Position Purpose

To support the Seasonal Planning Manager in managing the overall demand processes across Lindt’s key seasons.  Addtionally, this role responsible for creating and maintaining a seasonal forecast at the customer level utilizing sales and marketing assumptions, historical analysis, market trends, portfolio mix, and by driving strong collaboration & consensus across various teams. High responsibility lies on maximizing product availability and supporting Lindt & Sprungli’s growth initiatives and financial goals while minimizing destructions and discounts. Ability to provide details and clarity while supporting internal operations is required, striving to increase seasonal planning accuracy and service level is essential.  To be effecitive in this role, the individual must be comfortable working cross functionally with sales, operations, production planning, marketing and customer service as well as presenting and communicating across various levels of the organization.  Additionally strong problem solving skills are a must as this role owns the overall seasonal number and must make decisions to maximize sales while working with a finite amount of supply.

Essential Job Functions/Key Accountabilities

Seasonal Long Range Planning

• Build and maintain a seasonal forecast by customer to provide long range planning outputs for finance/budget, production/capacity planning, purchasing and import needs.
• Ensure plans are informed by and aligned with overall customer performance, historical sell through, market trends, and key promotional plans in addition to supporting marketing and sales growth strategies.
• Partner with sales team on item level forecasts, providing recommendations and supporting analysis while maintaining awareness of customer presentation dates, deadlines, key initiatives, and other relevant information.
• Create new item forecasts in collaboration with Sales and Marketing; recommending volume, GTS & phasing projections.
• Align internal teams (Marketing, PLM, Purchasing, Production) to support seasonal supply requirements.
• Drive the alignment of the seasonal supply strategy in areas such as lead times, manufacturing, offsite copacking, inventory gaps, and discontinuations

Mid Range Planning

• Manage season wholistically to create a balance that maximizes opportunities and mitigates risk in order to achieve key seasonal metrics including YOY growth, profit and destructions benchmarks
• Drive monthly communication with sales on ROFO vs operational forecast at topline, item and individual account level; communicate changes/risks/opportunities as needed
• Modify forecasts based on latest knowledge ensuring limited supply is built into correct formats and finished good items

Short Range Planning & Allocation

• Own continual forecast to orders analysis. Communicate areas of service risk and excess inventory while driving for supply related decisions
• Maintain sales allocation database working closly with sales and customer service at the item, customer and order level to ensure forecasted volume ships complete.
• Own identification of seasonal shortages and excess and create recommendations to resolve issues at both the finished goods and component level.

Post Season

• Complile post-season analysis for executive team reivew; summarize key metrics & learnings (cuts, excess, GP%, accuracy, etc)
• Identify seasonal challenges and make recommendations for future improvements
• Manage item discontinuations and transitions to eliminate erroneous future signals and mitigate destruction costs on remaining packaging/raw ingredients/etc

On going Collaboration, Reporting & Metrics

• Support & solicit cross departmental forecasting collaboration, provide analysis, reasoning and suggestion as relevant to Customer calls, Category Meetings, Demand Consensus, and S&OP process.
• Generate ad-hoc reporting as pertinent to current objectives for long term success

.    Success Criteria

• Action Oriented – Enjoys working hard; is action oriented and full of energy for things seen as challenging; not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning; seizes more opportunities than others.
• Perseverance – Pursues everything with energy, drive and a need to finish; seldom gives up before finishing, especially in the face of resistance or setbacks.
• Intellectual Horsepower – Is bright and intelligent; deals with concepts and complexity comfortably; described as intellectually sharp, capable and agile.
• Problem Solving – Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all fruitful sources for answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the first answers.
• Peer Relationships – Can quickly find common ground and solve problems for the good of all; can represent his / her own interests and yet be fair to other groups; can solve problems with peers with a minimum of noise; is seen as a team player and is cooperative; easily gains trust and support of peers; encourages collaboration; can be candid with peers.
• Decision Quality – Makes good decisions (without considering how much time it takes) based on a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience and judgement; most of his / her solutions and suggestions turn out to be correct and accurate when judged over time; sought out by others for advice and solutions.
• Interpersonal Savvy – Relates well to all kinds of people – up, down and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can defuse even high-tension situations comfortably.

Why Lindt?  

As a multi-channel, fast-growing consumer goods company, we recognize that in a competitive market, hiring the right talent makes all the difference. To create happy and loyal Lindt consumers, we need to hire and retain empowered and results-driven Lindt employees. Our teams are comprised of inspired and dedicated professionals who stretch the boundaries of a typical career experience by living our Core Values and making a difference in our business every day. To learn more about our culture and teams, visit www.Jobs.LindtUSA.com.

Our Core Values:

• Passion For The Best - At Lindt we have pride and passion for what we do – we aspire for excellence in everything.
• In It Together - At Lindt we are one team with a shared purpose – we invest in our relationships and value each other.
• Always Evolving - At Lindt we shape our future – we take opportunities to improve, adapt to change and build on our strengths.
• Make An Impact - At Lindt we take responsibility for driving results – we focus on what matters to deliver on our commitments.

• Act Responsibly - At Lindt we act with integrity, treat others with respect, value diversity and care for the environment to create a sustainable tomorrow.

This job description is not exhaustive and the Company reserves the right to adjust the job description as well as ask employees to undertake additional or different job responsibilities.  Lindt and Sprüngli is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, veteran status, or any other classification protected by state, local or federal law.  Applicants for this position must successfully pass a background screening and may be required to pass drug screenings as well. All Lindt & Sprüngli (USA) Inc. properties are smoke and tobacco free.

Requirements:

Skills & Knowledge

·         Strong Excel skills

·         Robust communication and demonstrated system thinking skills required.

·         Adept at utilizing multiple information systems, such as Cognos, JDE, Demand Solutions or other BI platforms

·         Demonstrated commitment to teamwork and internal client service orientation

·         Sound analytical skills and ability to  interpret data, resolve abnormalities and make decisions

·         Ability to present information in order to facilitate consensus & motivate others

Experience

Required

·         5-7 years progressive experience in forecasting and demand/supply planning

·         knowledge of seasonality, obsolescence and inventory management

·         Demonstrated knowledge of ERP and IT systems as related to demand planning, production planning and forecasting

·         Previous CPG experience with a multi product line a plus

Education

·         B.S. Degree in Operations / Supply Chain

·         M.B.A. Preferred

·         IT/Systems background a plus

·         APICS, IBF or similar Certification a plus

Other Requirements

• Prior experience supporting an external field sales force
• Experience with forecasting tools, such as SAP APO/IBP a plus
• Statistical forecasting knowledge a plus