Apollo Tyres Ltd is an international tyre manufacturer and the leading tyre brand in India. The company has multiple manufacturing units in India and a unit each in The Netherlands and Hungary. The company markets its products under its two global brands – Apollo and Vredestein, and its products are available in over 100 countries through a vast network of branded, exclusive and multi-product outlets.
Job Title: Div. Head - Demand Planning
Location: Gurgaon
Reports to (Position): Vibhav Verma
Department/Function: Supply Chain
Purpose of the Job:
The Divisional Head – Demand Planning will lead the end-to-end demand planning function for Apollo Tyres' India business across both Replacement and OEM channels. The role is accountable for driving a robust, data-driven demand planning process that delivers a single, aligned demand signal ("One Number") across the organization.
The incumbent will lead the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, ensuring strong cross-functional collaboration among Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Finance, R&D and Product Management teams. This role will play a critical leadership position in enhancing forecast accuracy, improving service levels, optimizing inventory, and enabling business growth.
As Apollo Tyres continues its digital transformation journey, the role will also serve as a key business leader and super user for the o9 planning platform, driving adoption, capability building, and process excellence in demand planning and S&OP.
Major Responsibilities:
Demand Planning Leadership
- Lead the end-to-end demand planning process for India across Replacement and OEM businesses.
- Develop and maintain statistically driven and market-informed demand forecasts at appropriate levels of granularity.
- Drive continuous improvement in forecast accuracy, bias reduction, and demand planning maturity.
- Establish governance mechanisms and performance metrics for demand planning excellence.
S&OP Leadership:
- Own and facilitate the monthly S&OP cycle to ensure alignment across commercial and supply chain functions.
- Drive consensus-based planning and enable decision-making through structured review forums.
- Ensure alignment between demand, supply, inventory, and financial plans.
- Deliver a single, agreed organizational demand plan ("One Number") that supports business objectives.
Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management:
- Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, R&D, Finance, Manufacturing, Procurement, Supply Planning, and Logistics teams.
- Challenge assumptions and facilitate data-driven decision-making across functions.
- Build strong collaboration mechanisms to proactively manage demand risks and opportunities.
Business Performance Management:
- Monitor and report key demand planning KPIs including:
- Forecast Accuracy (Statistical & Consensus)
- Forecast Bias (Statistical & Consensus)
- Service Level (Replacement & OEM)
- Inventory Days vs Target.
- NPD Forecast Accuracy
- S&OP Adherence
Provide actionable insights to senior leadership regarding market trends, risks, and growth opportunities.
Digital Transformation & Planning Systems:
- Act as the business super user and process champion for the o9 planning platform.
- Support the ongoing APS (Advanced Planning System) transformation journey and drive business adoption.
- Partner with IT, transformation teams, and external partners to enhance planning capabilities.
- Identify opportunities for automation, advanced analytics, AI/ML-driven forecasting, and scenario planning.
- Lead user training, capability development, and continuous process improvement initiatives.
Team Leadership:
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing demand planning team.
- Build future-ready planning capabilities and succession pipelines.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Skills:
- Significant experience managing demand planning for large-scale FMCG, automotive, industrial, manufacturing, or consumer-facing businesses.
- Proven experience leading enterprise-wide S&OP/IBP processes.
- Strong exposure to Replacement and OEM business environments is preferred.
- Experience in tyre, automotive, industrial manufacturing, or related sectors will be advantageous.
- Hands-on experience with APS platforms such as o9, Kinaxis, Blue Yonder, SAP IBP, Anaplan, or equivalent is highly desirable.
- Strong understanding of Statistical Forecasting Concepts and S&OP and IBP Integration.
- Prior experience in planning transformation programs and digital supply chain initiatives is a strong plus.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage complex projects.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills
- Excellent collaboration and negotiation skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills to build and sustain a vast range of working relationships across multiple functions, cultures, and ability to flex styles for effective influence
Relevant Experience:
14+ years of experience in Demand Planning, Supply Chain Planning, Integrated Business Planning (IBP), or S&OP Strong understanding of demand planning processes, statistical modeling, and forecasting techniques.
Education Qualification(s):
Master’s Degree/MBA from a reputed institute. Bachelor's degree in business, Supply Chain, Technology.
