Demand Planner

Job Location: ​Greenford​

Company Description

Ferrero is a family-owned company with a truly progressive and global outlook and iconic brands such as Nutella®, Tic Tac®, Ferrero Rocher®, Raffaello®, Kinder Bueno® and Kinder Surprise®. As the love for our brands continues to grow, so too does our global reach. Represented in more than 50 countries, with products sold in more than 170, the Ferrero Group is loved by generations around the world. The secret to our global success? 40,000 dedicated employees who celebrate care and quality to craft a business, careers and brands we are proud of. Join us, and you could be one of them.

Diversity Statement

Ferrero is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all of our people are equally talented in their own way. In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at Ferrero. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative and highly rewarding.

About the Role:

The role of the Demand Planner is to operate across both sides of the supply chain planning process by analysing demand forecasts and stock supply. The goal is to build a lean, end-to-end plan that maximizes service levels and forecast accuracy while optimizing stock levels. This is grounded in strong data analysis that supports the broader Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process and contributes to high-level decision-making by transforming raw data into actionable insights.

This role will serve as a key point of contact for assigned brands, working closely with commercial teams, marketing, and factory planners to align demand and supply plans effectively.

As custodians and gatekeepers of the business demand plan over the 0–20 month horizon, the Demand Planning Data Analyst will operate across two critical timeframes, ensuring systems are consistently aligned with consensus agreements 0-8 months: SKU/week level and 9-20 months: Trade pack/month level.

As the S&OP process evolves, the analyst will also play a pivotal role in optimizing stock levels to support key seasonal peaks and events.

Additionally, the Demand Planner will support the wider team by delivering ready-to-use data and reporting tools, enabling efficient analysis and productive collaboration with all stakeholders.

Main Responsibilities:

You will take overall responsibility for demand plan numbers within the core APO DP system, ensuring they accurately reflect the agreed “most likely outcome” consensus plan. In this role, you will work closely with the Demand Planning Manager and Marketing teams, documenting and tracking the assumptions behind demand plans and challenging these where necessary to maintain realism and accuracy.

You will maintain a comprehensive database of historical sales and marketing activities, measuring plan versus actual results to drive continuous learning and improvement. Supporting decision-making is a key part of the role, where you’ll prepare inputs and facilitate Commercial Plan Review and Brand Review meetings to help close gaps to targets, collaborating with Commercial Planning and Marketing teams.

Ongoing critique, analysis, and measurement of demand plan accuracy will be your focus, using metrics like BIAS and SFA over multiple timeframes to drive initiatives for improved performance. You will also support product phase-ins and phase-outs, flag opportunities for SKU rationalization, and assist Sales and Marketing in developing demand plans for new products by analysing trends, seasonality, and launch curves.

The role requires gathering data from primary and secondary sources, interpreting trends, and applying statistical tools to generate actionable insights.

You’ll design data collection systems and strategies to optimize the quality and efficiency of statistical analysis, while creating detailed reports and dashboards that help inform key business decisions.

Close collaboration with Demand Planning Managers and planners will be essential throughout.

If you are detail-oriented with strong analytical skills and a passion for driving demand planning excellence, we want to hear from you.

Who we are looking for:

We are seeking a driven and analytical individual to join our team, bringing a deep understanding of the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process and a proven track record of working across functional teams to solve complex business challenges. The ideal candidate will be highly proficient in Excel and SQL, with experience using statistical tools such as SPSS or SAS to extract insights and support data-driven decision making.

You will also have hands-on experience with data visualization platforms like Tableau, Power BI, or similar tools, enabling them to create clear, impactful reports that drive action.

We value individuals who are naturally inquisitive and unafraid to challenge the status quo, with the strength of character to communicate findings candidly and constructively. The ability to build trust quickly, communicate clearly, and present ideas with confidence is essential. We're looking for someone who thrives under pressure, can effectively prioritize their workload to meet tight deadlines, and who consistently seeks out ways to improve processes and eliminate inefficiencies. If you're passionate about making a difference and enjoy working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, we want to hear from you.

How to be successful in the role and at Ferrero:

Consumers, quality and care are at the heart of everything we do. So, to be successful at Ferrero, you’ll need to be just as consumer and product centric as we are - dedicated to crafting brilliant results for consumers around the world.