Role search
Get a S&OP Analyst who can own sales operations planning. Also called Sales and Operations Planning Analyst
Direct headhunting, shaped around the work. We clarify the assignment, research relevant people and explain the judgment behind each recommendation.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present.
Interim Headhunters starts with the work behind this request: An S&OP Analyst acts as the bridge between finance, sales, and manufacturing by facilitating the monthly Sales and Operations Planning cycle. They do not merely generate a forecast.
This is what we do all day: place interim executives, interim managers and contract professionals.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
- No upfront fee
- Assignment-led headhunting
- Relevant experience and current capacity
- You make the final decision
- S&OP Analyst
- Sales and Operations Planning Analyst
The judgment call
What this hire really comes down to
An S&OP Analyst acts as the bridge between finance, sales, and manufacturing by facilitating the monthly Sales and Operations Planning cycle. They do not merely generate a forecast. They reconcile the high-level financial goals of the organization with the physical capacity constraints of your supply chain. This professional manages the consensus meeting where stakeholders debate the validity of market assumptions and supply signals.
You hire this role to stabilize the volume planning process. When your demand and supply teams operate in silos, you face either excessive inventory or constant backorders. The S&OP Analyst ensures that the data used by procurement to buy raw materials matches the data used by production to schedule shifts. They own the integrity of the planning horizon and ensure the organization commits to a single, shared plan.
What we check
What we check before you see anyone
- We verify their history of facilitating S&OP meetings with cross-functional participants. They must show how they translate sales projections into inventory impact reports. We check if they possess the social confidence to push back on sales teams providing unrealistic demand spikes that ignore supply lead time realities. They must demonstrate a capacity to translate technical planning output into language that non-supply chain executives can grasp for decision-making purposes.
- We audit their approach to inventory policy and safety stock target setting. They must explain the logic behind their stock levels beyond simply following system defaults. We confirm they know how to adjust parameters for items with high volatility versus those with stable, predictable demand patterns. This includes auditing their ability to apply different statistical distributions depending on the item classification and business growth stage.
- We assess their technical capability within the specific planning software modules your team utilizes. We check for experience in building hierarchies, managing attribute-based forecasting, and configuring exception alerts. They must know how to handle the software to identify when the automated forecast deviates from historical trends. We verify if they can handle complex relational databases to extract the clean data required for their models.
- We review their data hygiene practices. We check if they understand how to strip out non-recurring orders and promotional anomalies before running statistical models. They must demonstrate a process for validating the demand signal before that data reaches the hands of production planners or procurement buyers. We look for evidence that they have previously identified and corrected systematic errors in historical data that were causing recurring over-forecasts.
Sourcing
Where we find them
We search for analysts who have managed the S&OP process within mid-to-large scale manufacturing or complex distribution environments. These professionals are often found in companies where inventory turnover metrics are linked to executive compensation, forcing them to remain disciplined about forecast accuracy and reporting rigors. They possess a high degree of familiarity with the specific stresses of balancing customer availability with lean working capital goals.
We look for candidates currently in roles where they own the planning tool's data integrity. Many professionals move to interim assignments because they prefer the challenge of re-engineering a broken planning cycle over the administrative duties of a permanent desk. They seek the opportunity to test their methodology in a new system environment without waiting for long-term project cycles.
Where searches go wrong
Mistakes we see
- Hiring managers often expect an S&OP analyst to act as a clerical order processor. If you focus only on data entry, you miss the benefit of having a neutral party mediate between sales and supply. This person must challenge assumptions.
- Companies hire for tool expertise alone, ignoring the analyst's ability to facilitate meetings. Software knowledge is easily trained, but the ability to drive a consensus process across departments is a specific competency that cannot be learned in a weekend workshop.
- Delegating the creation of the safety stock policy to IT or finance without input from the S&OP analyst leads to poor replenishment decisions. The analyst who owns the forecast must also own the inventory parameters that rely on that forecast data.
The search
How the S&OP Analyst search runs
- We start by mapping the specific modules of your planning software to the candidates who have direct experience configuring those modules. We exclude those who rely solely on spreadsheets, as your environment requires a system-integrated approach to planning.
- We then vet their S&OP cycle experience by discussing their specific cadence for data collection and plan finalization. We ask how they documented their decisions during past cycles and how they communicated forecast performance to leadership when the numbers missed the targets.
- Finally, we present a shortlist of professionals who can immediately take over the current monthly cycle. We verify that they can perform an audit of your existing demand plan within the first week to identify immediate gaps in data logic or software parameter settings.
Questions
Is this an IT role?
No. While they use software, they focus on demand signals and supply chain business logic. They are planners, not developers.
Does this role involve purchasing raw materials?
They provide the plan that procurement follows. They do not typically issue purchase orders to suppliers themselves.
How does this differ from a demand planner?
A demand planner focuses on the accuracy of the forecast. An S&OP Analyst focuses on the reconciliation of that forecast with supply capacity.
Is there a fee to start?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
How are recruiting fees agreed?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present. We scope the assignment before quoting; the fee page explains our model.
How soon can we see options?
Availability depends on the assignment and the people who fit it. We qualify interest and commitments rather than promising a shortlist date before the search is scoped.
What if the scope grows?
Discuss new responsibilities before adding them to the engagement. Agree the priorities and record any change to the brief and terms.
Can we extend an engagement?
Discuss what remains unfinished and whether the same responsibility is still needed. Extensions depend on the person's commitments and the agreed engagement terms.
Can the appointment become permanent?
A permanent move can be discussed if both sides want it. Review the future role and the applicable agreement instead of assuming that temporary coverage automatically converts.
How is a confidential search handled?
Tell us what can be disclosed and whom we must not contact. We agree those boundaries before approaching people; do not send sensitive records with an initial brief.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not sell job-board reposting as a search or bill hourly for recruiting work. We do not take a retainer unless expressly agreed, and an introduction does not authorize an engagement.
Tell us the seat
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Share the title, the situation and the timing. A person reads it.