Demand Planner

Join us as Demand Planner

JOB PURPOSE

This is a pivotal role within the Business Unit, supporting decision-making by ensuring high-quality demand planning, strong analytical insight and effective risk mitigation across the supply chain.

The role combines demand planning fundamentals (forecast creation, demand drivers, S&OP inputs) with short- and mid-term service risk management, acting as a vital link between the local business and the supply network.

The position is highly data-driven, with a strong focus on analytics, digital tools and continuous improvement, and plays a key role in ensuring visibility of business needs to sourcing units while supporting timely and informed actions to protect service and business performance. You’ll be part of a team that believes in doing work that matters — for people and the planet.

Because here, we don’t just hire for jobs. We invite you to be part of something bigger.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the creation and maintenance of a robust rolling demand forecast across short-, mid- and long-term horizons, ensuring high data quality, forecast accuracy and bias control through structured analytics and KPI monitoring.
• Translate commercial, market and customer inputs into structured demand drivers that support forecast modelling, scenario analysis and informed planning decisions.
• Actively identify, analyse and help mitigate short- and mid-term service and inventory risks (out-of-stock, low coverage, excess inventory), supporting timely decision-making through exception-based planning.
• Serve as a key interface between the local business and the supply network, ensuring clear visibility of demand needs to sourcing units and supporting actions to prevent or resolve service issues.
• Orchestrate the S&OP (Sales and Operations Planning) cycle, through running Demand Review and Supply Review meetings, coordinating the different actors involved (Commercial, Marketing, Finance, Supply Planning, Customer Operations) and preparing clear, data-driven insights, scenarios and trade-off analyses.
• Execute forecast updates and simulations within planning systems, analysing deviations, identifying root causes and supporting corrective actions.
• Maintain and continuously improve planning reports, dashboards and analytical tools, ensuring consistency, reliability and accuracy of planning data across systems.
• Support portfolio management activities, including innovations and delistings, and contribute to initiatives aimed at reducing business waste and improving working capital efficiency.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Early professional experience ; internship or first working experience in a large multinational environment within Supply Chain, Planning, Operations, Analytics or related fields.
• Degree in Management / Industrial Engineering, Economics, Data Science or related disciplines strongly preferred.
• Fluent English required.
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to work on large and complex datasets, high proficiency in Excel and data analysis tools (e.g. Power BI).
• Structured problem-solving and scenario analysis capabilities.
• Clear and effective communication skills, able to translate data into actionable insights.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with supply chain and demand planning systems (e.g. SAP, Kinaxis) is a strong plus.
• Strong interest in digital tools, automation and data-driven decision making.
• Collaborative mindset and ability to work with multiple stakeholders.
• Learning agility, curiosity and willingness to grow in a complex business context.
• Ability to navigate multiple dashboards and data sources with accuracy and discipline.
• High attention to detail and data accuracy.
• Ability to manage complexity and prioritise in a dynamic environment.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Work location:

• Hybrid – Rome, Italy
• Temporary/Fixed-Term contract - Full-Time

Key Interfaces

• Commercial & Marketing teams (forecast inputs, demand drivers)
• Finance (forecast alignment, value reconciliation)
• Supply Planning & Logistics teams
• Customer Service & Customer Operations teams
• Business Unit / Category teams
• European Supply Chain Planning community

Always include your CV in English. If the job needs another language, you can also additionally add your CV in that language.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.