Develop and maintain demand forecasts at multiple levels of aggregations of a channel for 12 month periods to support the S&OP/ IBP process, based on historical trends, demand drivers and/or business stakeholder's knowledge Responsible for specific accounts identified by the company as strategic customers In conjunction with the Sales Management team, the Strategic Account Planner will support the account portfolio activities such as product life cycle management, buying strategies, promotion planning and customer-facing projects Lead the strategic account plan review to gain sales leadership alignment; this plan will serve as a critical input for the creation of the consensus plan. They will also assist the sales team in the preparation of materials for customer meetings Develop and maintain an account/unit forecast for the assigned strategic accounts at multiple levels of aggregation, leveraging assumptions from sales, global demand planning, product marketing, Finance and Supply Planning Integrate (and develop great intimacy with) POS-based analytics and inventory strategies in the planning process to deliver product availability, forecast accuracy, high service levels and channel health Lead and execute the collaborative planning process; prepare agenda and materials and lead the monthly strategic account planning reviews; perform consistency checks against targets; communicate the plans, identified gaps and recommendations to key stakeholders; and assist the account team in the development of financial targets Monitor the performance of the plan; monitor ongoing demand and inventory needs for strategic items; analyze POS data to identify opportunities and liabilities in customer inventory; root cause forecast deviations and drive corrective actions Provide relevant input for the consensus, S&OP/ IBP and customer meetings Coordinate the planning and successful execution activities of promotions, new product launches & phase-out Work closely with Global Demand Planners to understand inventory risks and opportunities Act as a change agent to drive process improvements Support ad-hoc reporting/analysis requests & customer-facing projects Ensure business process documentation remains in line with the latest business practices