Specialist Demand Planning – Talabat

Talabat, part of the Delivery Hero Group, runs a fast-moving q-commerce operation including its own grocery concept, Talabat Mart, which promises 30-minute delivery. A Specialist in Demand Planning supports the forecasting and inventory decisions that keep that promise realistic, working to predict demand accurately enough that dark stores and grocery hubs are stocked with the right products in the right quantities.

The day-to-day work involves building and refining demand forecasts using historical sales data, seasonality, and promotional calendars, working closely with supply chain and category teams to translate forecasts into purchase and replenishment plans, and monitoring forecast accuracy to continuously improve the model. Because Talabat Mart operates on a 30-minute delivery promise, the margin for error in demand planning is tighter than in traditional retail: understocking means missed sales and unfulfilled promises to customers, while overstocking in a fast-moving grocery context means spoilage and wasted capital.

This role requires comfort with data and forecasting tools, but also close collaboration with commercial and operations teams who bring context that pure historical data can’t capture, an upcoming promotion, a new product launch, or a competitor’s move that might shift demand patterns.

This suits someone analytically minded with a supply chain, operations, or data background who enjoys working in a fast-paced, quick-commerce environment where forecasting accuracy has an immediate, visible operational impact.

In a 30-minute grocery delivery model, demand planning accuracy has an almost immediate and visible effect on customer experience: understocked items show up instantly as out-of-stock in the app, directly costing sales and disappointing customers who chose the service for its speed and reliability. A Demand Planning Specialist who builds accurate forecasts protects that reliability promise, which is central to Talabat Mart's competitive positioning against other quick-commerce players. On the other side, overstocking in a grocery context leads to spoilage, particularly for perishable items, which erodes margin directly and quickly in a business model that already operates on thin unit economics. Because dark stores and grocery hubs have limited physical space, poor demand planning also creates knock-on inefficiencies, wasted storage space on slow-moving items that could otherwise hold fast-moving, high-demand products. Given how competitive the quick-commerce space is across the region, with multiple players racing to build reliable 30-minute delivery, small improvements in forecast accuracy compound into real competitive advantage: fewer stockouts, less waste, and better unit economics all trace back to the quality of demand planning happening at this level.

Demand planning in a quick-commerce grocery environment builds forecasting and supply chain skills under some of the tightest operational constraints in retail, since a 30-minute delivery promise leaves almost no room for planning error. Anyone who develops strong forecasting instincts in this kind of high-velocity environment builds a skill set that transfers easily to slower-moving, more forgiving retail or FMCG contexts, while the reverse is much harder. Working within Talabat and the broader Delivery Hero Group also provides exposure to a genuinely large-scale, multi-market operation, giving early insight into how demand planning decisions at a local level connect to broader supply chain and category strategy across the group. The cross-functional collaboration required in this role, working closely with supply chain, category, and operations teams, also builds strong stakeholder communication skills that are valuable in any operations or supply chain career path. Quick-commerce and grocery delivery are among the fastest-growing retail segments in the region, making demand planning experience specific to this model increasingly valuable and sought after. People who build a strong track record in demand planning at this level typically progress into senior demand planning, supply chain management, or category management roles, either within Talabat or at other e-commerce and quick-commerce operators expanding across the region.

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Statistics, or a related field
• Experience in demand planning, forecasting, or supply chain analytics, ideally in retail, grocery, or e-commerce
• Strong Excel skills; experience with demand planning or ERP software is a plus
• Analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into actionable purchasing plans
• Strong cross-functional communication skills, particularly with supply chain and category teams
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, quick-commerce environment with tight timelines
• Attention to detail and commitment to continuously improving forecast accuracy