Senior Demand Planner – Forecasting & Inventory Optimisation in Ellesmere Port

As the Demand Planner you will take ownership of delivering accurate, insight-driven demand forecasts that support business performance and customer satisfaction. You'll blend data analysis with commercial and market insights to create a trusted single view of demand, working collaboratively across teams to challenge assumptions and respond to change. In this role, you'll help optimise service, cost, and inventory while driving planning stability, strong data discipline, and informed decision-making.

Drive the development of accurate, credible, and fully aligned demand forecasts by translating a wide range of internal and external signals - including historical data, customer demand, commercial insight, and market trends - into a clear, forward-looking plan. This role plays a critical part in ensuring the business operates to a single, trusted view of demand, enabling effective supply planning, production scheduling, and inventory management.

You will lead the end-to-end demand planning cycle, working cross-functionally with sales, commercial, supply chain, and operations teams to challenge assumptions, capture changes in demand, and reduce volatility. Through the application of robust forecasting methods and continuous model improvement, you will enhance forecast accuracy, minimise bias, and support better decision-making.

• Develop and manage accurate short- to medium-term demand forecasts using data, insights, and market intelligence.
• Lead the demand planning cycle, ensuring a single, aligned forecast is communicated across stakeholders.
• Apply and refine forecasting methods to improve accuracy and reduce bias.
• Collaborate with commercial and customer teams to capture demand changes, promotions, and product lifecycle impacts.
• Identify risks, manage demand volatility, and drive actions to protect service, capacity, and inventory.
• Maintain high-quality planning data, systems accuracy, and transparent forecasting assumptions.
• Align closely with supply and production planning to ensure feasible, efficient execution.
• Monitor forecast performance, share insights, and drive continuous improvement in planning processes.

Strong understanding of demand planning principles including forecasting, seasonality, promotions, and lifecycle management. Proven experience producing and managing forecasts within FMCG, manufacturing, or supply chain environments. Ability to lead cross-functional collaboration and align stakeholders to a single, agreed demand plan. Highly analytical, with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to turn data into actionable insights. Experience using ERP/planning systems with a focus on data accuracy and governance. Confident communicator with the ability to influence and challenge across commercial and operational teams. Detail-oriented, with a disciplined approach to data quality, transparency, and audit requirements. Resilient and adaptable, able to thrive in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.

Ideally you will also have:

• Hands-on experience using demand planning tools or ERP systems (ideally MS Dynamics 365, SAP, or similar).
• Background in planning within a fast-paced FMCG or manufacturing environment.
• Experience working within structured planning cycles such as S&OP, S&OE, IBP, or DPS.
• Proven ability to manage promotional forecasting and product lifecycle planning (launches, delists, run-in/run-out).
• Strong Excel and data analysis skills to support forecasting, reporting, and insights.
• Understanding of planning governance, master data management, and audit/quality requirements.
• Professional planning certification (e.g. APICS/ASCM CPIM) or equivalent training is advantageous.

This role operates in a food manufacturing environment with regular time on the factory floor and exposure to noise, dust (grain), moving machinery, temperature variation, and manual handling activities. Flexibility is required to support shift teams, critical incidents, shutdowns, trials, and business needs.

Right to work in the UK: In accordance with Home Office guidance successful candidates will be required to evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. We have assessed this role and do not consider that we would be able to sponsor a successful candidate under the Skilled Worker route as the role does not meet the relevant Home Office criteria; the successful candidate therefore must be able to demonstrate their own right to work during the recruitment process without sponsorship.

Equal Opportunities: We work together as one team. Everyone is welcome here, and we treat each other with fairness, respect, and equality.