The Demand Planning & Analytics manager is responsible for performing business reporting, planning and analysis related activities for the Food Brands Direct Marketing business.  This position leads the effort in providing pertinent and timely analysis of the Company’s Marketing segments financial performance for all food brands with a focus on, Vital Choice, Cheryl’s Cookies, The Popcorn Factory, 1800Baskets and Simply Chocolate. 

The Demand Planning & Analytics Manager is an integral partner in helping drive customer insights and leveraging those findings to improve customer loyalty and profitability.  In this position, the Demand Planning & Analytic manager will review, analyze, and report on promotional offer strategies, customer nurturing programs, behavioral segments, and customer cohorts.  A successful candidate must possess a unique blend of business creativity through analytics and find innovative applications to improve the business.  It is critical that this person has a strong background in financial planning, database marketing, measurement and analytics and link insight gathered from complex data to drive specific tactical actions.

Major responsibilities of the position are listed below.  To perform the job successfully, an individual must be able to execute each essential duty satisfactorily.  Other duties, assignments and specific projects may be assigned at the discretion of management.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Lead budgeting and forecasting of orders, items, demand, gross profit, and advertising expenses.
• Analyze, compare and report results and key performance indicators against plan and other internal benchmarks.
• Make recommended adjustments to forecast based on changes in demand and market trends.
• Manage complex integrated spreadsheets validating for accuracy/integrity.
• Identify exceptions for collaboration and agreement to demand forecast by internal and external stakeholders.
• Partnership with Merchandising/Distribution/Finance/Call Center, supplying key data points that are critical to the rest of the Org.
• Ad-Hoc Analysis as assigned.
• Other job duties as assigned.
• Translates vaguely defined business questions into specific customer insights projects, able to take programs from “concept to completion.”
• Ensures that the customer trends and analytics are linked to marketing programs
• Supports future direct marketing efforts by leveraging customer and brand insights to help design future lifecycle and triggered campaigns
• Develop and maintain strong relations with key business and IT stakeholders
• Lead, coach, develop, and mentor staff
• Evaluate impact of various offer characteristics (discount type, richness, threshold) on future customer behaviors.
• Acquire solid understanding of the Food group business and operational challenges, and proactively look for ways to provide solutions to business issues.
• Recommend new business rules for marketing campaigns based on analysis and knowledge of the customer base, and best available information.
• Develops, improves, and maintains promotions forecasts.
• Other job duties as assigned.