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Central Planning Manager - London - up to £70,000 + Car Allow. + Bonus + Ex. Bens - Permanent

Are you a collaborative leader who thrives on aligning strategy, data, and people? Join our client to shape demand planning across a diverse international team.

As the Central Planning Manager, you will oversee all planning activities across European manufacturing sites, ensuring forecasts align with capacity and financial targets. Leading a multi-site team, you'll deliver accurate, data-driven insights and drive the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process. This high-impact role supports key decisions across Sales, Operations, Finance, and the Executive Committee. Success will require inclusive leadership, technical expertise, and a commitment to transparency and collaboration.

Benefits:
Strategic Influence - High-impact role with direct input into executive decisions.
Leadership Autonomy - Lead and shape a multinational planning team.
Inclusive Culture - Work in a collaborative, diverse, and supportive environment.
Career Growth - Access to mentorship, development, and major transformation projects.
Global Scope - Operate across international sites in a stable, growth-focused business.

Responsibilities:
Strategic Planning & Forecasting: Lead demand and supply planning, ensuring an accurate and integrated S&OP and Master Production Schedule (MPS) for all product lines across sites.
Sales Forecast Ownership: Publish monthly sales data and rolling forecasts (3-year view), incorporating risks and opportunities.
Operational Risk Management: Identify and escalate capacity constraints and risks via the Industrial Operations Risk Register and weekly P&L meetings.
Executive Reporting: Present monthly S&OP outcomes, progress updates and forecast variances to the Executive Team.
Cross-Functional Communication: Serve as the planning focal point for senior leaders, providing insight to guide investment and operational decisions.
Leadership: Provide strategic and day-to-day leadership to the planning team. Foster a culture of excellence, inclusion, development, and collaboration.
Process Improvement & Systems: Drive standardisation, automation (RPA, AI), and optimisation of planning processes. Shape the long-term vision of the planning function, including ERP upgrade preparation.
Cross-Site Coordination: Align planning cycles across factories, integrating commercial inputs, sales forecasts, and capacity plans.
Performance Reporting: Monitor and analyse key performance metrics including factory utilisation, headcount alignment, and OP performance.

Requirements:
Essential

Level 7 qualification in Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field.
Significant experience in demand/supply planning or high-level project management in a manufacturing or engineering context.
Expertise in S&OP processes and scenario planning.
Proficiency in planning software and tools (SAP, Ortems, Tableau, Excel).
Experience leading multi-site, international teams.
Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
Highly organised, adaptable, and analytically strong.
Basic grasp of French
Full right to work in the UK.
Desirable

Fluency in French (preferred but not essential).
Familiarity with financial reporting and forecasting.
Exposure to Lean, Six Sigma, or CI methodologies.
How to apply:
To apply for this excellent opportunity, please send your CV or contact Rob Hutchings at (phone number removed)