Senior Demand Planner

Description

PURPOSE: 

The Senior Demand Planner is responsible for developing and maintaining demand forecasts, supporting inventory optimization initiatives, and leading business planning activities across a global network of product lines and business units.

This role serves as a key contributor to the monthly SIOP process and partners closely with Sales, Operations, Product Management, Customer Service, and Supply Chain teams to ensure alignment between demand, supply, inventory, and business objectives.

The ideal candidate combines strong analytical skills with practical manufacturing planning experience and can independently identify risks, opportunities, and recommendations to improve forecast accuracy, inventory performance, and customer service levels.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own demand forecasts for assigned product lines and business units. 
• Analyze historical sales, bookings, backlog, customer demand signals, and market trends. 
• Identify forecast risks and opportunities and recommend corrective actions. 
• Support monthly Demand Review, Supply Review, and SIOP processes. 
• Monitor inventory performance including safety stock, reorder points, max levels, DOS, and inventory turns. 
• Recommend inventory planning parameter changes to improve service and reduce excess inventory. 
• Evaluate demand plans against manufacturing and supply chain constraints. 
• Partner with Operations to understand capacity limitations and inventory impacts. 
• Support annual budgeting, projections, and long-range planning activities. 
• Develop inventory and forecasting analyses to support business decisions. 
• Monitor forecast accuracy, bias, service levels, and inventory metrics. 
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives related to planning processes and ERP systems. 
• Prepare executive-level summaries and recommendations for leadership review.

Requirements

EDUCATION:

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Business, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or related field.

EXPERIENCE:

• 7+ years of experience in Demand Planning, Supply Planning, Inventory Planning, SIOP, or Supply Chain Management relation environments.
• Experience leading and supporting cross-functional initiatives.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and business priorities.  
• Manufacturing planning experience required. 
• Experience utilizing ERP systems, preferably SAP, to support planning, inventory, and business processes.
• Advanced Excel skills with the ability to analyze large data sets and develop actionable insights. 
• Experience evaluating inventory strategies and planning parameters, including safety stock, reorder points, service levels, and inventory optimization initiatives.

SKILLS:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills. 
• Ability to independently develop recommendations and challenge assumptions. 
• Excellent communication, presentation and facilitation skills with the ability to engage all levels of the organization. 
• Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize and execute multiple initiatives in a fast-paced environment. 
• Ability to lead cross-functional discussions, influence stakeholders, and drive alignment toward business objections. 
• Strong understanding of forecasting, inventory management, and supply chain planning concepts. 
• Ability to build collaborative relationships and work effectively across multiple functions and leadership levels.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on process standardization, business integration, and operational excellence. 
• Proficiency with business intelligence and data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Qlik, Tableau, or similar) with the ability to analyze, interpret, and present business data to support planning and decision-making.

PHYSICAL/MENTAL/COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee may lift and/or move up to 50 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by the job may include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The individual must have a high level of comprehension, and a high level of general, verbal, written, and numerical intelligence.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Works majority of the day in a climate-controlled environment, with the exception of or otherwise specified, performing work in the warehouse or manufacturing areas which are subject to changes in temperature and/or noise.

TRAVEL:

Limited travel required

LOCATION:

Gentex’s Carbondale facility is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania in Lackawanna County. Carbondale, PA is about twenty miles north of Scranton, PA, 50 miles south of Binghamton, NY, and about 125 miles from New York City and Philadelphia. The area hosts numerous nearby state parks, nature preserves and local colleges and universities, including The University of Scranton and Marywood University. Northeast Pennsylvania is a beautiful area and offers an excellent cost of living. It is a great place to work, recreate, meet people, raise a family and live!

Gentex Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard for any applicable state or federal protected class. Gentex is an E-Verify Participant. Pre-employment drug/alcohol/background screening is required.