Senior Demand Planner, Performance - North America

Job description

Company Description Amer Sports is a sporting goods company with internationally recognized brands including Salomon, Arc’teryx, Peak Performance, Atomic and Wilson. “The Mountain Sport Company”, Salomon was born in 1947 in the heart of the French Alps and the birthplace of modern alpinism. Salomon’s commitment to innovative design and passion for mountain sports created a vast range of revolutionary new concepts in bindings, boots, skis and apparel for both Alpine and Nordic skiing and brought innovative solutions to footwear, apparel and equipment for snowboarding, adventure racing, mountaineering, hiking, trail running, and many other sports. Through performance driven design, Salomon delivers innovation and progression to mountain sports; converting new ideas into action and expanding the limits of possibility. Salomon’s heritage, culture, and commitment are tied together by one simple concept: the world’s leading mountain people creating the world’s leading mountain products. Salomon is responsibly committed towards the outdoor through its sustainability program. Diversity is one of Salomon’s five values, therefore we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. Salomon is headquartered in Annecy, France. Job Description POSITION TITLE : Senior Demand Planner, Performance - North America REPORTS TO : Director, Planning BUSINESS AREA : Merchandising & Planning LOCATION: Ogden, UT/NYC OVERVIEW This role owns the development and delivery of a strong, market-driven demand plan for the North American business. The Senior Demand Planner, Performance is responsible for creating a clear, accurate forecast that aligns commercial goals with inventory investment and financial targets. Sitting within the merchandising & planning function, this role connects sales, merchandising, and global planning teams to drive a single, aligned view of demand. You will use data, market insight, and category knowledge to guide buying decisions, improve forecast accuracy, and support overall business performance. This is a strategic, high-impact role that goes beyond building a forecast — it requires challenging assumptions, influencing stakeholders, and ensuring the business is aligned to the right demand plan to drive growth while managing risk. WHAT MAKES THIS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK & PLAY: Hybrid work schedule A generous PTO policy, plus 15 paid annual holidays and 3 floating holidays Half-day Fridays for 5 months of the year An exceptional employee discount on all our products and sister brands (Arc’teryx, Armada, Atomic, Wilson) “Powder Bell” powder days throughout the winter season Healthy Lifestyle Benefit designed to support your well-being and active lifestyle Opportunities to engage in the community and with industry partners ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily: Demand Planning & Forecast Ownership Own the end-to-end demand plan at model, color, size, and monthly levels Develop and maintain a consensus-based forecast aligned to service level targets, inventory goals, and commercial plans Translate forecast into actionable inputs for open-to-buy and supply planning Analyze, challenge, and refine market forecasts to balance growth ambition with inventory risk Manage complex categories, including new product launches and variable demand patterns Category & Inventory Management Drive category-level performance against inventory, productivity, and service KPIs Monitor inventory health, turns, and sell-through, identifying risks and opportunities proactively Apply SKU productivity frameworks (e.g., 80/15/5) to inform demand and buy recommendations Partner with merchandising to support assortment productivity and lifecycle decisions Cross-Functional Leadership & Consensus Lead or play a key role in demand consensus forums, providing data-driven recommendations Align stakeholders across sales, merchandising, marketing, finance, and supply chain to a single demand plan Act as the key point of contact between market and global planning teams Influence decision-making to ensure alignment between demand, supply, and financial goals Sales Order & Buy Management Participate in sales order deadline booking processes and key planning checkpoints. Lead market conversations with global demand and supply planning to ensure timely buys and provide market input on blind buys. Collaborate on capacity constraints and available mitigation actions. Represent buy cadence within the market and organize teams to make timely, informed buy decisions. Team Leadership & Development Mentor junior and newly onboarded team members, building foundational demand planning capabilities. Support onboarding through coaching on tools, processes, and best practices. Process Improvement & Tools Identify and lead process improvements to enhance forecast accuracy and planning efficiency Support development of tools, reporting, and frameworks to scale demand planning capabilities Drive adoption of standardized planning processes across teams KPIs Owned – Demand Planning Inventory targets and turns by category SKU productivity (80/15/5 framework) Shipment and revenue forecast accuracy Buy plan adherence and inventory risk management PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORKING ENVIRONMENT The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.   While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to travel, talk and hear.  The employee is frequently required to sit, stand and walk. The employee must occasionally kneel, stoop, crouch, twist and lift to 30 pounds, with or without accommodations.    Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.   The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.    The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, but can involve exposure to varying noise levels, ranging from moderate to loud, as well as flashes of light.    Qualifications The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 5–8+ years of experience in demand planning, merchandise planning, or supply chain planning Prior experience in the lifestyle, outdoor or athletic industry with a focus on softgoods preferred; previous merchandising experience is advantageous, but not required strong analytical capabilities with the ability to translate data into strategic and tactical actions Advanced Excel skills; experience with planning systems strongly preferred Experience in apparel, footwear, outdoor, or consumer goods industries preferred Strong communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders Experience working in global or matrixed organizations is a plus 20% travel Additional Information This role owns the development and delivery of a strong, market-driven demand plan for the North American business. The Senior Demand Planner, Performance is responsible for creating a clear, accurate forecast that aligns commercial goals with inventory investment and financial targets. Sitting within the merchandising & planning function, this role connects sales, merchandising, and global planning teams to drive a single, aligned view of demand. You will use data, market insight, and category knowledge to guide buying decisions, improve forecast accuracy, and support overall business performance. This is a strategic, high-impact role that goes beyond building a forecast — it requires challenging assumptions, influencing stakeholders, and ensuring the business is aligned to the right demand plan to drive growth while managing risk. Videos To Watch