Planning Manager

Planning Manager

Stevenage, Hertfordshire

Up to £55,000

Most planning jobs hand you someone else's spreadsheet and ask you to keep it alive.

This one asks you to replace it.

You'll own supply planning end to end for a food and drink manufacturer with big growth plans, part of a wider group with decades in the sector. Multiple sites. Multiple lines. A network of co-manufacturers. And a planning process that has outgrown the tools it runs on. Lots of SKUs!

The business knows where it's heading. Your job is to make sure planning can keep up when it gets there. That means building systems and processes that scale, not ones that need rebuilding every time volumes jump.

So yes, you'll run the master production plan. But you'll also review how planning works today, look at what's out there (including automation and AI-enabled planning tools), recommend the right system and lead the planning side of the implementation. That's not something most Supply Planning Managers get to put on their CV. You will.

Be clear on one thing though. This is hands on. There's no team to delegate to at this stage, so you'll be the one doing the do, building the plan, chasing the materials and getting into the detail. If you like rolling your sleeves up and seeing the impact of your own work, that's the point.

Day to day, you'll:

Turn demand and forecasts into production schedules that actually hold up, factoring in capacity, lead times, changeovers, minimum runs and materials
Plan capacity across internal sites and co-man partners, spot gaps early and put clear options on the table
Make sure every run is ready, from ingredients & packaging materials.
Run scenario planning when demand outstrips capacity or customers want conflicting things
Chair the planning reviews and be the clear voice on risk, constraints and the decisions needed
Set the KPIs that matter: forecast accuracy, plan adherence, capacity utilisation and supply risk
You'll work alongside the Head of Supply Chain, plus Sales, Procurement, Customer Ops, Technical and the warehouse. When a forecast doesn't add up, you'll be expected to say so. They want that.

What you'll need:

Supply, production or manufacturing planning experience, ideally in food, drink or FMCG
Experience planning across multiple lines, sites or external manufacturers
Strong Excel and analytical skills, and confidence with ERP/MRP systems
The knack of turning messy operational data into clear priorities
Bonus points if you've improved a planning process or been part of a systems implementation
High standards, no ego and plenty of pace. Get in now and you're building the foundations the next stage of growth sits on.

Free onsite parking too. If you've ever worked in Stevenage, you'll know that isn't always a given. Not your typical 'exciting' business, it really is. Lots of innovation and you get to be part of all of it. 

If you'd rather build a planning function than babysit one, let's talk
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed