Demand Planner

Brakes have an opportunity for a Demand Planner to join the Product Supply team. The role is based at our Ashford office and reports to the Category Demand Manager.

The Demand Planner is responsible for all forecast activities associated with customers and products.  The role interprets, creates and/or manages the demand for depot forecasting, incorporating statistics and business intelligence and other demand signals to improve service for the customers of the demand plan.

To effectively manage the interaction and forge strong working relationships with key stakeholders for their area of responsibility, to provide optimum customer experience.

Our role is Monday – Friday, 39 hours per week, 8am – 5pm and is offering hybrid working, with 2 days a week in the Ashford office, so you must be within a commutable distance. The site has good transport links and free car park for colleagues.  This role is paying £30,226.

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities:

• Responsible for creating and maintaining system generated forecasts for a defined material group to drive continuous improvement to company set targets
• Carrying out analysis of sales history, seasonal and forthcoming events or activities in order to generate an optimal demand signal
• Interpret corporate and independent customer data/insight into robust forecasts
• Manage forecasting processes at both detail and aggregated level, utilising the best fit statistical models
• Collaborative demand planning with other teams or external customers in order to understand, recommend, and deliver forecast improvements
• Communicating to supply chain colleagues to advise changes to the forecast
• Root cause analysis techniques to establish underlying causes of KPI shortfalls and implement improvement plans to rectify
• Support the governance of customer insights/business intelligence
• Support projects in Demand Planning and around the business as required
• Support a culture of continuous improvement.
• Supporting the implementation of new and lost business forecast requirements into the Demand planning system

About you:

We are looking for a confident individual who is people orientated and can thrive in a fast paced, demanding, and pressurised environment, so experience within FMCG/ Supply Chain is highly desirable. This role is suited to someone who has excellent problem-solving skills with a ‘can do’ attitude as it will involve analysing trends and looking into anomalies to understand what went wrong and how this can be avoided in the future. You will have great analytical skills and be competent in the use of MS Excel, (formulas), and SAP. This role requires a great amount of concentration, and the ideal candidate will be able to prioritise their own workload to ensure all tasks and processes are completed in a timely manner. This role is suitable for someone who enjoys working with numerical data but is also comfortable liaising with internal/external stakeholders to draw conclusions from data and report the findings.

Once you’ve applied, you’ll be invited to complete a psychometric assessment. Shortlisted candidates will then be booked in for a face-to-face interview at the Ashford office.

What you’ll receive:

• A competitive salary
• Generous holiday allowance, with option to purchase up to 5 additional holiday days
• Pension scheme
• Hybrid working contract
• Huge discounts on all sorts of lovely food and award-winning products through our staff shop
• Discounts on Cinema tickets, shopping and earn cashback on purchases through Sodexo.
• Recognition awards and Incentives
• Career progression opportunities - being part of Sysco, the world’s leading foodservice business, opens up a world of possibility

At Brakes everyone is welcome. We don’t want you to ‘fit our culture’ we want you to help define it and we actively celebrate the unique talents of each and every colleague. We don’t just look at your CV, we’re more focused on who you are and your potential. As part of our values, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone has a voice, is appreciated and has the same opportunities. We work hard to ensure that everyone feels part of our business, as we care for one another and connect the world through food and trusted partnerships. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that everyone belongs and thrives at Brakes and we recognise that Brakes can only thrive when everyone feels they belong. We'll do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, speak to our resourcing team who will be happy to support you. 

Brakes

Built on a passion for food and feeding the nation, we are the UK’s largest foodservice supplier. Every day Brakes deliver the highest quality fresh and frozen food and ingredients from our nationwide network of distribution centres to some of the nation’s most famous pubs and restaurants, as well as schools, caterers, care homes and hospitals. Our customers depend on us, and our 8,000-strong workforce is dedicated and proud to be part of this vital provision. And we’re growing!