Central Planning Manager

Are you a collaborative leader who thrives on aligning strategy, data, and people? Join our client to shape demand planning across a diverse international team.

As the Central Planning Manager, you will oversee all planning activities across European manufacturing sites, ensuring forecasts align with capacity and financial targets. Leading a multi-site team, you'll deliver accurate, data-driven insights and drive the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process. This high-impact role supports key decisions across Sales, Operations, Finance, and the Executive Committee. Success will require inclusive leadership, technical expertise, and a commitment to transparency and collaboration.

Benefits:

• Strategic Influence - High-impact role with direct input into executive decisions.
• Leadership Autonomy - Lead and shape a multinational planning team.
• Inclusive Culture - Work in a collaborative, diverse, and supportive environment.
• Career Growth - Access to mentorship, development, and major transformation projects.
• Global Scope - Operate across international sites in a stable, growth-focused business.

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Planning & Forecasting: Lead demand and supply planning, ensuring an accurate and integrated S&OP and Master Production Schedule (MPS) for all product lines across sites.
• Sales Forecast Ownership: Publish monthly sales data and rolling forecasts (3-year view), incorporating risks and opportunities.
• Operational Risk Management: Identify and escalate capacity constraints and risks via the Industrial Operations Risk Register and weekly P&L meetings.
• Executive Reporting: Present monthly S&OP outcomes, progress updates and forecast variances to the Executive Team.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Serve as the planning focal point for senior leaders, providing insight to guide investment and operational decisions.
• Leadership: Provide strategic and day-to-day leadership to the planning team. Foster a culture of excellence, inclusion, development, and collaboration.
• Process Improvement & Systems: Drive standardisation, automation (RPA, AI), and optimisation of planning processes. Shape the long-term vision of the planning function, including ERP upgrade preparation.
• Cross-Site Coordination: Align planning cycles across factories, integrating commercial inputs, sales forecasts, and capacity plans.
• Performance Reporting: Monitor and analyse key performance metrics including factory utilisation, headcount alignment, and OP performance.

Requirements:

Essential:

• Level 7 qualification in Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field.
• Significant experience in demand/supply planning or high-level project management in a manufacturing or engineering context.
• Expertise in S&OP processes and scenario planning.
• Proficiency in planning software and tools (SAP, Ortems, Tableau, Excel).
• Experience leading multi-site, international teams.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Highly organised, adaptable, and analytically strong.
• Basic grasp of French.
• Full right to work in the UK.

Desirable:

• Fluency in French (preferred but not essential).
• Familiarity with financial reporting and forecasting.
• Exposure to Lean, Six Sigma, or CI methodologies.

How to apply:

To apply for this excellent opportunity, please send your CV or contact Rob Hutchings at (phone number removed).