Demand Planner - Middle East & Africa

Role Summary
The Demand Planner is responsible for managing the regional planning process, supporting the Integrated Business Management (IBM) framework, and collaborating with key internal and external stakeholders to deliver accurate 12–18-month forecasts. The role works closely with production and logistics teams to ensure timely delivery, drives initiatives to optimize supply and information flows, and contributes to collaborative improvement and cost saving projects with customers. This position is essential to achieving corporate sales and operational objectives.

Major Duties/Responsibilities: 

Demand Forecasting & IBM Collaboration (30%)

• Assumes primary ownership of the forecast and is accountable for driving improvement of all forecasts related performance metrics.
• Develop accurate, customer-level demand forecasts for in-scope countries by combining statistical models with insights from Sales, Commercial Planning, Marketing, and Distributors, considering inventory strategy and service level requirements.
• Maintain 18 months operational forecast by item by distribution center in Maestro Kinaxis system.
• Building consensus deck and presenting the total forecast outlook for MEA and the major changes MOM.
• Provide actionable insights and support the monthly IBM Demand Planning process.
• Align forecasts with business priorities, market trends, customer behavior, and promotional or seasonal patterns to reduce forecast errors and optimize working capital.
• Lead or support special projects, including seasonal or new product launches, packaging/recipe transitions, and continuous improvement initiatives, offering functional expertise in Demand Planning.

Distributor Management (30%)

• Act as the key point of contact for supply chain performance metrics, collaborating with Distributors to optimize SKU inventory levels and prevent stockouts.
• Ensure forecasts are aligned with Distributor replenishment requirements, balancing inventory, freshness, container utilization, and production constraints.
• Maintain proactive, clear communication with Distributors to resolve supply chain issues efficiently.
• Contribute to initiatives that enhance forecasting, supply planning, and inventory management, supporting continuous improvement across the supply chain.

Business Analysis (20%)

• Provide necessary analysis & insights to continuously driving process & Forecast improvement.
• Analyze historical and projected sales data to improve forecast accuracy and drive continuous improvement.
• Monitor distributor and supply chain metrics, identify variance root causes, and implement corrective actions.
• Collaborate with Sales and Marketing to assess promotional, competitive, and market impacts on demand.
• Align supply plans with demand outlooks and communicate constraints or changes to stakeholders.
• Provide insights and updates for monthly IBM Demand meetings.
• Communicate forecast performance and key metrics clearly to stakeholders.
• Identify trends, anticipate potential supply or demand issues, and recommend proactive solutions.

Data Management (20%)

• Gather, clean, and validate large volumes of sales, inventory, and supply chain data from internal teams and external partners, including Distributors.
• Prepare and organize datasets for forecasting, supply planning, and reporting, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
• Spot anomalies, trends, and inconsistencies, flagging issues and supporting corrective actions.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to deliver reliable data for analysis and business decisions.
• Help improve data processes and templates to make forecasting and reporting more efficient.

Core Competencies: 

Soft Skills 
•    Communicate effectively with internal and external cross-functional partners at all levels.
•    Strong follow-up skills, self-motivated, able to work independently and prioritize tasks efficiently.
•    Demonstrates influencing ability and leadership to drive results.
•    Collaborates across the business and takes ownership, confidently questioning or challenging Commercial teams and Distributors when needed.
•    Thrives under pressure and meets tight deadlines.
•    Eager to learn and explore creative solutions.
•    Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a high focus on data accuracy and reporting integrity.

Technical Skills 
•    Fluent in English (oral and written); Arabic language skills preferred to support distributor engagement.
•    Solid understanding of fundamental business management and supply chain principles.
•    Strong business acumen with knowledge of the FMCG industry.
•    Comfortable working with multiple internal and external systems, including SAP APO and customer-specific platforms.
•    Proficient in Microsoft Office, with advanced Excel skills.
•    Exposure to S&OP/IBM processes, with close involvement in planning and collaborative initiatives.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements: 

Education: Bachelor’s degree required, in Business administration, Industrial Engineering, Management Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a quantitative business science preferred, but not a MUST. Master’s degree / Supply Chain Management Diploma / APICS certification are a plus. 

Experience:

• Minimum 1 to 3 years of work experience in supply chain related roles
• Must have FMCG background 
• Must have Supply chain experience (either doing Demand Planning themselves or exposed to Demand Planning process)
• Must be proficient in MS Excel or similar tools/process
• Food and beverage background is a plus
• SAP experience is preferred
• Arabic speaking is highly preferred
• Multiple countries experience is a plus
• Amenable to a morning shift (9am to 6pm) and hybrid set-up (thrice a week at the office during Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays)