A well-established and highly respected UK manufacturing business is looking for a Planning Leader to take ownership of production planning and materials management across a fast-paced operational environment.
This is a key leadership role within the operations function, responsible for ensuring the seamless alignment of demand, supply, and production capacity through effective planning processes and strong cross-functional collaboration.
The Role
As Planning Leader, you will be responsible for driving performance across production planning and materials flow, ensuring the business consistently delivers on time, in full, and with optimal inventory levels.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading the SIOP (Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning) process to align demand forecasts with production capacity and inventory strategy
- Owning and maintaining the Master Production Schedule (MPS) to meet customer demand efficiently
- Managing and developing a team of production and materials planners
- Working closely with manufacturing, procurement, sales, logistics, and supply chain teams to ensure smooth operational flow
- Monitoring production performance, inventory levels, and service KPIs, proactively identifying and resolving risks
- Driving continuous improvement across planning systems, processes, and tools
- Ensuring compliance with company policies, health & safety standards, and quality requirements
- Supporting wider operational leadership with reporting, planning insight, and decision support
What We’re Looking For
We’re seeking a strong planning professional with proven experience in a manufacturing environment who can step confidently into a leadership role.
You will bring:
- Experience in production planning, materials planning, or supply chain planning
- Strong knowledge of SIOP / MPS processes and ERP systems
- Proven experience managing or mentoring a planning or supply chain team
- A strong analytical mindset with excellent problem-solving ability
- Experience working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
- Strong communication skills with the ability to influence across departments
- A continuous improvement mindset with a focus on efficiency and accuracy
Desirable experience includes:
- Automotive or high-volume manufacturing environments
- Forecasting and capacity planning
- Process improvement / planning system development
Why Apply?
This is a high-impact role where your decisions directly influence production performance, customer delivery, and operational efficiency.
You’ll be joining a business that values planning as a core driver of success — not just a support function — with real opportunity to shape processes and improve performance across the operation.
Apply in Confidence
This is a confidential search process. All applications will be handled discreetly.
If you're ready to take ownership of a planning function and lead from the front in a dynamic manufacturing environment, we’d like to hear from you.
Pay: £45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Profit sharing
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
