Supply Chain Manager in Milton Keynes

The Supply Chain Manager provides results-driven leadership across purchasing, planning, inventory management, and logistics, ensuring seamless supply of materials to support production efficiency and customer delivery performance. The role is responsible for managing all aspects of materials flow, supplier performance, planning accuracy, and logistics execution, while driving continuous improvement to deliver increased agility, cost-effectiveness, and reliability across the supply chain.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING:

• Degree qualified in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Materials Management, or related discipline (or equivalent proven experience).
• CIPS Level 3 (minimum).
• Proven track record in supply chain leadership (purchasing, planning, and/or logistics) within a complex, preferably international supply-chain manufacturing environment.
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary teams with diverse functions and skillsets.
• Successful delivery of measurable improvements in OTD, supplier performance, inventory management, and cost reduction.
• Demonstrated ability to lead process improvements and organisational development.
• High-level working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems in a manufacturing context, preferably Infor Syteline.
• Experience operating with ISO9001 quality systems.
• Strong commercial, analytical, communication, and influencing skills.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Purchasing Management: Leads supplier selection, sourcing, price and terms negotiation. Ensures that supplier relationships are managed to deliver improved cost, lead times, quality, and on-time delivery (OTD). Anticipates and resolves material, supplier, or logistics issues that could affect production schedules or customer commitments.
• Planning Management: Oversees demand forecasting, build to stock vs build to sell, make vs buy, capacity planning, and order scheduling to support production, reducing lead times and cost, and preventing bottlenecks. Ensuring that WorkCentre screens are maintained accurately to allow operators to follow required sequence to protect OTD.
• Inventory Management: Ensures effective systems and processes to lower overall inventory held on site, while maintaining accurate stock levels, reduce working capital, and increasing inventory turns, while ensuring uninterrupted supply in accordance with corporate Supply Chain KPI’s.
• Logistics Management: Oversees goods-in, material handling, dispatch, shipping and invoicing activities, ensuring efficient flow of materials and finished goods while minimising waste and delays. This will include coordinating Inco terms and ensuring goods are through customs and arrive with international customers within expected delivery timeframes.
• Continuous Improvement: Identifies opportunities to streamline processes, improve cross-functional collaboration, and strengthen supply chain responsiveness and efficiencies. The Supply Chain Manager will be the onsite coordinator of continuous improvement kaizen events, arranging a minimum of two events per year, documenting before and after states and uploading improvement evidence to Dover Kaizen Channel and Site Productivity Tracker. Collaborates with Production, Sales/Customer Service, Finance, and Engineering to balance supply chain priorities with operational, commercial and financial goals. Tracks and analyses Supply Chain KPIs (such as, but not limited to OTD, supplier performance, inventory value, counts and accuracy, turns) to identify gaps and drive improvement.
• Leadership: Leads and motivates a multi-disciplinary Supply Chain team across Planning, Purchasing, and Goods in and Shipping/ Dispatch functions, building collaboration while maintaining clear accountability. Develops team skills and capabilities through coaching, cross-training, and structured career development. Creates a culture of accountability, empowerment, and continuous improvement across both office-based and shop-floor logistics employees. Represents Supply Chain priorities at the site leadership level, contributing to broader operational and strategic decision-making. Leads by example to promote safety, quality, and continuous improvement.