Materials Planner

Ensure the right materials are available in the right quantities, at the right time, and at the right cost, while maintaining food safety, quality, and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Manage daily material and packaging call-offs from 3PL providers, ensuring timely availability for production and rapid turnaround for quality testing of new inbound materials.
• Conduct daily reviews with production planners to confirm purchase orders are in place to meet production schedules.
• Collaborate with factory leadership and key functions—including Operations, Customer Service, Finance, Procurement, R&D, and Quality—to achieve EMEA supply and availability targets.
• Analyse daily and weekly JDA reports to raise orders, optimise material availability, managing actions such as Push/Pull/Cancel, exception constraints and past‑due items.
• Maintain and distribute a daily Material Issues Tracker to the wider Product Supply Team, highlighting and escalating issues beyond team control (e.g., supply disruptions, vendor non‑conformance, quality concerns).
• Manage materials through the product life cycle to eliminate potential waste.
• Provide weekly updates on material availability for upcoming product launches and trials, ensuring timely communication of risks or delays to Product Supply and Innovation teams.
• Work closely with Procurement and Materials Supply Managers to align sourcing plans with contracted volumes and validate inbound deliveries, reducing excess or aged inventory and ensuring production readiness.
• Coordinate with Site Quality teams to understand Quality Inspection lead times and resolve supplier‑related quality concerns promptly.
• Run and share weekly supplier order confirmation updates, updating SAP accordingly and managing the Order Confirmation mailbox to reflect daily changes.
• Monitor and resolve SAP scanning issues on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to maintain data integrity.
• Generate and distribute weekly relevant KPI reports.
• Update and maintain Inventory Health reports and VMI tracking.
• Investigate and resolve invoice discrepancies, maintaining accurate financial records and supplier relationships and helping manage the Livlog and GRIR reports.
• Contribute to JDA system development to drive continuous improvement in planning processes.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers, monitor and manage supplier performance particularly those not meeting OTIF (On‑Time In‑Full) delivery standards.
• Provide cross‑training and holiday cover for the factory planning team as required.

Qualifications

• Degree in Business, Manufacturing or Supply related discipline and/or minimum 2 years experience in a related field.
• Advanced proficiency in planning systems (e.g., JDA & SAP).
• Strong numerical and data interpretation skills.
• Strong IT skills.
• Builds collaborative relationships with suppliers and internal teams.
• Communicates effectively with all stakeholders.
• Builds trust and maintains positive relationships across departments.
• Demonstrates proactive engagement and problem‑solving in cross‑functional settings.
• Analytical and numerical thinking and attention to detail.
• Takes initiative to identify trends and recommend corrective actions.
• Effective time management and prioritisation.
• Negotiation and influencing skills.
• Demonstrates commercial awareness and cost optimisation mindset.
• Demonstrates persistence and professionalism in challenging situations.

Work Arrangement

The opportunity will be based in Middlesbrough with hybrid working arrangements available, which allows you greater choice in how you work and live, giving you a better work‑life balance.

Benefits

The opportunity to develop your career on a global stage, continuous learning through an on‑demand learning platform, and a competitive compensation package including staff discounts, generous family leave policy, health & dental plan, competitive salary, and 401(k).

Equal Opportunity Employment

We will give your application consideration, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.