Demand Planner

Role Title:

Demand Planner

Location:

Needham, MA

Job Advert Description

The Demand and Fulfilment Planner will be accountable for forecasting sales and managing stock through the end-to-end Supply Chain. Using JDA demand and data analysis, the D&F Planner will produce an accurate demand forecast for Clarks owned points of purchase in the Americas across Retail, Digital and Outlet. Using JDA fulfilment, they will manage the allocation and replenishment of stock from the distribution center, in order to ensure the right product is delivered to the right place at the right time. They will manage all stakeholders and relationships with other functions and regions in the business and be accountable for meeting their team’s key performance indicators, such as forecast accuracy and store size-level availability. They will work closely with the Merchandise Planning Managers & Director to share and implement best practices.

What You’ll Do:

• Produce and maintain long term (pre-season) and short term (in-season) forecasts and orchestrate stock allocation and replenishment in JDA Fulfilment

• Perform ad hoc analysis to understand issues, proactively feedback lessons learnt and best practice improvements to changes in ways of working within the team

• Accountable for meeting forecast accuracy, store availability and other KPIs

• Accountable as the Demand and Fulfilment systems expert user in the Americas region to roll out and train best practice and process adherence while also ensuring continuous improvement within the team

• Develop and sign off a Forecasting Development Plan with the Merchandise Planning Manager or Director to drive forecast accuracy improvements.

• Work closely with Merchandise Planning to develop and execute the planning strategy across the region / Business Unit.

• Respond to changes in trade, and ensure forecasts and inventory plans are adjusted accordingly

• Ensure all relevant calculations are transparent and signed off by Merchandise Planning and that all high-level forecast changes have translated into correct store level forecasts and allocations.

• Manage all fulfilment plans and activity, ensuring accurate and timely system updates to drive availability and to deliver stock at the right time to the right place, while achieving OTIF targets.

• Establish relationships and collaborate closely with the Merchandise Planning teams to deliver forecasts that meet commercial requirements, and reach consensus between Demand forecasts and Enterprise Planning

• Collaborate closely with Supply Chain to deliver reporting and insights, for example by providing outbound shipment forecasts to the DC

• Work cross functionally leading the team to ensure stock availability for special events and promos such as Black Friday / Cyber Monday

• Review total forecast exception reports by region and channel and ensure any issues or errors are fixed with any large changes flagged to Fulfilment planning

• Escalate to the Merchandise Planning Manager or Director any process or data integrity issues that require their support to fix and ensure the right priority is given to ensure issues are fixed in a timely manner

• Be willing to jump in and help out with any clerical task that overall Merchandise Planning & Allocation Team needs:  This includes such task as size curves creation, PO writing and maintance, entering Markdowns, etc

What You’ll Bring With You:

• Highly developed numerical, analytical, and interpretive skills

• Ability to use analytics tools, e.g. SQL, databases, BI, Excel to perform analysis

• Knowledge of demand forecasting methods and inventory concepts preferred

• Experience with JDA Demand and Fulfilment preferred but not required

• Strong interpersonal/communication skills with ability to initiate and build strong relationships with key teams across functions

• Good commercial skills and judgement

• Experience and/or good understanding of Retail and Digital

• Can-do attitude and ability to prioritize and deliver in a fast-paced, commercially oriented environment

• Very high attention to detail with ability to spot issues and exceptions when reviewing data

 About Clarks

Clarks, based in Somerset, England, has been at the forefront of innovative shoemaking since its foundation in 1825, when brothers James and Cyrus Clark made a slipper from sheepskin off-cuts. At the time it was ground-breaking: a combination of invention and craftsmanship that has remained at the heart of what the brand does now. In the Clarks archive of more than 22,000 pairs are shoes that have sparked revolutions and defined generations. From the original Clarks Desert Boot, first designed by Nathan Clark and launched in 1950, to the iconic Wallabee, each design has an instantly recognizable signature that makes it unmistakably Clarks.

This season, we’re proud to introduce the Clarks Collective: five incredible activists championing authentic social change. From mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ rights to greater racial equality, these trailblazers are committed to creating a brighter future for us all – bringing to life Clarks’ new global campaign, For the World Ahead. Through spotlighting their stories and supporting their chosen charities and initiatives, we’re ready to lead the way. After all, we’re originators, not imitators. It’s who we are, who we’ve always been. And to change the world of tomorrow, we’re doing things differently today.

Clarks International believes that the principle of equality of opportunity is fundamental to the company's operations. Our long held aim is to provide just and fair treatment for all employees. We will not discriminate on the grounds of sex, age, disability, marital status, colour, race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or gender reassignment

 

 

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