Director, Demand Planning West Hills, California

HELP US BRING THE GIFT OF HEALTH TO LIFE.

Working at Pharmavite is an experience like no other. With a focus on complete nutrition for all, each endeavor is urgent and every day counts. You'll have the opportunity to work on the #1 selling national vitamin and supplement brand, Nature Made, as well as an exciting portfolio of other products that are shaping the future of the healthy living industry. Consumer-driven innovation, high quality products and a promising portfolio, all driven by a team with a shared sense of purpose -- that's Pharmavite. Join us to bring the gift of health to life.

This role is not available for sponsorship, including I-983 participation. 

Position Summary:

The Director of Demand Planning leads a team of 8-10 managers/planners in forecasting demand for our $2B+ VMS portfolio—navigating high complexity from 350+ SKUs, seasonal peaks, and volatile consumer trends. We're in growth mode, with Kinaxis Maestro in early rollout (focus on stabilizing and optimizing), JD Edwards as our ERP system, and MS Fabric/Power BI for analytics that continues to mature with more user adoption. The Director of Demand Planning will be responsible for shaping the team & organization, upskilling desks, driving S&OP excellence, and integrating best practices from Gartner & other industry resources (e.g., AI-driven forecasting, collaborative planning) while partnering with Commercial Finance, Brand Marketing, and Sales. Success means accurate forecasts (target: 5% Bias, 25% MAPE), reduced stockouts/overstocks, and a high-maturity planning function that fuels business growth. This role is critical and highly visible — expect to influence C-suite decisions and build a culture of data-driven agility.

Responsibilities:

Demand Forecasting & Planning

• Own end-to-end demand planning: Develop statistical models using Kinaxis Maestro, integrate ERP data from JD Edwards, and leverage MS Fabric for advanced analytics (e.g., predictive modeling for promo impacts).
• Drive forecast accuracy through scenario planning, bias elimination, and incorporation of
• Lead S&OP/IBP processes: Facilitate monthly cycles, align on consensus forecasts, and resolve gaps with cross-functional partners. Apply external best practices—like Gartner's "demand sensing" frameworks—to reduce forecast error in our volatile VMS space.

Lead the Sales & Operations Planning Process

• Lead the full S&OP/IBP cycle: Orchestrate monthly processes from demand review to supply balancing, pre-S&OP alignments, and executive meetings, ensuring alignment on consensus forecasts and resolution of gaps.
• Facilitate executive-level discussions and decisions: Present data-driven insights (via Power BI dashboards and Kinaxis scenarios) to C-suite and cross-functional leaders; guide debates on trade-offs (e.g., inventory costs vs. service levels, promo risks vs. revenue upside) to drive timely, informed choices.
• Elevate maturity using Gartner frameworks: Implement structured agendas, escalation protocols, and post-meeting action tracking to achieve Level 4 IBP (integrated, predictive planning); incorporate external learnings (e.g., from CPG peers) to foster a collaborative environment where decisions stick.
• Measure and improve: Track S&OP effectiveness via KPIs like decision velocity, forecast-to-plan adherence, and cross-functional satisfaction, aiming for 90%+ on-time resolutions.

Team Leadership & Development

• Recruit, mentor, and upskill a team of demand planners; conduct desk-specific training on tools like Kinaxis Maestro and Power BI to boost maturity.
• Shape org structure for scalability—e.g., segment planners by category (vitamins vs. supplements) and introduce performance metrics tied to Gartner or other industry benchmarks.
• Foster a high-performance culture: Regular skill assessments, external learning (e.g., APICS or IBF certifications or Gartner webinars), and cross-training to handle complexity.

Analytics & Tool Maturity

• Advance our tech stack: Accelerate Kinaxis Maestro adoption (from pilot to full integration), enhance Power BI dashboards for real-time visibility, and build MS Fabric capabilities for AI/ML forecasting.
• Identify and implement process improvements: Benchmark against Gartner maturity models, pilot new features (e.g., automated exception management), and measure ROI on analytics investments
• Build connections and linkages to the commercial team’s POS forecasting tools and process to sharpen the collective demand view.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Strategy

• Partner with Commercial Finance for financial forecasting alignment, Brand Marketing for promo planning, and Sales for customer insights, ensuring demand plans support revenue goals and feed into S&OP.
• Influence enterprise strategy: Present insights to leadership on risks/opportunities (e.g., supply disruptions in minerals sourcing), and apply learnings from industry peers (e.g., CPG benchmarks) to Pharmavite
• Risk management: Monitor global trends (e.g., regulatory changes in supplements) and build resilient plans to mitigate volatility.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Supply Chain, Business, Analytics, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred (e.g., focus on operations).

Certification:

• APICs or IBF certification preferred.

Experience:

• 10+ years in demand planning/forecasting, with 5+ in leadership roles at $1B+ CPG/consumer health companies. Hands-on with tools like Kinaxis, SAP/APO, or similar; ERP exposure (JD Edwards a plus).
• Proven track record in S&OP/IBP for high-SKU, seasonal businesses, including executive facilitation.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Technical: Advanced analytics (MS Fabric/Power BI proficiency), statistical forecasting (e.g., ARIMA, machine learning basics), and process optimization. Extensive knowledge and experience in supply chain planning strategies, techniques, processes and systems.
• Leadership: Excellent team leadership and organizational development skills, especially in a highly technical organization. Team-building in matrix environments; ability to upskill diverse desks, drive change amid tool implementations, and facilitate high-stakes exec discussions.
• Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with VMS/CPG complexities (e.g., FDA regs, e-comm demand spikes); Gartner or Oliver Wight frameworks are a must.
• Outstanding business acumen with a comprehensive knowledge of CPG market dynamics.
• Excellent cross-functional leadership, influencing, and collaboration skills
• Excellent communication skills and executive presence
• Action orientation and proven ability to achieve results

Physical Requirements:

• General office environment, ability to sit for long periods of time. Ability to move about an office.

Safety:

• The incumbent must be able to perform this job safely without endangering the health or safety of self or others.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Manages a team of 8 to 10

Travel:

• Limited travel required. 2-4 out-of-state trips per year.

OUR OFFER

Here, career paths aren't predefined, and bureaucratic limitations don't exist -- you have the opportunity to grow, learn from industry pioneers, and develop the way you want to. Pharmavite is investing more in the development of our team -- to help us deliver on our purpose and help you achieve your career aspirations. Our environment is geared to fuel curiosity, encourage experimentation, and generate learning as this is the way we develop ourselves and our organization.

Pharmavite is committed to meeting the needs of our employees and their families with a Total Rewards package that's as comprehensive as the vitamins and supplements we deliver to consumers. With competitive compensation programs and standout benefits, we provide employees with optimal health and well-being -- as well as peace of mind. These rewards -- plus our new recognition program -- ensure employees feel supported both at work and home.

Visit Pharmavite.com/careers to learn more about our mission and discover an opportunity that's right for you. Health and wellness begins with us.

Pharmavite is an equal opportunity employer.  We prohibit employment discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, and any other basis protected by state and federal law.  Pharmavite recruits, hires, employs, trains, promotes, and compensates individuals solely based on job-related qualifications and abilities.

Pharmavite also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities or based on a sincerely held religious belief, in accordance with applicable laws. If you need to inquire about an accommodation to complete the application process, please email [email protected].

Disclaimer

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications of employees assigned to this job.

CALIFORNIA FAIR CHANCE ACT:

Qualified Applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for Employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

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