Demand Planning Analyst jobs
There are countless factors that can influence demand on a product you are supplying to customers. They can be as predictable as the summer and winter demands for ice cream or as frantic as a sudden and unexpected shortage of a product due to adverse weather or transport issues. The job of the demand planning analyst will be to ensure that demand is fulfilled by a mixture of effective forecasting and an ability to crisis manage demand.
Good analysts will not simply take stats as read, of course – they will try to delve deeply into as many influencing factors as possible and come up with more precise results in order to improve efficiency of ordering and cut down on warehousing and distribution costs. The calculations will also need to be presented to senior management in a regular reporting schedule that can help them with the company’s finances.
Modern demand planning uses technology to automatically communicate demand from retailers and manufacturers, using their own databases to collaboratively predict and respond to demand. Part of the demand planning analyst’s job will be to liaise with customers to set up and optimise these automatic channels. Automation is only as good as the analysis that goes into the system, so this role will be an essential part of further increasing its value to the supplier.
The skills required
Analysis of any kind will require a mathematical mindset, and demand planning analysis is no exception. The figures you come up with will need to be bulletproof within the natural limitations of any predictive speciality. Not only that, but you might be required to argue your case, based on your figures, with senior management, who might have been doing things their way for many years. If you have the confidence to challenge their assumptions and are proved right in the long run, your personal stock will be greatly improved – not to mention your employer’s.
As some demand planning analysis, particularly for a large, complex company, might involve a team of analysts, a personable nature and team ethic will be essential qualities. Should you be in charge of a team of analysts, people management skills will be a must.
Demand Planning Analyst Jobs in Bury
Bury is situated at the northern point of Greater Manchester, outside the M60 with green, rolling countryside to its north. Although the town of Bury has a population of around 60,000, it is surrounded by settlements that form the metropolitan borough of Bury, home to closer to 200,000 people. Bury was a market town until the Industrial Revolution, when it threw itself wholeheartedly into the milling and weaving industries, and the town thrived, helped by the arrival of the canal and railway network in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Decline in Bury was quite severe as the cotton industry moved abroad, and by 1990 even the railway link to Manchester had been closed down. The town did go back to its roots somewhat and became a shopping and light manufacturing area, but its main purpose was to be a satellite and commuter town for Manchester. Bury Market has survived through thick and thin, however, and in these days of supermarkets and online shopping it is bucking the trend by not only being one of the largest open-air markets in the UK but also by actually growing. This trend was helped in 1992 when the old railway was repurposed as a Metrolink tram line right into the heart on Manchester.
Bury is quite often the source of Demand Planning Analyst jobs nowadays. The town is pretty well connected by road, with the M60, M62 and M66 nearby, and the large commercial areas of Manchester, Salford, Bolton and Rochdale all within striking distance. Although it remains an important commuter town for Manchester, industry and retail do play their parts in the local economy.
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People approach Cast UK for many reasons, whether seeking more job fulfilment or simply relocating for personal reasons, so it’s good to know that we always have the complete range of positions available nationwide. Please see what’s available in your region and if you’ve seen something you’re interested in, do get in touch – whether it’s today or tomorrow, we might have the ideal position for you.
Cast UK’s founder members and consultants all come from the logistics, procurement and supply chain sectors, so we know what employers and candidates are looking for in their staff and careers respectively. Cast UK is growing in this part of the UK recruitment industry, mainly because these are the only sectors we deal with, which means that many employers come to us first to create a candidate shortlist because they know we’re tightly focused on delivering the best people to them.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Demand Planning Analyst for your business or find you a job as a Demand Planning Analyst then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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