Demand Planning & Account Operations Manager at Joie Children's Products, Inc. in Solana Beach, CA 92075

Job description

• Salary Range
• The Demand Planning & Account Operations Manager is responsible for independently overseeing end-to-end forecasting and operational alignment for two (2) premier brands. This role exercises discretion and independent judgment in managing brand-specific demand signals—including promotions, new product introductions (NPI), and retail trends—ensuring these are accurately captured and translated into actionable data within our forecasting systems.
• Serving as the primary daily operational liaison between Brand Account Services teams and the broader OneTeam supply chain function, the Demand Planning & Account Operations Manager will make strategic decisions and recommendations to support business objectives, optimize service levels, and drive sales targets.

Responsibilities

• Brand-Specific Forecasting & Execution
• Exercise independent judgment and discretion in managing the monthly and weekly forecasting cycles for two assigned brands, ensuring achievement of service levels and sales targets through strategic decision-making and process oversight.
• Lead the collection, validation, and integration of manual and electronic sales data into the John Galt forecasting platform, overseeing data quality and accuracy, and establishing protocols for data management.
• Analyze and run forecasting models, reconciling results against actual sales performance and market trends, and provide strategic recommendations to senior management based on findings.
• Oversee SKU-level data integrity, including the activation of new items (SPARK) and the phase-out of discontinued products (OBSOLETE), using discretion to direct workflow and resolve complex issues related to product lifecycle management.
• Account Operations & Collaboration
• Serve as the principal liaison for the Account Services teams of your designated brands, exercising independent judgment and discretion in managing operational priorities and resolving complex issues.
• Collaborate with sales and marketing leadership to analyze and incorporate demand impacts from price adjustments, promotional activities, and product lifecycle transitions into strategic planning, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and independently determining best courses of action.
• Oversee inventory management of China Finished Goods, making high-level decisions to optimize stock utilization before initiating new purchase orders, and providing direction to subordinate team members.
• Direct the Operations and Purchasing teams by supplying detailed demand analysis and recommendations for replenishment and ordering, using independent judgment to ensure operational efficiency and compliance with company policies.
• Data Integrity & Continuous Improvement
• Exercise independent judgment by analyzing discrepancies between forecasted and actual results and developing actionable strategies and recommendations to enhance forecasting accuracy and operational effectiveness.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to design, implement, and continuously improve long-range planning models (12 to 24 months), applying discretion in addressing complex business challenges and supporting organizational objectives.
• Lead efforts to maintain data integrity in ERP and forecasting systems by establishing and enforcing standards for audit readiness and compliance, ensuring consistency with organizational policies and exercising authority in problem resolution.
• This position description is intended to provide a summary of the essential duties, tasks, and responsibilities of this position and shall not be considered an exhaustive listing of all work requirements. Other duties may be assigned.

Requirements

• Experience & Education
• Three (3) to five (5) years of experience in demand forecasting, supply chain, or retail account operations.
• Proven experience in a consumer-packaged goods (CPG) environment, preferably within a global organization.
• Demonstrated ability to manage high volumes of SKU-level data with extreme accuracy.
• College degree in a related field or equivalent professional experience.
• Skills & Competencies
• Analytical Mindset: Demonstrates a keen ability to interpret complex data, uncover actionable insights, and connect numerical findings to business impact. Can find the “story” in the numbers and translate date into operational actions.
• Data Stewardship: Excels at ensuring data integrity by expertly managing and reconciling intricate SKU-level datasets across diverse platforms.
• Cross-Functional Teamwork: Effectively communicates and collaborates with sales, marketing, operations, and purchasing teams to streamline information flow and align strategies.
• Strategic Inventory Management: Monitors inventory patterns and recommends targeted actions to optimize stock utilization and reduce excess replenishments.
• Process Enhancement: Identifies opportunities to refine workflows, implementing improvements that boost demand planning accuracy and data reliability.
• Clear Communication: Delivers meaningful, data-driven recommendations to both brand teams and operational leaders, ensuring clarity and alignment.
• Risk Anticipation: Proactively identifies potential inventory challenges and takes preventive measures to safeguard customer service standards.
• Meticulous Attention: Brings precision and care to managing SKU-level data, ensuring forecasting and inventory decisions are consistently accurate.
• Forecasting software applications, John Galt preferred
• Logistics software, ERP systems, SAP preferred
• Microsoft excel (including Pivot Tables, V, and H lookups)
• Retailer portals and EDI transmissions required.
• Project management software, Wrike preferred
• Corporate credit card expense management software, BILL Spend & Expense preferred
• Payroll systems, Paycom preferred
• Corporate travel systems, Navan preferred
• Contract management software; Cobblestone preferred.
• Ability to quickly and proficiently learn new software with ease.

Skills

Preferred

• Payroll systems (Paycom preferred)

Benefits

• Full time employees are eligible for company benefits to include medical, prescription, dental, mental health benefits, 401(k) and paid time off (vacation, sick days and paid holidays).
• Position Type
• The range for this role is between $81,000 -$101,000.
• Target compensation range and subsequent actual salary is/will be determined by a number of factors including but not limited to specific skills, competencies, years of experience, geographic location and education as aligned to the job description.