Customer Business PlannerAt L'Oréal, a Customer Business Planner is a Hybrid role which sits between commercial and supply chain with the aim of developing an accurate customer forecast and driving customer conversations.The role focuses on accelerating collaboration internally & externally to ultimately challenge & strategize our business plans, whilst always representing our customer's voice.
A DAY IN THE LIFECustomer Sales Forecast
- Construction of the entire customer forecast (sell in and out - base, promo and launch) in collaboration with the NAMs and Customer Supply Chain team working on the account.
- Capture Stock in Trade (SIT) impact to sales forecast, ensure buy in profile accuracy, reflect cannibalization & seasonality trends
- Understand the key drivers and building blocks of the forecast, including sell out and sell in ambition. Document, assess and communicate key risks and ops at customer level that impact both short term turnover management (M -> M+2) and longer-term business plan execution
- Take ownership of the volume forecast and be able to understand, discuss and challenge the intricacies of the value sales forecast.Coordinate the Monthly Business Planning Cycle
- Carry out monthly KPI & M-1 Review, as well as quarterly diagnosis of turnover evolution and key driver and drainers
- Lead the account Business Planning Cycle, including monthly validation of the forecast with the Customer Business Manager/Customer Business Director
- Ensure alignment of the account team to monthly forecasting goals, tasks & deadlines
- Share key information with supply chain and marketing through the pre validation process to provide the latest commercial news for the forecast validation meetingCoordinate the Annual Business Planning Process
- Ensure all stakeholders are aligned to key deadlines and tasks
Track Weekly Sales Turnover
- In month tracking of net sales versus forecast and weekly reporting of any key changes in the short-term (3 month) horizon
Collaborate with the Customer
- By using segmentation principles where applicable, ensure alignment with customer on promotional forecasts.
- Work closely with Customer supply chain to ensure all SIT assumptions and buy-in profiles are as accurate as possible.
WHO YOU ARE- Strong understanding of the building blocks and trends that influence the construction of a sales forecast.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Strong collaboration & relationship building skills, comfortable working with different brand teams and functions.
- Highly organized, and capable of prioritizing and managing deadlines within a fast-paced environment.
- Resilience: calm and focused dealing with the unexpected and the exceptional
- Demonstrate a customer first mindset.
- Preferred: Knowledge of Excel/ PowerBI / Forecasting tools.