering changes, phase-outs, and discontinuations
• Identify and quantify demand risks and opportunities, develop planning scenarios, and communicate recommendations to leadership
• Work closely with Supply Planning to balance customer demand with production capacity, material availability, lead times, and inventory objectives
• Drive continuous improvement in demand-planning processes, systems, reporting, data quality, and cross-functional collaboration
• Evaluate and apply advanced analytics, automation, and AI or machine-learning forecasting capabilities where appropriate
• Prepare and present demand reviews, KPI dashboards, forecast scenarios, and executive-level summaries
• Establish demand-planning policies, procedures, and best practices that support scalable and consistent business processes

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, Statistics, Engineering, or a related field
• Minimum of five years of progressive experience in demand planning, forecasting, supply chain planning, production planning, or a related discipline
• Demonstrated experience leading or actively contributing to S&OP or IBP processes
• Proven ability to improve forecast accuracy and convert complex data into actionable business recommendations
• Experience working within an ERP/MRP environment and using demand-planning or supply-chain planning systems
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience with reporting, visualization, or analytical tools
• Strong understanding of inventory management, safety stock, capacity planning, and supply-and-demand balancing
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and decision-making skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present information and recommendations to senior leadership
• Ability to collaborate across multiple departments, influence stakeholders, and challenge assumptions constructively

Preferred qualifications

• Master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Analytics, Engineering, or a related field
• APICS/ASCM certification, such as CPIM or CSCP
• Demand-planning experience within aerospace, defense, or a complex manufacturing environment
• Experience managing demand for products with long lead times, constrained materials, engineering changes, or complex bills of material
• Experience with advanced forecasting tools, business-intelligence platforms, or AI/ML-supported planning applications

Why this role

This position offers the opportunity to lead demand planning within the S&OP/IBP process, directly shaping forecast accuracy, inventory strategy, and cross-functional decision-making that supports business growth.