Company:
Hallmark

Address:
PO Box 419034
Mail Drop 216
Kansas City, Missouri 64141 USA

Demand and Inventory Planner II

Job: IRC81808


Description:

• The Demand & Inventory organization is responsible for the Demand and Inventory Management functions for Hallmark North America.
• They are responsible for Demand Planning and Forecasting as well as Inventory strategies, policies and actions supporting a wide range of Mass and Specialty retailers in addition to Hallmark businesses.


External Position Description:

• The Demand and Inventory Planner (D&IP) is responsible for developing aggregate and SKU-level demand forecasts that reflect customer and consumer demand and for making finished goods production/procurement decisions in accordance with established inventory policies (serviceability, segments, lot size, etc.), the inventory plan, and business unit financial and strategic objectives.
• The D&IP is responsible for building and communicating a consensus forecast that is based on historical data, retail demand, future planned activities, internal/external factors and input from key business partners.
• The D&IP is responsible for monitoring compliance with the supply network strategy for internal/external allocation and allocation among internal plants.
• The D&IP is responsible for selecting the most appropriate forecast model or methodology to generate an accurate demand forecast, for running the decision support model to recommend inventory strategies, and for making inventory decisions in alignment with the approved strategy.
• The D&IP develops the annual inventory asset plan and monitors variances.
• The D&IP shares accountability with Production Planning and Production Execution for the availability of retail event SKUs on the start ship date.
• The D&IP demonstrates functional expertise in a diplomatic, confident and persuasive manner.
• The D&IP should model collaborative behavior with internal business partners.
• The D&IP is responsible for the selection, supervision and development of a Demand and/or Inventory Analyst.
• This position will build Hallmark’s technical SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO) and Enterprise Core Component (ECC) subject matter expertise.


Essential Accountabilities:

Forecast Development/Inventory Management:

• Analyzes factors that impact demand, such as marketing activities, new product introductions, price changes, product discontinuations, account penetration changes, assortment/order plans, etc. and builds a forecast that quantifies the impact of these factors.
• Develops a forecast, incorporating statistical forecast, product demand data, demand history, and inputs from Customer Development, Product Management, and other key planning partners.
• Documents key assumptions, issues, and uncertainty behind forecast.
• After Product Management has determined rankings, Demand and Inventory Planner suggests to Product Management timing of rank plan execution based on inventory levels and production lead times.
• Implements rank plans and provides direction to the Demand and Inventory Analyst regarding selection building.
• Demand and Inventory Planner is informed by ranks, model line changes, and selection content.
• Develops an aggregate level and SKU/DC-level forecast for supply planning.
• Monitors and adjusts forecasts as requirements change.
• Maintains, monitors, and updates other Legacy systems within the scope of responsibility of demand and inventory planning.
• Provides direction to the Demand and Inventory Analyst to set up these systems, when appropriate.
• Ensures finished goods production/procurement decisions are in accordance with established inventory policies and Inventory plan.
• Monitors compliance with rules for internal/external and internal plant allocation based on supply network strategy and to rules for allocation among internal plants.
• Responsible for safety stock and lot size calculations.
• Defines and manages alerts and resolves issues related to inventory positions or business rules, including resolution of and communication related to subsidiary quantities.
• Responsible for stock transfer requests (internal production) and purchase requisitions (external production).
• Rebalances inventory between DCs on individual SKUs as needed.
• Creates plan for and executes inventory disposition.
• Runs decision support model to recommend inventory strategies and policies.
• Verifies that model data is accurate.
• Sets segmentation product family rules, segment rules, and inventory settings for RCCP and DRP to deliver to inventory targets.
• Manages the setup and maintenance of the inventory segmentation tool and assignment of SKUs to segmentation product families.
• Develops the inventory asset plan and monitors variances (CIRS).
• Completes activities related to determination of production quantities, i.e. obtains Licensing approval to produce SKUs that are past the last contract production date, etc.
• Partners with Distribution Centers regarding retail event strategy, bin setup and sequencing, finished goods levels reported in the rankbook, stop select points, etc.


Job Requirements:

• To be considered an applicant for this position you must show how you meet the basic qualifications of the job in a resume or document you upload, or in the application fields.
• Acceptable file types are: .doc, .docx, .htm, .html, .pdf. Unacceptable file type is: .wps.


Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree.
• 3 years of Demand or Inventory Planning experience, Supply chain experience or Forecasting experience.


Additional Qualifications Needed:

• Excellent oral and written communication, facilitation, consensus-building, and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong analytical aptitude with proven ability to analyze and interpret data.
• Possess ability to work confidently with personnel at all organizational levels.
• Must be flexible and adaptable to the demands of a fast-paced environment with simultaneous multiple demands and priorities.