Demand Planner

About Us

At Walter & Wild, we’re proud to be one of New Zealand’s leading food manufacturers, home to some of the country’s most iconic brands including Hubbards, Hansells, Aunt Betty’s, Vitafresh & Vitasport, Gregg’s, Killinchy Gold, NZ Natural and more.

As a proud Kiwi company with big goals, we combine the scale to make a real impact with the feel of a close‑knit, collaborative team. Our passion for innovation, quality and trusted brands drives everything we do.

The Role

Reporting to the Group Demand & S&OP Manager, you will own and improve the demand forecasting process across our portfolio. Working closely with Sales, Marketing, Finance and Supply Planning, you will build a single agreed demand plan that reflects customer activity, promotions, new product launches, seasonality and market trends.

This is a newly created, hands-on role for an experienced demand planner who can combine commercial understanding, strong stakeholder relationships and advanced analytics to improve forecast accuracy, identify risks and opportunities early, and support better service, inventory and business performance.

Responsibilities

- Own and maintain demand forecasts at SKU, customer and channel level.

- Lead the monthly Demand Review and provide high-quality demand inputs into the S&OP process.

- Partner with Sales, Marketing and Finance to capture promotions, customer changes, pricing activity and new product launches.

- Monitor forecast accuracy and bias, identify root causes of variance, and drive practical improvements with stakeholders.

- Identify and quantify demand risks and opportunities, escalating impacts early and working with Supply Planning on service, shortage and excess inventory risks.

- Develop and maintain Power BI dashboards and reporting that provide clear visibility of forecast performance and customer demand trends.

- Use scenario modelling and advanced analysis to turn complex data into clear insights and recommendations.

- Partner with D365, Master Data and Digital teams to improve data quality, forecasting parameters, reporting capability and AI-enabled forecasting tools.

- Maintain accurate demand planning master data, forecasting hierarchies and reporting structures.

- Contribute to continuous improvement of forecasting processes, systems and ways of working.

About You

You are commercially aware, curious and confident working with data. You enjoy challenging assumptions constructively, turning analysis into action and building alignment across different teams.

You will bring:

- Minimum 3 years of experience in demand planning, forecasting, supply planning or a closely related role, preferably within FMCG, food manufacturing, retail or wholesale.

- A tertiary qualification in Supply Chain, Business, Commerce, Operations, Logistics or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

- Strong understanding of forecasting principles, seasonality, promotions, new product launches and customer demand variability.

- Experience participating in S&OP or IBP processes and cross-functional demand reviews.

- Advanced Excel and strong analytical capability, with Power BI proficiency.

- Experience with ERP, MRP, demand planning or forecasting systems. D365, SQL/data-querying and AI-enabled forecasting experience would be advantageous.

- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities.

Why Join Walter & Wild?

- Be part of a growing New Zealand business with a portfolio of well-known and trusted brands.

- Join a supportive, down-to-earth and collaborative team culture.

- Enjoy genuine opportunities to develop your capability and influence how demand planning evolves.

- Receive a competitive salary package aligned to your experience.

You must have a valid New Zealand working rights to be considered.

Ready to make an impact? Apply now with your CV.