Business Planning Manager

Full Job Description

The Business Planning Manager acts as the strategic commercial co-pilot to the Commercial Director and the organizational center for operational planning, sales forecasting excellence, and commercial predictability across the Hub.

The role is responsible for designing, modernizing, and orchestrating a robust Commercial S&OP ecosystem that bridges Key Account Managers (Sales), Demand Planning (Supply Chain), Commercial Controlling (Finance), and Brand Marketing / Category Development. Rather than operating purely as a technical tool administrator, the Manager enforces disciplined forecasting routines across different planning horizons, actively challenges commercial promotional inputs, aligns baseline assumptions with supply feasibility, and drives Sales Forecast Accuracy (SFA) and BIAS reduction to ensure reliable business delivery.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Commercial Forecasting, S&OP Rhythm & Accountable Governance

• Orchestrating Commercial Forecasting Cycle: Lead and enforce the disciplined operational forecasting rhythm across the division (monthly cycles and strategic yearly milestones).
• Commercial Construction (Sell-In & Sell-Out Ownership): Act as the business owner of the commercial construction from both a Sell-In and Sell-Out perspective via KAMs and Planners. Drive methodology and tool consistency regarding baseline trends, promotional uplifts, off-location execution, and calendar changes (especially across Top 3 accounts: Rossmann, Hebe, Biedronka), ensuring KAMs own their customer inputs rather than planners estimating commercial volumes.
• Multi-Horizon Forecasting Rigor: Steer commercial projections across distinct operational horizons: tactical operational view (M+1), demand planning synchronization (M+3), and strategic trend view (M+12), ensuring consistency between sell-out velocity, client inventory (SIT), and sell-in plans.
• Trend, Budget & SRI Construction: Provide fully validated commercial volume, mix, and promotional inputs for quarterly planning milestones (SRI03, SRI05, SRI09, Budget), ensuring seamless alignment with Commercial Controlling on Gross-to-Net construction and trade spend (Minorations).
• The Way We Trade (TWWT) Leadership: Drive the commercial rhythm of the TWWT program across all channels, translating retailer joint business plans into synchronized internal forecasts and systematic follow-ups.

2. Planning Tool Optimization (BPM) & Process Standardization

• BPM System Business Ownership: Act as the division's commercial business owner for the Business Planning Tool (BPM). Guide tool enhancements with IT and central teams to overcome system constraints (master data alignment, fiche uploading, EAN-level granularity).
• Process vs. Tool Simplification: Standardize forecasting routines by client tiers (e.g., weekly rhythm for top retail partners vs. monthly for standard accounts), eliminating manual workarounds in Excel/Badacz and establishing reliable data pipelines.
• Partnership with Central Data / BEST: Partner seamlessly with Central Data/BI organization to consume centralized dashboards and automated reporting, freeing up department bandwidth for high-value commercial analysis.
• Forecast Accuracy & KPI Stewardship: Systematically track and drive continuous improvement on core metrics: Commercial Forecast Accuracy (SFA M-3 / M-1 targets), BIAS reduction, Stock-in-Trade (SIT) health, and reduction of obsolete.

3. Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Sales / Key Account Teams: Serve as the 'right hand' to the Commercial Director on turnover construction; coordinate and hold KAMs accountable for realistic promo submissions and timely plan modifications.
• Demand Planning (Supply Chain): Act as the vital bridge to Demand Planning, ensuring promotional feasibility, baseline cannibalization, and new launch volumes are transparently shared to eliminate shadow forecasting.
• Commercial Controlling (Finance): Ensure financial consistency between volume forecasts, promo feasibility, rebate agreements, and P&L trends.
• Brand Marketing & Category Teams: Maintain structured alignment on novelty launch ambitions, seasonal hero activations, and category space assumptions to reflect accurate retail replenishment curves and big bets.

