Director, Sales Planning

Job Summary

The Director of Sales Forecasting & Strategic Demand Alignment is a player/coach role responsible for leading the forecasting process across specific product categories (notably Oil and Filter) and contributing to enterprise-level forecast coordination. This role supports the development of accurate, actionable sales forecasts, while also playing a key role in aligning customer-level insights with cross-functional partners in Finance, Supply Chain, and Category Management.

This leader will directly own the forecast for the Oil business, manage one Sales Planner focused on Filter, and collaborate closely with sales planners supporting Walmart and Convenience/Food/Drug—who will continue to report directly to the Head of Sales Operations. The Director will also provide forecasting support in the enterprise planning process, without leading or owning the broader IBP cycle.

Key Responsibilities

Sales Forecasting & Customer Visibility

• Lead the forecasting process for the Oil category, in direct coordination with Sales and Category leadership.

• Manage the Filter forecast through oversight of a dedicated Sales Planner.

• Coordinate with sales planners for Walmart and Convenience/Food/Drug segments to drive consistency and visibility in customer-level forecasting.

• Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Category Management to incorporate market insights, promotional activity, and customer-specific inputs.

Enterprise Planning Support

• Serve as a key contributor in the enterprise planning process, working alongside Finance and Supply Chain to align volume forecasts to broader business expectations.

• Participate in demand planning reviews and support reconciliation between operational forecasts and financial outlooks.

• Provide risk/opportunity insights surfaced through sales forecast trends; ensure transparency across cross-functional teams.

• Act as a liaison between the customer-level forecast and enterprise-level demand signals—without owning or leading the IBP process.

Team Leadership & Analytics

• Act as a player/coach—balancing direct forecast responsibilities with team leadership and mentoring.

• Support development of standardized forecasting models, reporting dashboards, and KPI frameworks.

• Champion continuous improvement in forecast accuracy and forecast discipline across product categories.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain, Finance, or related field (MBA preferred)

• 8–10+ years of experience in sales forecasting, demand planning, or commercial analytics roles

• Strong understanding of forecast modeling, planning tools, and commercial execution

• Experience in leading category or channel-level planning in a B2B or multi-channel distribution environment

• Exceptional collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and problem-solving skills

• Familiarity with planning platforms a plus