Demand Planning & Inventory Analyst

Demand Planning & Inventory Analyst

Department: Marketing, Demand Planning & Inventory
Reports To: Director of Marketing Services
Location: Insert Location
Employment Type: Full-Time

Position Summary

The Demand Planning & Inventory Analyst will support the company's demand planning, forecasting, inventory management, and excess inventory initiatives. This position will analyze sales trends, customer demand, inventory levels, production requirements, and historical data to help ensure the company maintains appropriate inventory levels while minimizing excess, obsolete, and aged inventory.

The Analyst will work closely with Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Operations, Production, Purchasing, Finance, and Supply Chain to develop accurate forecasts, identify inventory risks, and support informed business decisions.

This position will also play an important role in the company's transition to SAP
, helping establish accurate data, processes, reporting, and inventory planning practices within the new system.

Key Responsibilities

Demand Planning & Forecasting

• Develop and maintain customer, product, and channel-level demand forecasts.
• Analyze historical sales, customer orders, trends, seasonality, promotions, new product launches, and discontinued items.
• Monitor forecast accuracy and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing to incorporate customer knowledge and market activity into forecasts.
• Identify significant changes in demand and communicate potential impacts to management and operations.
• Maintain forecasting files, reports, and planning tools to support monthly and weekly planning activities.
• Assist with establishing standardized forecasting processes and reporting.

Inventory Management

• Monitor finished goods inventory levels and identify excess, slow-moving, aged, and at-risk inventory.
• Track inventory against forecasted demand and customer requirements.
• Identify potential inventory shortages or overages before they become significant issues.
• Support inventory reduction strategies and recommend actions to minimize write-offs and obsolete inventory.
• Maintain visibility to inventory that may require special sales programs, promotions, closeout opportunities, or alternative channels.
• Assist with developing inventory action plans and tracking results.
• Work with Operations and Production to understand inventory availability, production schedules, and capacity constraints.

Excess & Closeout Inventory

• Maintain accurate reporting of excess, aged, and discontinued finished goods.
• Identify products that are approaching shelf-life, becoming obsolete, or exceeding forecasted demand.
• Work with Sales and Marketing to identify opportunities to sell excess inventory through existing or alternative channels.
• Support the development of closeout programs, including available quantities, timing, pricing recommendations, and customer opportunities.
• Track movement of closeout inventory and provide regular status updates to management.
• Analyze the financial impact of excess inventory and potential inventory recovery opportunities.

Marketing Support

• Provide inventory and demand insights to support Marketing initiatives and promotional programs.
• Assist in identifying products appropriate for promotions, closeout programs, customer-specific opportunities, and new sales initiatives.
• Support marketing calendars by aligning planned activities with available inventory and production capabilities.
• Help develop reporting and presentations that communicate inventory opportunities and risks.
• Collaborate with Marketing to ensure promotional activity is aligned with inventory objectives.

SAP Implementation & Data Management

• Participate in the company's transition to SAP and support the development of demand planning and inventory processes within the system.
• Assist with data validation, item setup, forecasting parameters, inventory data, and reporting requirements.
• Help identify and correct data inconsistencies that could impact forecasting or inventory planning.
• Participate in testing, process development, documentation, and user acceptance activities.
• Support the development of standardized SAP reports and dashboards.
• Become a subject-matter resource for demand planning and inventory-related SAP processes following implementation.

Reporting & Analytics

• Develop and maintain recurring reports and dashboards related to:
• Demand forecasts
• Forecast accuracy
• Inventory levels
• Excess and aged inventory
• Inventory turns
• Product velocity
• Customer demand
• Closeout inventory
• Potential shortages
• Inventory value

• Analyze data and translate findings into clear recommendations for management.
• Identify trends, discrepancies, and opportunities through data analysis.
• Maintain accurate and timely reporting for weekly and monthly business reviews.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

The Demand Planning & Inventory Analyst will work closely with:

• Sales
• Marketing
• Customer Service
• Production
• Operations
• Purchasing
• Supply Chain
• Finance/Accounting
• Quality
• Senior Management

The position will be expected to…