Planning & Demand Analyst in Manchester

Up to £45,000 plus great benefits (Work Level 6A). Manchester city centre - in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and the office once per month. We’re open to applications from people who may require flexible working arrangements. There’ll be an opportunity to discuss your flexible working requirements during the interview process, and at offer stage.

We’re reshaping our Digital, Technology and Data function for the future, creating new opportunities, strengthening our capability, and building clearer, more resilient ways of working so we can deliver even better services for our Co-op, our colleagues, members and customers. We're looking for a Planning and Demand Analyst to join our Digital, Technology & Data team and help us create a clear, reliable view of demand, priorities and planning activity across the business. In this role, you'll help ensure that proposed work is well understood, aligned to our priorities and ready for informed decision-making. You'll bring together data and insight from multiple sources to create a trusted view of demand, capacity and investment priorities, helping leaders make informed decisions about where resources should be focused, and how change is delivered.

Why this role matters

As our Planning and Demand Analyst, you'll play a key role in bringing together information from across the business to create a trusted view of demand, capacity and priorities. You'll help create greater consistency in how planning information is captured, managed and shared, ensuring stakeholders are working from the same version of the truth. It's a great opportunity to develop your analytical and stakeholder management skills while making a visible impact on how Co-op plans and delivers change.

What you’ll do

• Manage and maintain planning and demand data, ensuring it's accurate, up to date and well governed.
• Review incoming demand and help ensure requests are clearly defined and aligned to business priorities.
• Analyse information from multiple sources, challenge assumptions and data quality, and turn complex information into meaningful insights and recommendations.
• Build and maintain a trusted view of demand, capacity, work in progress and future priorities across the portfolio.
• Identify gaps, dependencies, duplication and emerging pressures across plans and demand pipelines.
• Support planning, prioritisation, forecasting and scenario modelling activities using consistent methods and assumptions.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders across Digital, Technology & Data, Finance and Portfolio Management.
• Produce reports, analysis and planning artefacts that support informed decision-making.
• Help improve planning processes through greater standardisation, simplification and automation, creating consistent ways to capture, manage and share planning information.

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

• Experience working with planning, demand management, portfolio management or similar business processes.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex data, maintain high levels of data accuracy, build models, carry out scenario analysis and translate findings into clear, actionable insights.
• Advanced Excel and data analysis skills, with experience working with large and complex datasets to support forecasting, planning and decision-making.
• Confidence working with a range of stakeholders and building effective working relationships.
• Ability to challenge constructively, ask the right questions, investigate data quality issues and resolve ambiguity.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• A continuous improvement mindset, with an interest in making processes more efficient and effective.

We know some people may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. At Co-op, we’re committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we still encourage you to apply.

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance).
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays.
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions.
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ).
• 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands.
• Stream - early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it.
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice.
• 24/7 colleague support service.
• Training and support for your development and career progression.
• Cycle-to-work scheme.

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work. We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.