3 Days Left) Lead Demand Planner Analyst

Job Description

Job Description

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., (ACT) is a global Fortune 200 company. A leader in the convenience store and fuel space, ACTs retail network includes 17,000 convenience stores, and has footprint across 31 countries and territories primarily under the Circle K brand. The Senior Demand Planner will work closely with National, Business Areas and Business Unit Merchants as well as other members of ACTs North American Support Team in addition to Vendors to enable effective product demand forecasts. This position will have oversight of one or more Demand Planners, aiding staff scheduling, planning, training and general communication, among other thigs.

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Location: Cyber Hub, Gurugram, Haryana (5 days in office)

Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time (40 Hours)

Reports To: Analytics Manager

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About The Role

The Lead Demand Planner Analyst must demonstrate the ability to effectively lead their respective staff in properly plan for shifts in consumer purchasing, while optimizing product inventory levels. Product forecasting will be managed in Relex (inventory planning system), interfacing with Merchants and Vendors for their assigned area of business, ensuring proper planning for item introductions, promotions, item discontinuation, and more.

Roles & Responsibilities

Analytics (Data & Insights)

- Deliver actionable insights on item-level forecasts both prospective and retrospective to support Merchants in vendor discussions, negotiations, and internal processes (e.g., promotional decisions)
- Uses analytics to advise and influence internal teams on product demand planning decisions, clearly articulating the cause-effect of actions
- Leverage Power BI, Relex and PDI Focal Point reporting to benchmark and improve KPI performance
- Generate allocation scenarios in Relex inventory management system to determine appropriate distribution of liquidated products
- Provide analytical support for item discontinuation decisions and systemic issues such as stockouts and Days on Hand challenges

Stakeholder Management

- Oversight of one or more Demand Planner Analyst with respect to training, scheduling, planning, etc.
- Assist internal teams in seasonal, annual, and long-range strategic product demand planning with support from Operational Leaders, Merchants and Vendors
- Contribute to strategic product demand planning meetings (e.g., weekly vendor meetings, vendor business reviews, internal inventory planning sessions, etc.)
- Collaborate with Inventory Demand Planning Leadership as well as Relex Support Staff to make enhancements to the Demand Planning/Ordering Tool and associated reporting
- Train Operations and Merchandising team members on Relex for effective forecasting and provide ongoing troubleshooting support

Operational Excellence

- Sets targets and achieves inventory productivity plans to support sales, gross margin, and in-stock objectives
- Review and adjust item forecasts, including new item setups, everyday items, and halo/cannibalization relationships to ensure accurate product availability
- Executes and measures product demand planning performance against category plans for timely decision-making
- Lead forecasting efforts for special events, holidays, and large-scale activities to address demand fluctuations
- Investigate and resolve master data inaccuracies and systemic inventory challenges with a root-cause mindset
- Identify and drive process improvements in demand planning practices to increase forecast accuracy and operational efficiency

Job Requirements

Education and Relevant Experience

- Bachelors degree in business or related field is preferred
- 6 years+ of experience in inventory demand planning
- 1-3 years experience with leading team
- Proven track record in setting and achieving inventory short, medium and long-range inventory plans
- Exceptional ability to communicate complex analytics in a clear, actionable manner to influence decision-making
- Strong interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with internal teams and external parties
- Skilled in monitoring and measuring inventory demand planning performance against goals, with the ability to provide insights and make timely adjustments
- Results-driven mindset with the ability to balance strategic planning and tactical execution

Behavioural Skills

- Delivery Excellence
- Business Disposition
- Social Intelligence
- Innovation & Agility
- Purposeful Leadership

Technical Skills

- Strong analytical skills with proficiency in inventory management software and tools (e.g., PDI, Relex)
- Advanced proficiency in Excel and other data analysis tools; experience with visualization tools e.g., Power BI, Tableau etc

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