Senior Manager, Demand Planning

Join us and take your career to the next level

The Senior Manager, Demand Planning plays a key leadership role in ensuring that Kalmar Services’ global supply chain is aligned with actual customer and market demand. This position oversees a team of demand planners across Europe and is responsible for driving forecast accuracy, optimizing inventory management, and ensuring product availability. The role combines analytical thinking with strong collaboration skills, balancing cost, capital, and availability to deliver the best possible customer experience.

What are your key responsibilities:

• You will lead and continuously improve the demand forecasting process by integrating historical data, installed base, e-commerce trends, and local market forecasts.
• You will manage and optimize inventory levels to ensure product availability while minimizing excess and costs. You will own and enhance the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process to secure alignment across the organization.
• You will lead and develop a team of five demand planners located in Europe, fostering accountability, engagement, and performance. Collaboration will be central to your work as you will cooperate closely with Sales, Product Management, Supply Chain, and Finance to align on forecasts and share insights.
• Your daily work will also involve analyzing data to identify trends, risks, and improvement areas, facilitating regular demand review meetings, and proactively adjusting planning strategies based on market intelligence.
• You will implement measures to reduce supply chain risks while ensuring service excellence and cost efficiency. 

What Success Looks Like (6–12 months)

• The S&OP process is fully embedded and used consistently across teams.
• Forecast accuracy has improved significantly, and excess inventory is reduced.
• Collaboration and communication between planning, market, and supply chain teams are strong.
• A data-driven culture is established within the planning team.
• A clear roadmap for continuous improvement is in place and actively followed.

What we offer you:

At Kalmar, you will be part of a global team shaping the future of intelligent cargo handling. In this role, you will have ownership of the demand planning process and the opportunity to influence key decisions affecting service performance and customer satisfaction. The position offers a unique mix of strategic responsibility and analytical challenge, ideal for someone who enjoys both data-driven work and cross-functional leadership.

We offer a hybrid working model with two to three days per week on-site. Our benefits package includes private medical care, life insurance, a sports card, and an annual performance bonus. You will work in a Scandinavian organizational culture that values trust, openness, and work-life balance.

What you bring to the role:

Education

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related technical field.

Experience

• Minimum eight years of experience in demand planning, forecasting, or inventory management, including at least five years in a leadership role. Previous experience in the machinery, industrial, or automotive spare parts sector is preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong analytical and mathematical mindset with advanced skills in data processing and analytical tools.
• Proven experience in demand and inventory planning, forecasting, and direct interaction with customers.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and develop a distributed team.
• Proficiency in ERP and S&OP systems, Microsoft Office, and Google Workspace.
• Ability to drive process improvements and cost optimization.

Soft Skills and Behaviors

• You are proactive, analytical, and solution-oriented.
• You communicate clearly and build strong relationships across functions.
• You can balance analytical precision with business pragmatism and flexibility.

Ready to elevate your career? Apply today!

Recruitment Process

Step 1 – Initial interview with Recruiter (online)
Step 2 – Interview with Jari Korteniemi, Director, Supply Chain
Step 3 – Final stage including case discussion and team interaction

Recruiter: Ireneusz Iskra, ireneusz.iskra@kalmarglobal.com