Demand Planner

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve demand forecasts based on customer orders, sales inputs, historical data, and market trends.
• Translate demand forecasts into production and material requirements in coordination with Production Planning and Materials teams.
• Collaborate with Sales, Engineering, and Operations to understand project-based and custom metal fabrication demand .
• Analyze forecast accuracy (MAPE, bias) and implement corrective actions to improve reliability.
• Support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)or demand review meetings by presenting demand scenarios and risks.
• Work closely with Purchasing and Materials Management to ensure raw materials availability (steel, aluminum, sheet metal, extrusions, etc.).
• Monitor demand changes and proactively communicate impacts on capacity, lead times, and inventory .
• Maintain planning data in ERP/MRP systems and ensure alignment between demand plans and system outputs.
• Support new product introductions, engineering changes, and customer ramp-ups specific to metal manufacturing.
• Identify opportunities to reduce excess inventory, shortages, and expedited costs.
• Ensure planning processes comply with company procedures, quality standards, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, Business, or a related field .
• 3–5+ years of demand planning or production planning experience in a metal manufacturing, fabrication, or industrial environment .
• Strong understanding of make-to-order / engineer-to-order manufacturing.
• Hands-on experience with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Epicor, or similar).
• Solid knowledge of forecasting techniques and demand planning KPIs.
• Proficiency in Excel and data analysis tools.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in sheet metal, structural steel, aluminum, or custom fabricated assemblies .
• Exposure to capacity planning and constraint-based manufacturing.
• Experience supporting S&OP or IBP processes .
• Familiarity with lean manufacturing or continuous improvement concepts.
• APICS certification (CPIM, CSCP) is a plus.