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A great job-and a great future-awaits you at Smithfield Foods. We are an American food company with a leading position in packaged meats and fresh pork products. We’re looking for motivated people who want to join our team and grow lasting and meaningful careers with us. Apply Now!
THE VALUE YOU’LL BRING:
The position summary states the general nature and purpose of the job. Overall accountabilities are defined in this section.
Are you ready to shape the future of supply chain excellence?
As a Senior Demand Planner, you'll be at the heart of our forecasting strategy, driving accuracy and alignment across finished goods, customers, plants, and distribution centers. This high-impact role blends analytical precision with cross-functional collaboration to ensure our products meet market demand with confidence. In this role, you’ll develop and refine SKU-level forecast models for your product categories, integrating insights from Sales, Business Management, Finance, and syndicated data sources like Nielsen. You’ll lead monthly consensus meetings with Sales and Business Development, aligning forecasts with business goals and market realities. As a key contributor to Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), you’ll help shape strategic decisions across the organization.
You’ll collaborate with stakeholders across departments to gather intelligence and build robust, data-driven forecasts. As a trusted advisor and mentor to Associate-level planners, you’ll share your expertise and elevate team capabilities. With deep expertise in Demand Planning and a passion for coaching and development, you’ll play a vital role in driving forecast accuracy, process improvement, and a culture of continuous learning.
As consumer preferences evolve and supply chains grow more complex, your expertise will be instrumental in ensuring the right products are in the right place at the right time. In the dynamic world of food, where freshness, timing, and precision are everything, the Senior Demand Planner plays a critical role in delivering quality and consistency to our customers—every single day.
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. May perform other duties as assigned.
Create statistical forecasting models: Leverage data and statistical tools to build and refine accurate forecasts, validate inputs from Sales and Business Management, execute modeling software, review outputs, and apply error analysis to drive continuous improvement.
Collaborate with Sales and Business Development: Partner with cross-functional teams including Sales, Marketing, and Supply Chain to present and refine demand forecasts, integrate feedback, and recommend adjustments that align with operational goals. Review promotional plans, monitor new and lost business inputs, and proactively update forecasts to reflect changing market conditions and customer demand.
Achieve consensus for operational demand forecasts: Prepare materials to support research and team discussions; investigate and reconcile significant forecast variances; refine models based on updated sales and business assumptions; analyze shipment trends and category dynamics to shape and validate total volume forecasts; and maintain clear, consistent communication with supervisors and stakeholders to ensure alignment throughout the planning process.
Annual volume planning: Facilitate monthly meetings to build demand consensus between business functions and supply chain using the S&OP process.
Maintain demand planning system: Drive accurate weekly SKU/location forecasts by leveraging market insights, ensuring data integrity with tools like Anaplan, SAP, and BI, and providing timely analysis to support Supply Chain scenario planning.
Leadership: Drives a positive employee experience through leadership by way of employee development and coaching.
WHAT WE’RE SEEKING:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.
Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in business, statistics, data modelling or a related field, and 5+ years of relevant experience in forecasting or planning; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Analytical Ability: Demonstrated analytical skills, including mathematical aptitude and problem-solving capabilities.
Organization: Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail.
Collaboration: Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment.
OTHER SKILLS THAT MAKE YOU STAND OUT:
Knowledge of SAP, Business Intelligence (BI), and Anaplan.
Understanding of strategic sales analysis and planning.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The physical demands described here are representative of those an employee should possess to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Capable of sitting for extended periods of time.
Must be able to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs.
Frequently required to sit; stand; walk; reach with hands and arms.
Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision and depth perception.
Able to travel as needed.
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EEO Information
Smithfield is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, gender identity, protected veterans status, status as a disabled individual or any other protected group status or non-job characteristic as directed by law.
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment selection process, please call us at 757-357-1595.
What We Do
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. With more than 60,000 jobs globally, we are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly®" and serve as one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich® and Nathan's Famous®, among many others.
