Demand Planner – Hardware & Infrastructure (Contract)

Overview

Aquent is partnering with a globally recognized technology leader at the forefront of innovation, continuously shaping the digital world. This organization is renowned for developing groundbreaking products and services that positively impact billions of users worldwide, driven by a culture of excellence and continuous improvement in the advanced hardware and logistics space.

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced individual to take on a pivotal role in managing end-to-end demand forecasting for critical ground infrastructure and hardware inventory. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact during a period of rapid national expansion, directly influencing the operational readiness and strategic growth of next-generation autonomous logistics. You will be at the heart of ensuring our client’s ambitious deployment schedules are met, translating complex plans into tangible inventory forecasts across a vast range of infrastructure components.

This is a high-impact, visible role in a fast-paced environment where your expertise will be crucial in supporting the scaling of operations and transitioning towards more sophisticated planning systems.

What You’ll Do

• Gather critical demand signals by partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Business Operations teams regarding site launch schedules, new technology introductions, and scaling targets.
• Translate strategic deployment plans into precise statistical demand forecasts for all necessary hardware, Bill of Materials (BOM), and site infrastructure SKUs, including ground support equipment, communications hardware, containers, and power supplies, essential for building and sustaining operational sites.
• Lead Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) execution and model maintenance, meticulously managing and troubleshooting existing spreadsheet-based forecasting models (Google Sheets/Excel) to ensure exceptional data integrity and achieve cross-team consensus.
• Provide aligned demand forecasts directly to Supply Planning leads, guaranteeing seamless downstream procurement processes and optimal site inventory readiness.
• Play a key role in the system modernization initiative, guiding the transition from manual, spreadsheet-driven S&OP processes to a standardized enterprise planning framework, specifically with systems like SAP IBP.

Required Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of dedicated Demand Planning experience, specifically within Consumer Electronics, Tech Hardware, Autonomous Devices, or Physical Logistics Infrastructure sectors.
• Demonstrated expertise in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), with a proven track record of building and managing robust statistical demand forecasts in dynamic and often ambiguous environments.
• Advanced spreadsheet modeling capabilities, showcasing expert-level proficiency in Google Sheets and MS Excel, including complex formula architecture, multi-tab data linking, and effective troubleshooting of manual models.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder alignment skills, with the ability to effectively address input discrepancies between teams and confidently advocate for aligned forecasts.
• Prior experience or familiarity with enterprise Demand Planning platforms, with SAP IBP being highly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, or a related technical field.