Inventory Demand Planner in Bolton

You are the key point for material planning across the site, ensuring that raw materials and packaging are available to support the production plan without disruption to Production, Sales or Warehouse. Own the interface between materials supply and the short-term production plan, checking material availability against the plan on an ongoing basis. Carry out the daily/weekly MRP review, interpreting system-generated requirements and translating these into call-offs, purchase orders and delivery schedules. Work with Production and Planning to adjust requirements and sequencing when inbound material availability changes. Produce a forecast of likely long-term material requirements from contracts and sales forecasts, and agree the resulting purchase/delivery schedule with the Production Department. Maintain manual/spreadsheet-based analysis to support decisions that fall outside standard MRP outputs, and work towards embedding this knowledge into documented process wherever possible. Manage inbound schedule and stock levels for all packaging materials to allow for the planned introduction of design/pack/formulation changes. Master Data & Systems Own and maintain relevant purchasing and material master data within SAP (or equivalent planning system). Maintain SAP price lists and purchasing price records, keeping these aligned with agreed supplier terms. Review MRP outputs to identify actions, exceptions and potential risks, and maintain the records needed to keep this analysis auditable. Procurement. Act as the day-to-day point of contact for key suppliers, managing call-offs, delivery performance, queries and service issues. Call off raw materials and packaging from suppliers, and raise/manage purchase orders against required delivery dates. Monitor supplier confirmations and inbound delivery dates; expedite late materials or push back deliveries where required. Feed supplier performance, cost and service issues back to the Global Procurement team, who lead supplier selection, pricing and contract negotiation. Create product build records (BOMs) prior to any SKUs going live and forward these to IT for input on the computer system. Provide information on all changes to the inventory list that affect production specifications to the Production and Technical Departments in good time for changes to be made as appropriate. As a trained Quality Auditor, participate in internal Quality Audits from time to time as per the Company’s ISO/BRC System requirements. Participate in the preparation and reconciliation of all four annual stock takes. End-of-year stock takes must not run into the Christmas break. Highly organised, with strong personal planning skills and the ability to manage multiple, changing priorities against fixed production deadlines. Analytical, comfortable interpreting MRP and other system data to identify exceptions, risks and the right course of action. Extensive work with data and spreadsheets, including building manual analysis where system tools do not fully cover a decision. High attention to detail, particularly around master data, pricing records and purchase order accuracy. Strong communicator, able to work cross-functionally with Production, Planning, Technical and the Global Procurement team.