Planner at Unilever

Job description

Main Job Purpose

Generate unconstrained forecast for 24 month rolling using statistics and adding market intelligence provided in conjunction with customer and brand teams.

Job Summary

• Generate an integrated volume demand plan (0-24months rolling) for his/her portfolio
• Reviews historical sales and market data at appropriate level of detail and horizon (Actual vs. Plan - Deviation Analysis)
• Understands past assumptions and cleans the data
• Understands and applies statistical models, depending on historical patterns and horizons
• Reconciles top-down, bottom-up demand shaping
• Understands and incorporates cannibalisation
• Understands and records demand drivers and assumptions behind baseline forecast, identifies risks and opportunities
• Understands how the baseline forecasting tool operates
• KPI’s Reporting (Forecast BIAS, Accuracy, etc.)
• Monitors customer service performance
• Operate APO-DP
• APO-DP key user (one person from the planning team)
• Demand tracking - issue operational reports to the business on sales versus forecast. Highlight key variances with assumptions and change forecasts accordingly
• Constrains demand and communicates the constrained demand plan
• Translates feedback and incorporates into agreed demand plan
• Supports the development of long term capacity plans
• Raises future capacity and stock issues
• Implements (customer specific) stock allocations
• Member of the category management team
• Participates at regular Top-Down Forecast meetings
• Participates at Launch meetings
• Creates, volume forecasts for events (e.g. promotions, media, price change, store openings, competitor activity, trade stocks) facilitates cross functional agreement
• Creates volume forecasts for new products / innovations jointly with the Brand Building team
• Creates volume forecasts for special packs, jointly with the Customer Marketing/Trade Customer Marketing (TCM) team
• Understands, influences and communicates ranges and does scenario planning
• Influences cross functionally at all levels within the Sales and Operations (S&OP) process
• Incorporates multiple information sources to create the forecast
• Understand how the forecast is consumed in the short term by sales orders
• Translates the Demand Plan to a Distribution Centre level of detail where necessary
• Monitors ‘Customer Casefill On Time’ (CCFOT) risks, slow movers and potential obsolete Stock Keeping Units (SKU’s) and triggers appropriate actions
• Triggers corrective actions due to unexpected variations in demand

Key Requirements

• 2 – 4 years’ relevant experience in a Planning position.
• Completed University degree in Supply Chain/ Logistics/ Engineering/ Finance

Location

South Africa-KwaZulu-Natal-Durban-Unilever La Lucia Ridge Office