Business Systems Lead - Demand Planning

At Ball, integrity and trust are the foundation of who we are. Guided by our core values—"We Care. We Work. We Win.”—we create a culture where every voice matters and every idea drives progress.  

Together with our global employees, customers, and partners, we’re turning bold sustainability goals into reality and shaping a future we can all be proud of. 

Create a new future. Apply Today. 

Primary Purpose of this Position:

The Business Systems Lead serves as the primary bridge between business needs and technology execution, ensuring effective delivery, stability, and continuous improvement of enterprise systems. In this role, the focus is on SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) and the broader supply chain planning landscape, with a strong emphasis on demand planning. The role requires deep, hands-on knowledge of demand planning processes—including statistical forecasting, demand sensing, forecast disaggregation, consensus demand review, and demand-driven S&OP—and the tools that enable them, so that these needs are translated into well-designed, well-configured IBP solutions. The role is responsible for coordinating technology initiatives across the system lifecycle—from requirements translation and solution design through development, testing, deployment, and support—while aligning with enterprise standards, governance, and architectural roadmaps. Acting as a delivery-focused partner, the Business Systems Lead enables adoption, value realization, and operational excellence by supporting project delivery, integrations, data platforms, testing, training, issue resolution, vendor and service coordination, and portfolio planning, while accountability for outcomes remains with designated business and technology owners.

Essential Responsible Areas:

• Lead and coordinate technology delivery and system enhancements across projects using Agile or Stage Gate governance.
• Support software development, system configuration, integrations, upgrades, and patching to meet business and technical requirements.
• Gather and document technical requirements and specifications, translating business needs into system solutions.
• Lead and support IBP-specific activities across the project lifecycle, including design workshops, SIT and UAT execution, environments and defect resolution, change implementation, cutover, and hypercare across regions.
• Translate demand planning processes—including statistical forecasting, demand sensing, forecast disaggregation, and consensus/demand review—into IBP design, configuration, and key figure logic, partnering closely with demand planners and commercial stakeholders.
• Provide end-user and super-user support and training, driving adoption and effective system usage.
• Support issue resolution and production support, including root-cause analysis and continuous improvement.
• Assist with software and hardware selection, purchasing, and vendor management, including AMS support.
• Contribute to technology cost estimates and resource planning in support of business case development.
• Support data governance, data migration, integrations, and data hubs enabling self-service reporting and analytics.
• Ensure adherence to technology standards, software standards, architecture, and governance.
• Support IT controls, SOX testing, audits, and access management activities.
• Contribute to technology roadmaps, portfolio management, and lifecycle planning.
• Perform gap analysis, solution design, and cross-functional impact assessments.
• Drive value realization and adoption of standard technologies and platforms through change management and alignment.

What we are looking for: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience)
• 5+ years of progressive experience in business systems, IT delivery, or technology-enabled business roles, including direct experience with demand planning and forecasting processes and tools
• Hands-on experience implementing and configuring SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP), including at least one full-cycle implementation or major global rollout wave
• Agile and/or Stage Gate delivery models
• Demonstrated experience supporting:
  • Demand planning processes in depth—statistical forecasting, demand sensing, forecast disaggregation, consensus/demand review, forecast accuracy and bias measurement (e.g., MAPE, WMAPE)—with the ability to translate these needs into IBP design and configuration
  • Hands-on use of demand planning tools—required in SAP IBP for Demand; familiarity with other planning platforms (e.g., SAP APO DP, o9, Blue Yonder/JDA, Kinaxis) is a plus—including forecast models, forecast profiles, key figures, and demand sensing configuration
  • Adjacent planning processes (S&OP/IBP for Sales & Operations, supply and inventory planning) and how they consume and integrate with the demand plan
  • Testing activities (SIT and UAT support)
  • Production support and issue resolution
• Experience working with vendors, AMS providers, or system integrators
• Experience in regulated or controlled environments (SOX, IT controls, audits) preferred

Strong understanding of:

• System lifecycle management (requirements → design → build → test → deploy → support)
• Software development and configuration concepts
• Integrating SAP IBP with source systems such as SAP ECC, S/4HANA, or JDE using integration tooling, including data flows and data migration
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical specifications
• Working knowledge of:
  • Agile/Scrum and Stage Gate delivery methodologies
  • Testing processes (SIT, UAT coordination and support)
  • Release, upgrade, and patch management
  • IBP planning areas, time profiles, planning levels, key figures, version management, and operators, with particular depth in IBP for Demand—forecast models, forecast profiles, statistical forecasting, and demand sensing
• Familiarity with:
  • Technology standards, architecture principles, and governance
  • Data governance, reporting, and analytics enablement

Preferred Certifications:

• APICS/ASCM CPIM (Certified in Planning and Inventory Management)
• APICS/ASCM CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional)
• IBF CPF / ACPF (Certified Professional Forecaster)
• SAP Certified Application Associate – SAP IBP
• Agile certifications (e.g., CSM, SAFe, PMI-ACP)
• Project management (PMP)
• Business analysis (CBAP)
• IT service management (ITIL)