Purchasing & Planning Manager

Purchasing & Planning Manager
📍 Hailsham, East Sussex UK

PLEASE ONLY APPLY FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU HAVE FULL RIGHT TO WORK STATUS IN THE UK, AS OUR CLIENT IS UNABLE TO OFFER SPONSORSHIP. 

We are working on behalf of our client, an innovative and fast-growing advanced manufacturing business, to recruit a Purchasing & Planning Manager.

This is a key leadership role within the organisation, offering the opportunity to shape and optimise purchasing, production planning, and scheduling functions in a high-complexity, low-volume manufacturing environment.

The Role

As Purchasing & Planning Manager, you will lead and develop a multi-disciplinary team while driving operational excellence across the supply chain and production planning functions.

You will play a pivotal role in ensuring on-time delivery, improving supplier performance, and implementing scalable processes to support continued growth.

Key responsibilities include:

Leadership & Team Development

Leading a team of 4 professionals, driving performance, accountability, and engagement
Providing clear, hands-on leadership alongside strategic direction
Fostering a culture of ownership, transparency, and continuous improvement Operational Delivery

Achieving and sustaining 95% On-Time Delivery (OTD) to customers
Driving supplier performance to achieve 95% OTD from the supply base Continuous Improvement & Scalability

Developing and implementing scalable systems and processes to support business growth
Identifying inefficiencies and leading improvement initiatives
Embedding best practices across planning and purchasing activities Cross-Functional Collaboration

Working closely with Production, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Sales teams
Ensuring alignment across departments to support customer satisfaction and operational success Strategic Contribution

Providing commercial insight and operational expertise to support strategic decision-making
Contributing to the ongoing development and expansion of the business
Occasional travel to client or supplier sites as required (expenses covered)
About You

We are looking for an experienced and driven leader with a strong background in purchasing and production planning within advanced manufacturing.
You will bring:

At least 10 years’ experience in purchasing and planning within a low-volume, high-complexity environment
A minimum of 5 years in a leadership or management role
A proven track record of improving planning, scheduling, and supply chain performance
Strong understanding of production planning methodologies and purchasing processes
The ability to operate both strategically and hands-on in a fast-paced environment
Desirable Experience

Exposure to advanced manufacturing technologies or highly engineered products
Qualifications

Degree qualified or equivalent experience
Personal Attributes

Confident communicator with strong leadership presence
High energy, resilient, and adaptable
Results-driven with a focus on continuous improvement
Analytical and structured, with strong planning and prioritisation skills
Why Apply?

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing, innovation-led business where you can make a real impact. You’ll play a central role in shaping operational performance and supporting the next phase of growth within a dynamic and technically advanced environment