Demand Planner

Customer Demand Planner – Food Manufacturing

Greater Manchester

Salary Range - £35k to £45K (DOE)

A leading food manufacturing company is seeking an experienced Customer Demand Planner to join its team. This role is critical in forecasting customer demand, ensuring accurate production planning, and optimising inventory levels to support an efficient supply chain.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Customer Demand Planner to contribute to a leading food business and play a key role in driving operational efficiency.

Role Overview

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and maintaining demand forecasts, working closely with internal teams and external customers (retailers) to ensure alignment with business objectives. This position requires strong analytical skills, excellent communication, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain short-term and long-term demand forecasts based on historical data, market trends, and sales insights.
• Collaborate with sales, planning, production, and procurement teams to incorporate customer requirements, promotional activities, and market conditions into forecasts.
• Serve as the primary contact for customers regarding supply chain-related enquiries, providing updates on order status, delivery schedules, and product availability.
• Identify and resolve supply chain issues, such as shipping errors, delivery delays, and inventory discrepancies, working with internal teams to implement corrective actions.
• Support with order processing, including amendments, returns, refunds, exchanges, and EDI onboarding for new customers.
• Generate reports and analysis on order trends, delivery performance, and customer feedback, making recommendations for process improvements.

Candidate Requirements

• Proven experience in demand planning within the food manufacturing.
• Previously held relationships with UK grocery retailers
• Strong analytical skills, with experience using demand planning tools and statistical models.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to liaise effectively with customers and internal teams.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritise, and work under pressure to meet tight deadlines.
• Commercial awareness, ideally with experience in retail or supply chain operations.