Head of Integrated Planning - Trials, Tests & Evaluation (TT&E)

Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking.

Package: Competitive leadership salary depending on experience, plus various other benefits including a generous holiday allowance, performance related bonus & an additional flexible benefit scheme.

Working pattern: Primarily an onsite position but there is the scope to work from home dependent on business needs. AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight; applications from candidates wishing to work full or part-time will be considered.

Reporting directly to the General Manager for Trials, Tests & Evaluation (TT&E), the Head of Integrated Planning is a strategic leadership position responsible for ensuring alignment between strategic objectives and requirements and operational execution through a multi-tiered planning approach aligned to senior engagement, manufacturing alignment and control, and manufacturing execution.

You will lead the engagement and integration of the TT&E master plan with the enterprise level Strategic Warhead Enterprise Plan (SWEP) through collaboration with several delivery areas infrastructure, engineering planning and across all the business units. You will work as part of the TT&E senior leadership team as well as across Business Units with the wider operational planning community of practice to support the implementation and continuous improvement of Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) and Master Production Scheduling (MPS) across the Business Units.

This includes:

• Driving senior-level engagement to ensure planning decisions are informed, aligned, and strategically sound.
• Coordinating cross-functional planning activities, integrating demand, supply, and capacity planning to optimise manufacturing performance.
• Ensuring seamless alignment and control across manufacturing operations, from strategic long-range planning to day-to-day execution.
• Championing data-driven decision-making, fostering transparency and agility across the planning cycle.

This is a pivotal leadership role that bridges strategic intent with operational delivery—ensuring the Business Unit remains responsive, efficient, and future-ready.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide the overall integrated master schedule control for a Business Unit, aggregating and managing demand over the short, medium and long term, which incorporates balancing multiple requirements (e.g. maintenance, capital works) to ensure we deliver to customer requirements.
• Direct support for the General Manager including providing subject matter expertise into the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process, feeding from the operational planning team, and integrating with programmes and the Strategic Warhead Enterprise Plan.
• Lead the transformation of the business unit as part of the wider AWE transformation and change management.
• Provision of Management Information and reporting to support Business Unit decision making and upward reporting of KPIs and delivery into the AWE Executive and MOD customer governance.
• Key interface to ePMO, Warhead PMO, Infrastructure delivery Unit and Transformation programmes for overarching Business Unit capacity planning/ prioritisation/ deconfliction/ integration.
• Overseeing and driving the financial performance of the Business Unit on behalf of the General Manager, including the analysis of information from the product, demand, supply and finance reviews to generate financial forecasts and the identification of efficiencies and risks.
• Monitor and manage risk, assumptions and issues ensuring that appropriate mitigations are delivered at pace to support delivery.

Who are we looking for?

Requirements

• Degree educated or similar attainment level demonstrated through experience.
• Extensive project or operational planning experience.
• Experience leading business transformation and change management within a matrix environment.
• Overseeing and managing budgets and the ability to operate within a changing financial environment.
• Overseeing and communicating risk management at a strategic level.
• Provide inspirational leadership to a team with diverse skills and experience and build and lead a high performing team through a period of change.
• Reporting – collating management information and translating it into insights at a strategic level to influence across stakeholders and the organisation.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills; building and maintaining strong and positive relationships at all levels, including with senior leaders, customers, suppliers, and other external partners.

Whilst not to be considered a tick list, we’d like you to have experience in some of the following:

• Experience of working in a TT&E environment.
• Broad understanding of a manufacturing and/or regulatory environment.
• Deep knowledge in planning processes: demand planning, supply planning, manufacturing flow, material planning and S&OP process.
• Manage programmes, schedules and plans, and positively respond to changing circumstances with agility and resilience.
• Project and programme planning qualifications/ a member of a professional body.
• Knowledge of Project Management (tools techniques, practices) and knowledge of commercial and finance.
• Proven experience in implementing and continuous improvement of sales and operations planning processes.
• Management and interpretation of operational performance information.
• Knowledge and experience of enterprise ERP/ MRP systems and SAP.
• Strong analytical skills, ensuring that decisions are made by guided problem solving, and are informed by policies, procedures and business plan.

You see yourself as having a strategic and proactive approach to managing obstacles. We welcome a visionary leader with a 'growth mindset' to push the boundaries of what’s possible. You’ll be joining us at a pivotal time, with the chance to shape the future direction of AWE through exciting technical projects.

Additional requirements:

• Willingness to undertake UK and overseas travel.
• Ability to obtain and maintain necessary security clearance. DV clearance is required for this position.

Next steps:

Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don’t meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we’d love to receive your application.

Important things you need to know:

• We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes.
• You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE.
• The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.
• We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.
• Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.
• Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants.
• Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions.
• Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.