Demand planners work in the areas of material planning and inventory management and are responsible for the strategic creation and execution of future fulfillment plans. They typically work in a retail or manufacturing environment.

Job Responsibilities

Demand planners work proactively with functional teams such as sales, marketing and operations. Their responsibilities include identifying variances based upon historical performance and expected future activities of products, and planning inventory needs for future demand.

Education

Most employers require a bachelor's degree in operations, finance, logistics or supply chain management.

Qualifications

Qualifications include previous experience in inventory or production planning, as well as knowledge of process improvement and future fulfillment strategies. Because this occupation develops future inventory planning, marketing and economic knowledge is also required to properly plan needed inventory levels.

Significance

Demand planners utilize analytical, marketing, sales and purchasing knowledge to effectively plan future increases or decreases of product demands by consumers. Their role often involves challenging other departmental teams through research and analysis of trends and economic changes, which can save an organization from loss of profitability because of overstocking or changes in consumer interests.

Salary

According to Indeed, demand planners commanded an average salary of $62,000 per year as of 2014.