This position is part of the European cocoa planning team. This business partner role will be the key player in bringing visibility to the business on sales forecast, strongly partnering with the sales team to get to the most accurate forecast. Demand planner owns for his region the demand planning process and continuous improvement plan. He/She is responsible for delivering a consensus signed-off demand plan.

Key responsibilities:

• Maintain and improve the statistical baseline in the demand planning tool (APO) for the next 24 months.
  • Ensure the quality of the baseline is tracked every month.
  • Understand, analyze & provide inputs to adjust statistical parameters in the model to get a better forecast.
  • Categorize items where the statistical forecast does not need to be adjusted further.
• Enrich this baseline with market intelligence, insights from the sales Team.
  • Build a strong knowledge of the cocoa business, and customer landscape through S&OE / S&OP meetings and unformal communications to ensure the latest assumptions are captured in the forecast.
  • Include portfolio management decisions (NPI, Delisting…) in the forecast.
  • For key customers, ensure monthly meetings are in place between demand planning and sales representatives:  review customers' DP KPIs, enrich forecast based on sales input, collaborate, and challenge to get to the best view of forecast at the customer level.
• Track Demand planning KPIs (BIAS / Forecast Accuracy) to ensure continuous improvement and to challenge the status quo.
  • Review KPIs monthly.
  • BIAS & FA: Analyse gaps and trends – perform RCA when needed.
  • Involve sales in DP performance management and on improvement plan.
• Work closely with Supply Planning Teams to get a good understanding of supply constraints – Shape demand if needed (in collaboration with sales Team).
• Orchestrate sign-off meetings with sales representants and VPs for the region.
  • Aggregate demand at the regional level – build dashboards to ensure business copiloting: forecast vs budget, versus LY, versus sign-off.
  • Drive and orchestrate sign-off meetings. ensure deep dives are on the agenda.
  • Ensure KPI performance review – Drive close-the-gap discussions.
  • Track actions, circulate minutes, drive process CI.
• Get actively involved in the S&OP /  S&OE process when demand planning attendees are needed – Make sure the allocation decisions made in the S&OP / S&OE process are reflected in the demand plan.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent with a focus on supply chain.
• 3+ years experience in supply chain planning in an industrial and international environment ideally in a planning role.
• Strong analytical skills, business acumen,  rigorous, good communication, proactive & reactive problem-solving.
• ERP and planning systems (SAP, planning tools eg OMP).
• Available for travel: once a quarter.
• Planning knowledge.
• Advanced excel skills.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Good communication skills.
• Influencing and convincing.
• Good stakeholder management.
• Proactive & reactive problem-solving.

• Employment on a regular basis in the sweetest company in the world.
• Annual bonus based on your work results.
• Lunch card to be used for groceries and restaurants.
• Private medical care in Lux Med (basic package fully financed by BC).
• Fit Profit sports card co-financed by BC.
• PPE: we care about your future, and we save money for your retirement.
• Cafeteria Program as a part of Social Fund.
• Group life insurance.
• Hybrid working model: min. 8 days in the office a month.
• As part of our work-life balance culture, we can start work between 7 am and 10 am.
• Free consultation with a lawyer once a quarter.
• Chocolate! Yes, surprising but we have chocolate in the office, for Christmas, BC’s Birthday, and many other occasions during the year.
• And if chocolate is still not enough, you can join one of our theme clubs, where together with other employees we develop our passions and interests.
• Daily delivery of fresh fruits and veggies to the office.
• You can purchase our sweet products with a special discount.
• Relax zone in the office and plenty of options to choose from: PlayStation 5, football table, pool table, Ping-Pong, library, table games, and massage chairs.
• Sport @work? Sure! We have treadmills and indoor exercise bikes with a laptop station.
• We like to party as much as we like chocolate! We have integration budgets we can use for team events.
• Forever Chocolate and Event Team: you can join them and have a real influence on social life in BC and CSR activities.