Demand Planning/Sales/Inventory & Operations Planning Leader

Job Description:

The Demand Planning & SIOP Leader (Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning) at FLSmidth is responsible for leading the global demand planning and integrated business planning process to optimize forecast accuracy, production alignment, and customer delivery performance. This role ensures cross-functional synchronization among Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to deliver reliable demand visibility, effective capacity planning, and operational execution across the mining capital equipment business.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

- Develop and lead FLSmidths global SIOP framework to ensure a disciplined, transparent, and data-driven planning process that aligns commercial and operational priorities.

- Partner with Sales, Product Line, and Operations leaders to establish a unified demand plan that supports business growth and customer satisfaction.

- Drive collaboration across functional areas to balance demand, supply, and inventory in line with strategic objectives.

- Provide executive leadership with accurate demand visibility and capacity alignment to support growth and customer delivery.

- Champion process standardization and system integration for global SIOP implementation.

- Support executive decision-making by providing scenario planning, risk assessments, and business insights.

Demand Planning & Forecasting:

- Lead the development of a comprehensive demand planning process that integrates sales forecasts, customer insights, and market trends for capital equipment and spare parts.

- Incorporate sales input, market intelligence, and customer project visibility into forecast accuracy improvements.

- Implement forecasting tools and analytics that enable data transparency and predictability across global regions.

- Measure and improve forecast accuracy (FA%) and forecast bias through ongoing performance review.

- Continuously refine forecasting techniques to account for project-based variability and global market conditions.

SIOP Process Ownership:

- Own and facilitate the monthly global SIOP cycle, driving consensus among commercial, operational, and financial stakeholders.

- Lead executive-level SIOP meetings, presenting key metrics, risks, and mitigation actions.

- Integrate supply chain capacity planning, production scheduling, and resource planning into the demand plan.

- Drive alignment between the SIOP plan and the companys budget, long-term planning, and financial forecasts.

- Monitor and communicate key performance indicators, risks, and recovery plans.

- Partner with Finance to align operational plans with financial budgets and forecasts.

Operational Excellence & Systems:

- Lead the deployment of digital planning tools, dashboards, and analytics to enhance forecast visibility and execution accuracy.

- Leverage ERP and advanced planning systems (APS) to provide end-to-end visibility and performance tracking.

- Ensure process compliance, data integrity, and KPI governance across business units.

- Implement predictive planning capabilities and digital dashboards for decision-making.

Leadership & Team Development:

- Build and lead a high-performing global Demand Planning and SIOP team.

- Develop organizational capability in data analysis, scenario modeling, and collaborative planning.

- Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and cross-functional teamwork.