Demand Planner

Castrol is one of the world’s leading lubricant brands, serving customers and consumers in the automotive, marine, industrial and energy sectors. Castrol brands are recognised globally for their premium quality and high performance, shaped by the company’s commitment to innovation and cutting-edge technology. With products sold in more than 150 countries, Castrol has helped keep things moving on roads and racetracks, air, sea, and space for over 125 years. Whether you're just starting out or ready for your next big move, you're in the right place to explore an exciting career with Castrol. Job description About the team A forecast becomes useful when people can make decisions from it. In Castrol’s supply chain planning team, you’ll bring Sales, Marketing and Finance together around a realistic demand picture for your markets, combining analysis with the conversations that turn market insight into an agreed plan. Key tasks Own the unconstrained demand plan for your markets and portfolios, giving Supply Planning a realistic view of customer needs over the next 6 to 12 months. Partner with the Demand Planning Advisor on data and forecast insights, while owning commercial alignment and demand decisions. Build and maintain forecasts in Kinaxis Maestro using sales history, statistical models and market trends. Cleanse historical events and assess which Sales and Marketing insights should inform the outlook. Lead pre-consensus and consensus discussions with Sales and Marketing. Challenge inputs constructively, agree changes before the formal review, and record decisions, assumptions and agreed actions with clear owners. Track forecast accuracy, bias and forecast value added at different levels of detail. Explain trends, seasonality and deviations, and agree corrective actions with Sales. Work with Sales, Finance and the S&OP Manager to assess risks and opportunities against business targets, agree cross-functional actions, support trade-off decisions and escalate material issues or unresolved assumptions. Represent Demand Planning in S&OP demand reviews and business reviews, explaining forecast changes, gaps against targets and the decisions needed. Maintain and improve dashboards covering forecast accuracy, bias and inventory, making the demand picture easier to understand and act on. Work with demand planners in other regions and the Global Demand Planning Excellence Lead to share practices, improve processes and apply global planning frameworks. Experience required Five to eight years’ experience in demand planning or a related role in consumer goods, food and beverage or manufacturing. Proven demand planning experience using an advanced digital planning tool. Kinaxis Maestro experience is desirable. Strong analytical and statistical modelling skills, with the ability to explain forecasts, question assumptions and translate findings into business decisions. Proficiency in supply chain software and ERP systems…