Demand Planner Central Eastern Europe

Syngenta Group is one of the world’s biggest agricultural technology companies, with roots going back more than 250 years. With more than 59,000 employees, operating in more than 100 countries, the company strives to transform food production through Regenerative Agriculture - a science-driven, technology-enabled approach to improve soil, deliver high productivity and high-quality food, help fight climate change and restore lost biodiversity. Syngenta Group, which is registered in Shanghai, China, and has its management headquarters in Switzerland, draws strength from its four business units: Syngenta Crop Protection, headquartered in Switzerland; Syngenta Seeds, headquartered in the United States; ADAMA, headquartered in Israel; and Syngenta Group China. Together, these businesses provide industry-leading ways to serve customers around the world.

Our employees reflect the diversity of our customers, the markets where we operate and the communities which we serve. No matter what your position, you will have a vital role in safely feeding the world and taking care of our planet. Join us and help shape the future of agriculture!

Role purpose

Leadership

• Lead demand planning and forecasting processes for Central Eastern Europe CU ensuring alignment with global standards and driving continuous improvement.
• This role ensures accurate demand planning to optimize inventory levels, support revenue growth, and enable strategic decision-making across Central Eastern Europe.

Demand planning & forecasting

• Directly drive forecasting and demand planning best practice across Central Eastern Europe Commercial Unit.
• Lead the deployment of the forecasting and demand planning / management processes and capabilities within the Central Eastern Europe, in line with the global target operating model and agreed ways of working, and lead associated change management initiatives.
• Establish and maintain a robust and efficient Commercial Unit S&OP decision making platform, in line with global guidelines in alignment with Supply Operations Lead.
• Report and monitor defined regional demand planning / forecasting KPIs and metrics, and proactively recommend and drive improvement initiatives.
• Actively align the Commercial, Marketing and P&S functions in developing and signing off robust regional 5-year demand plans, in line with the global calendar and strategic goals.
• Facilitate and support relevant demand / forecasting and S&OP platform activities, providing analytical support to guide decision-making and securing timely input to the global S&OP platform.

Scope

• All Syngenta Vegetable Seed crops in Central Easter Europe CU, covering a planning horizon of 3–48 months.

Accountabilities

Forecast and demand plan development: Monthly (Current Year) and Annual (5 Year)

• Lead the monthly Central Eastern Europe demand review process:
• Coordinate and ensure sales forecasting and demand planning process adherence (timelines, ownership) to the global process and guidelines,
• Coordinate and manage within Central Eastern Europe CU the monthly and annual forecasting cycles in line with demand planning timelines,
• Ensure timely submission of Central Eastern Europe CU demand plans in SAP, monitor forecast accuracy, and drive improvement initiatives through variance analysis and KPI reporting,
• Perform forecast variance analysis and reporting on latest forecast and demand uncertainty (Sales forecast vs SPP Forecast, Last Plan vs SPP Forecast, Previous Last Plan vs Last Plan, etc.),
• Classify and analyze demand change drivers and assumptions for review and discussion in the commercial unit demand reviews and S&OP; summarize the output to feed the monthly regional demand review process,
• Manage Commercial Unit demand review process output (minutes and actions) for distribution to commercial unit teams and follow up/close out,
• Provide reporting and analytics support to the Commercial and Marketing teams for the pre-SPP demand review and monthly S&OP cycle, and any other ad-hoc requests.

Critical success factors & key challenges

• Proven leadership ability
• Excellent communication skills
• Influencing skills
• Stakeholder management
• Change leadership
• Advanced skills in Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Advanced analytical skills
• Operate statistical analysis tools

 

Education: Bachelor’s in Business, Economics, Supply Chain, or related field.

Experience:

•  3+ years in Demand Planning, Supply Chain, or Commercial Operations.
• Proven leadership managing S&OP process.

Technical Skills:

• ERP systems (SAP), IBP, forecasting processes and tools.
• IBP-SAP integration and data visualization (Power BI, Tableau).
• Familiarity with AI-driven forecasting solutions.

Core Competencies:

• Advanced analytical and strategic thinking.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills under tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement across diverse teams.
• Certifications: APICS (CSCP, CPIM, CLDT), ISM (CPSM, APSM).

Approximately 15–20% to engage with commercial unit stakeholders.