Demand Planning Specialist

About the role

You will be at the centre of translating customer contracts and program schedules into an integrated demand plan that drives production, materials, capacity and delivery for a fast‑moving aerospace and defence environment. The role starts remotely from Dubai with a preference for candidates close to Abu Dhabi as the business expands in the region.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and maintain short, medium and long‑term demand forecasts for products, programs, spare parts and services.
• Consolidate demand inputs from contracts, purchase orders, program schedules, sales and maintenance activities into a single reliable demand picture.
• Lead the monthly S&OP/IBP process, preparing forecasts, dashboards, management reports and scenario analyses.
• Translate program milestones, production schedules and sustainment requirements into the master production schedule.
• Partner with supply planning, procurement, operations and engineering to identify long‑lead materials, capacity constraints and potential shortages.
• Support inventory planning by balancing demand against safety stock, service requirements and component criticality.
• Track and improve forecast accuracy, bias, error, demand‑plan stability and service‑level performance.
• Investigate significant forecast variances, identify root causes and implement process improvements.
• Maintain accurate planning data across ERP, MRP and advanced planning systems and generate analytical reports.
• Identify and escalate demand‑related risks that could impact customer commitments or program milestones.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Economics, Statistics or a related discipline.
• 3–7 years of experience in demand planning, S&OP, IBP, materials or production planning.
• Strong understanding of forecasting, inventory planning, MRP, procurement and master scheduling.
• Hands‑on experience with ERP, MRP or advanced planning systems.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and ability to work with large data sets.
• Strong analytical ability to translate data into clear operational actions.
• Experience with Power BI or similar reporting and visualization tools (highly valued).
• Background in aerospace, defence, aviation or complex manufacturing is a strong advantage.
• Experience managing long‑lead‑time, project‑based or spare‑parts demand is a plus.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder‑management skills across multiple functions.

Required skills

• ERP systems
• MRP systems
• Advanced planning software
• Microsoft Excel (advanced)
• Power BI (or equivalent reporting tools)