4. Team Leadership, Empowerment & Sustainable Capacity

• Task Architecture & Delegation: Lead, develop, and organize the Business Planning team (Specialists), clearly separating high-level commercial partner discussions from technical modeling, data ingestion, and file preparation.
• Fostering a Culture of Accountability & Psychological Safety: Build an open, collaborative, and resilient team climate; establish clear workload boundaries, manage conflicting priorities across commercial streams, and develop a structured talent succession pipeline.
• KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)
• Forecast Precision: Commercial Forecast Accuracy (SFA M-3 and M-1) meeting divisional targets and demonstrable reduction of Forecast BIAS.
• Operational Rhythm: 100% on-time completion of monthly cycles and quarterly budget/SRI input submissions.
• Inventory & Business Health: Measurable contribution to Stock-in-Trade (SIT) assessment, sell-out projections, and reduction of inventory write-offs.
• Internal Stakeholder Satisfaction: High qualitative feedback from Commercial Teams, Demand Planning, and Controlling regarding forecasting transparency, partnership, and predictability.

QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

Education & Experience

• Education: Master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• Experience: Minimum 5+ years of progressive experience in Business Planning, Commercial S&OP, Commercial Controlling, Key Account Management, or Demand Planning within FMCG or dynamic retail environments.
• Cross-Functional Background (Must-Have): Proven experience operating at the intersection of Sales (commercial realities) and Logistics / Supply Chain (S&OP mechanisms).
• Technical & Analytical Acumen
• Commercial S&OP Fluency: Strong understanding of sell-in, sell-out, and stock-in-trade (SISO/SIT) modeling, promotional lift mechanics, and P&L drivers (Gross-to-Net, trade spend).
• Systems Proficiency: High proficiency in forecasting tools and ERP environments (e.g., Anaplan/BPM, SAP), advanced Excel modeling, and business-user command of Power BI.
• Leadership & Personal Attributes
• Commercial Assertiveness & Matrix Influence: Exceptional communication and negotiation skills; ability to challenge senior sales, marketing, and finance stakeholders constructively and manage pressure in high-stakes alignment meetings.
• Multitasking & Prioritization: Strong capacity to manage multiple competing operational streams simultaneously without losing focus on strategic deadlines.
• Team Leadership & Empathy: Proven ability to manage, coach, and develop team members, fostering accountability while maintaining psychological safety and sustainable working practices.
• Languages: Fluency in Polish and English (both spoken and written) is mandatory.

RODO/GDPR

Information clause

The controllerof personal data is L’Oréal Polska Sp. z o.o with its registered office in Warsaw (00-844) at Grzybowska 62. Contact with the DataProtection Officer and additional information about the personal data processing carried out by the Company is possible via e-mail address: personal-da@loreal.com.

The processing of personal data is carried out for the purpose of the recruitment process in accordance with Article 6(1)(c) of the General Regulation on Personal Data of 27 April 2016, (hereinafter GDPR). Data processing to a wider extent than resulting from the provisions of labor law, for the purposes of the future recruitment processes will be carried out on the basis of the given consent in accordance with Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR.

Your personal data will not be disclosed to other entities without your prior consent. Your personal data may be made available at the request of entities authorized to do so under the law. The controller may, by means of a written contract, entrust to another entity the processing of your personal data to the extent and for the purpose necessary to perform the service. Your personal data will not be transferred to a third country/international organization.

Your personal data will be kept for a period of 2 years from the end of the recruitment process – in which case these data will be processed until the consent is withdrawn.

You have the right to access their data, rectify, delete, object, limit processing, and transfer. Your consent may be withdrawn at any time. Withdrawal of the consent will not affect the lawfulness of the processing of your personal data that was made on the basis of your given consent before its withdrawal. A declaration of withdrawal of the consent to the processing of your personal data should be sent to the e-mail or postal address indicated above.

You have the right to lodge a complaint to the President of the Personal Data Protection Office if you feel that the processing of your personal data violates the provisions of the GDPR.

The provision of personal data is voluntary but necessary for the participation in recruitment process. Failure to provide personal data will result in the inability to participate in the recruitment process.

Qualifications And Requirements

• Diploma

• Diploma