Operations Planning Manager
Location: Yate, Bristol
Salary: £40,000–£50,000 per year, depending on experience
Job type: Permanent, full-time or four days per week
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am–4:30pm
Reports to: Managing Director
About Colonna Coffee
Colonna Coffee is a rapidly growing roastery supplying primarily wholesale customers in the UK and internationally.
We are on track to produce approximately 1,000 tonnes of coffee this year, and our production requirements continue to grow as we take on more business.
We operate at a fast pace and need robust planning, clear communication and reliable systems to ensure production capacity, staffing and stock remain aligned with customer demand.
The Opportunity
We are recruiting an experienced Operations Planning Manager to take ownership of production planning across our roastery.
The core responsibility of the role will be to create and maintain the weekly roasting and production schedule, ensuring that customer requirements are translated into a clear, achievable operational plan.
You will work closely with our Floor Supervisor, who will implement the plan on the production floor, as well as colleagues across communications, roasting and dispatch.
This is not primarily a people-management role. Success will depend on your ability to understand production capacity, anticipate constraints, communicate changes clearly and keep relevant stakeholders informed.
We are particularly interested in candidates who have experience planning production at scale within a large, growing manufacturing, food, beverage or similarly fast-moving operation.
Key Responsibilities
Production Planning
- Create and maintain the weekly roasting and production schedule.
- Translate customer orders into a practical production plan.
- Balance demand against staffing, equipment capacity, stock availability and operational constraints.
- Sequence work effectively to support efficiency, quality and on-time fulfilment.
- Update plans promptly when priorities, orders or available resources change.
- Maintain clear visibility of current and upcoming production requirements.
- Identify capacity risks, bottlenecks and potential delays before they affect delivery.
Operational Coordination
- Liaise closely with the Floor Supervisor, who will implement the production plan.
- Ensure the production team receives clear, accurate and timely scheduling information.
- Communicate changes, risks and priorities to relevant stakeholders across the business.
- Coordinate with roasting, packing, dispatch and other departments to ensure plans remain aligned.
- Monitor progress against the plan and support the resolution of issues that affect output.
- Help improve communication and planning discipline as the operation continues to grow.
Procurement and Stock Planning
- Monitor stock levels of production and packaging materials.
- Arrange purchasing of items such as bags, boxes, labels, ink, paper and other consumables.
- Ensure required materials are available in line with planned production.
- Maintain clear purchasing and stock records.
- Liaise with suppliers regarding orders, lead times, availability and delivery dates.
- Identify potential shortages early and take appropriate action.
Green-coffee purchasing is managed separately and is not part of this role.
Systems and Process Improvement
- Develop and improve planning processes, schedules and reporting tools.
- Use operational data to improve production visibility and decision-making.
- Support the development of more accurate capacity and resource planning.
- Help establish clear processes that can scale with continued business growth.
- Potentially support or lead the implementation of an ERP system, this is currently being considered.
- Work with stakeholders to ensure new systems and processes are practical and consistently used.
About You
You are an experienced production or operations planner who is comfortable working in a fast-paced and growing environment.
You are highly organised, analytical and able to turn changing customer requirements into a clear operational plan. You communicate calmly and confidently, particularly when priorities change or competing demands need to be resolved.
You are comfortable taking ownership of a plan without needing direct authority over everyone involved in delivering it. You can build effective working relationships, communicate expectations clearly and ensure stakeholders remain informed.
You will understand that effective planning requires both attention to detail and a practical understanding of what can realistically be delivered on the production floor.
Essential Experience and Skills
- Significant experience in production planning, operations planning, supply planning or a similar role.
- Experience supporting delivery at scale within manufacturing, food, beverage or another fast-moving operational environment.
- Strong understanding of production capacity, scheduling and resource planning.
- Ability to create clear, practical production schedules.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent organisation and attention to detail.
- Confidence managing competing priorities and responding to changing demand.
- Strong written and verbal communication.
- Ability to work effectively with stakeholders across different departments.
- Experience using spreadsheets and production-planning tools.
- A proactive, accountable and commercially aware approach.
Desirable Experience
- Experience working within food, beverage, coffee or FMCG production.
- Experience in a growing or rapidly changing business.
- Experience planning staffing requirements alongside production demand.
- Procurement or supplier-management experience.
- Experience managing packaging or production consumables.
- Experience implementing or working with an ERP or MRP system.
- Strong Microsoft Excel or Microsoft 365 skills.
Previous coffee experience is not essential. Experience planning and delivering production at scale is more important.
Working Arrangements
This role is available on either:
- A full-time basis, working five days per week, Monday to Friday; or
- A four-day-per-week basis.
Standard working hours are 8:30am–4:30pm.
The salary range of £40,000–£50,000 is stated on a full-time-equivalent basis and would be pro rata for a four-day working week.
The role is based on site at our roastery in Yate, Bristol.
Benefits
- 25 days’ annual leave for a full-time role, pro rata for four days per week.
- On-site parking.
- Free coffee to take home, within reason and subject to availability.
- The opportunity to shape planning systems within a growing international coffee business.
Right to Work
Candidates must have the right to work in the United Kingdom.
Work visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
How to Apply
Please submit your CV and response to the questions associated with this advert.
While we endeavour to respond to all applicants, this is not always possible. If you have not received a response within two weeks, your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £40,000.00-£50,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Application question(s):
- What is your experience planning production at scale?
- What was the size and type of operation you have previously supported?
- Can you provide an example of how you have managed changing priorities, capacity constraints or production risk?
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
