Customer Planning and Demand Analyst

Purpose of the Role:

The Customer Planning & Demand Analyst is responsible for owning demand planning, customer collaboration, and inventory performance across New Zealand. The role acts as the key integration point between Commercial, Supply Chain, Finance, and Customers - driving forecast accuracy, improving service and inventory outcomes, and embedding effective Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) and Collaborative, Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) practices. This position combines demand forecasting and customer planning into a single, end-to-end role, enabling aligned decision-making and improved planning outcomes across the NZ business.

Key Responsibilities:

Demand Planning & S&OP

• Own the development and maintenance of the NZ demand forecast, leveraging historical data, customer insights, and market intelligence

• Lead the monthly demand review and consensus forecasting process

• Analyse forecast performance and drive improvements in forecast accuracy and bias

• Coordinate inputs into the NZ S&OP process, ensuring alignment across Commercial, Supply Chain, Finance, and Operations Customer Planning & CPFR

• Partner with customers and commercial teams to align forecasts and improve demand visibility

• Lead CPFR initiatives to enhance collaboration, replenishment performance, and inventory outcomes

• Monitor customer sales, inventory, and ordering behaviour to identify risks, trends, and opportunities Inventory & Replenishment Optimisation

• Own and optimise inventory settings, including MIN/MAX, safety stock, and replenishment strategies

• Monitor inventory health, including Weeks of Cover (WOC), service levels, and stock availability

• Provide proactive recommendations to balance service, inventory, and supply constraints

• Support allocation and replenishment decisions across the NZ network

Insights, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain reporting, dashboards, and planning tools to support decision-making

• Translate data into actionable insights for stakeholders

• Identify and escalate supply risks, inventory issues, and service impacts

• Drive continuous improvement across forecasting, CPFR, and planning processes

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong, credible relationships across Commercial, Supply Chain, Finance, and Customers

• Influence planning decisions through data-driven insights and clear communication

The Ideal Candidate Will Have These Skills:

• Forecasting & analytical capability applies statistical and data-driven approaches to generate accurate forecasts and insights

• Data analysis & insight generation interprets complex data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities

• Stakeholder engagement & influencing builds credibility and influences cross functional and customer stakeholders

• Commercial acumen: understands the impact of demand and inventory decisions on service, revenue, and working capital

• Problem-solving & decision-making identifies root causes, assesses trade-offs, and implements practical solutions

• Communication & storytelling presents complex information clearly and effectively to different audiences

• Planning & prioritization manages competing demands across forecasting cycles, customers, and stakeholders

• Systems & tools proficiency: experience with demand planning systems (e.g. SAP IBP/APO, JDA), Excel, and reporting tools

Knowledge:

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Business, Commerce, Finance, Economics, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience

• Understanding of demand forecasting, inventory management, and supply-demand planning principles

• Familiarity with CPFR and structured planning processes (e.g. S&OP)

• Understanding of how demand, supply, and commercial decisions interconnect and impact service, inventory, and business performance

Experience:

• 3–5+ years’ experience in Demand Planning, Supply Chain, CPFR, Inventory Planning, or Analytics • Experience working cross-functionally with Commercial and Supply Chain teams

• Experience contributing to or supporting forecasting and S&OP processes