Job Title: Supply Chain Planning Manager
Reports To: Head of Operations
Department: Supply Chain Planning
Location: Birmingham
Position Overview:
We are seeking an experienced and proactive Supply Chain Planning Manager to take ownership of demand planning, materials coordination, and order management within a busy manufacturing environment. This position is instrumental in aligning production schedules with customer expectations, optimising stock levels, and enhancing overall planning efficiency. You'll lead a dedicated team, work cross-functionally across departments, and liaise with key customers and suppliers to maintain a high-performance supply chain.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead and coordinate the planning team to ensure production schedules align with customer demand, achieving delivery performance targets and internal KPIs.
- Produce forward-looking forecasts to help guide inventory planning and temporary staffing needs.
- Oversee product phase-outs and manage stock run-down strategies in line with simplification or product lifecycle plans.
- Maintain optimal levels of finished goods and component inventory to balance availability with stock holding efficiency.
- Ensure smooth implementation of product models into the production system, from specification setup through to sample approval and release.
- Administer engineering change processes to minimise disruption, control obsolescence, and maintain configuration accuracy.
- Support product development launches with detailed build strategies, including initial pilot and pre-launch volume plans.
- Monitor ageing stock and categorise risk-based items, proactively reducing excess or slow-moving inventory.
- Work closely with the commercial team to provide accurate timelines and manage expectations around availability and delivery.
- Drive improvements in planning and procurement processes to increase reliability, agility, and responsiveness.
- Identify opportunities to introduce lean inventory systems such as Kanban, and other efficiency-enabling tools.
- Build and maintain supplier relationships to ensure component continuity and rapid response to demand shifts.
- Sign off production schedules and escalate capacity concerns across bottleneck areas to operational leadership.
- Develop pre-production strategies (including ABC builds) to support labour utilisation and readiness.
- Conduct regular reviews and development conversations with the planning and procurement teams to support growth and performance.
- Collaborate with sales and operations on delivery performance reviews and lead continuous improvement initiatives.
- Ensure compliance with all health and safety requirements and delegate responsibilities appropriately.
- Attend regular meetings with major clients to review forecasts, availability, promotional volumes, and product changes.
Experience & Qualifications:
- Proven strong track record in a senior planning or supply chain leadership role within a manufacturing setting.
- Track record of successfully managing inventory, meeting delivery targets, and leading teams.
- Analytical mindset with a solutions-focused approach.
- Good experience of working with & improving MRP systems
- Track record of delivering continuous improvement within the supply chain