DEMAND PLANNING & FORECAST ANALYST at Hartzell Propeller – Piqua, Ohio

Hartzell Propeller LLC is a world-class engineering and manufacturing company offering the broadest range of propeller systems in the aviation industry. We design, develop, test, manufacture, and support constant-speed aluminum and composite propeller systems for all categories of aircraft—from general aviation to advanced military applications.

Founded in 1917 through an early partnership between Orville Wright and Robert Hartzell, Hartzell Propeller is built on a legacy of innovation, craftsmanship, and trust. Our guiding principle—Built on Honor—continues to define how we operate, how we lead, and how we serve our customers worldwide.

Position Summary

The Demand Planning & Forecast Analyst plays a critical, high-impact role in enabling Hartzell Propeller’s manufacturing and supply chain performance. This position owns the end-to-end forecasting process and serves as the central driver of forecast accuracy across weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual horizons.

This role collaborates closely with the Commercial, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance teams to ensure collective plan alignment, while focusing on forecast integrity, planning discipline, and operational execution. The Analyst ensures all demand signals are translated into a reliable production plan through accurate system inputs, structured planning processes, and strong cross-functional leadership.

This role is ideal for a data-driven planner who thrives at the intersection of analytics, manufacturing, and decision-making—and who is energized by seeing their work directly influence on-time delivery, inventory health, and customer satisfaction.

Key Deliverables:

Demand Forecasting and Planning Ownership

· Own and continuously improve the weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual demand forecast for propellers, spinners, governors, blades, and de-ice products.

· Ensure forecast accuracy by validating assumptions, identifying outliers, and incorporating historical trends, backlog, customer commitments, and operational constraints.

· Load, maintain, and validate forecast data in the forecasting system and ERP/MRP to support a feasible and executable production plan.

· Establish and maintain appropriate forecasting methodologies at the item and family level, including lifecycle management for new, transitioning, and obsolete products.

· Perform month-end forecast cycle processes, reconciliation, and uploads to ERP/MRP systems.

Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP)

· Serve as the SIOP process owner, driving cadence, structure, and accountability across the organization.

· Lead monthly SIOP meetings, presenting demand outlooks, risks, opportunities, and reconciliation of forecast vs. actual shipments.

· Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and Commercial teams to align demand plans with capacity, inventory, and financial targets.

· Ensure executive-level visibility to demand risks, constraints, and trade-offs.

Risk Management & Cross-Functional Alignment

· Lead the monthly risk meeting, proactively identifying risks to the forecast and collaborating with a cross functional team to mitigate those risks.

· Maintain clear documentation of risks, actions, owners, and timelines.

Inventory Health, Safety Stock & E&O

· Own safety stock policies and parameter maintenance to balance customer service level targets with inventory investment.

· Lead the Excess & Obsolete (E&O) inventory review process, partnering with a cross functional team to determine the appropriate disposition decisions on a part level basis

· Monitor slow-moving and obsolete inventory trends and recommend corrective actions.

On-Time Delivery & Customer Service Level Support

· Support and enable on-time delivery (OTD) performance through accurate demand signals and proactive communication of forecast changes.

· Collaborate with production planning and scheduling teams to resolve demand-driven constraints impacting delivery performance.

Reporting & Analytics

· Develop and maintain a robust suite of demand and inventory analytics, including:

o Forecast accuracy metrics

o Unit Forecast vs. actual shipment analysis

o Inventory turns, safety stock effectiveness, and E&O trends

o Production plan alignment and demand variability

· Provide clear, concise narratives that translate complex data into actionable insights for leadership.

Systems, Tools & Continuous Improvement

· Ensure item/unit level sales forecast is properly input into the forecasting software (Futurcast) and maintained for accuracy.

· Ensure master data integrity related to demand planning parameters.

· Evaluate and recommend enhancements to forecasting tools, processes, and technologies.

· Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance forecast accuracy, process efficiency, and cross-functional alignment.

First Year Success Factors

· Develops a deep understanding of Hartzell Propeller’s products, manufacturing flows, planning constraints, and customer demand patterns.

· Establishes credibility as the single source of truth for demand forecasting and planning.

· Successfully leads a disciplined SIOP process that improves forecast accuracy and executive decision-making.

· Demonstrates measurable improvements in forecast accuracy, inventory health, and on-time delivery support.

· Builds trusted partnerships across Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and Commercial teams.

Education/Experience

· Bachelor’s degree preferred (supply chain, operations management, business or related field).

· 3-5 years of experience in demand planning, forecasting, production planning or supply chain analytics within a manufacturing environment.

· Experience supporting SIOP or integrated business planning processes strongly preferred.

Technical Competencies

· Demand Planning & Forecasting

o Strong understanding of time-phased forecasting methods and demand variability.

o Experience working with ERP/MRP and forecasting systems.

· Manufacturing & Supply Chain Acumen

o Understanding of production planning, capacity constraints and inventory dynamics.

o Ability to align demand plans with operational realities.

· Data & Analytics

o Advanced Excel skills for analysis and modeling

o Ability to build clear, actionable reports and dashboards

· Communication & Influence

o Excellent verbal and written communication skills

o Ability to lead cross-functional discussions and influence without direct authority.

Behavioral Characteristics

· Builds Strategic Working Relationships – Collaborates effectively across functions and levels to achieve shared objectives.

· Decision Making – Analyzes complex data sets, evaluates trade-offs, and drives sound, timely decisions.

· Initiates Action – Proactive, curious and motivated to improve systems and processes.

· Continuous Learning – Actively identifies new areas for learning; regularly creates and takes advantage of learning opportunities.

· Work Standards – Holds self and others to high standards of accuracy, accountability, and execution.

Salary Expectations

· Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package

Hartzell Propeller has a pre-employment and random Federal Drug & Alcohol Testing requirement and tests for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, and phencyclidine in addition to alcohol.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veteran/Disability/E-Verify