Rate: £54 per hour via Umbrella (Inside IR35)
Location: Gloucester
Contract Length: 12 Months
Role purpose
We are seeking a Materials Planning Leader who will be responsible for leading the planning function to ensure optimal alignment of demand, capacity, materials, and resources in Dowty business. This role develops and executes planning strategies, drives cross-functional coordination, and delivers reliable plans that support business goals for safety, quality, delivery, and cost. In this role you partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Commercial teams, provide clear data-driven insights to leadership, and drives continuous improvement in planning processes, tools, and capabilities. The ideal candidate combines strong analytical skills, planning expertise, and proven leadership experience in complex, fast-paced environments.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Planning & Governance
Develop and own the end-to-end planning strategy (demand, supply, capacity, inventory) aligned with business objectives.
Establish and maintain planning policies, calendars, and standard work across sites/teams.
Identify planning process gaps and lead improvement projects to enhance accuracy, speed, and reliability.
Operational Planning & Execution
Consolidate and challenge demand forecasts with Commercial, Finance, and Program teams, drive forecast accuracy.
Balance demand with capacity and material availability; develop mid- and long-range capacity plans and scenarios.
Monitor adherence to plan (schedule adherence, on-time start/finish, OTD) and drive corrective actions when deviations occur.
Maintain accurate planning master data in ERP/MRP systems (lead times, lot sizes, safety stocks, routings, BOMs, planning strategies).
Oversee creation and maintenance of master production / project schedules to meet customer requirements.
Run "what-if" analyses and risk assessments to support decision-making on constraints, delays, and changes.
Inventory & Data Management
Optimize inventory (raw, WIP, finished goods) to meet service levels and working capital targets.
Monitor inventory health (excess, obsolete, slow-moving items) and lead recovery and disposition strategies.
Drive data integrity and discipline for item masters, BOMs, routings, and planning attributes.
Develop and maintain planning KPIs and dashboards, providing clear visibility to leadership and driving accountability.
Configuration Control Analyze and execute on configuration control changes made by the Engineering department and plan effectivity dates to optimize inventory strategies
Continuous Improvement
Identify and implement process improvements in planning, scheduling, and materials management using lean and standard problem-solving tools.
Standardize planning processes and standard work, ensuring consistent execution across the team.
Support digital and analytics initiatives to improve forecast accuracy, planning stability, and visibility.
Train and coach cross-functional teams on planning processes, roles, and expectations.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in supply chain, Operations, Business, Engineering, or related field; master's preferred for some roles.
Min 3 years in planning, supply chain, operations, or project management, including leadership responsibility.
Strong experience with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, etc.); proficiency with Excel and analytics/BI tools.
Knowledge of planning best practices, S&OP/IBP, lean/continuous improvement; APICS/CPIM/CSCP a plus.
Key Skills & Competencies
Ability to structure complex plans, manage multiple horizons (short/mid/long-term), and prioritize effectively.
Strong quantitative and problem-solving skills; ability to interpret data and create actionable insights.
Proven ability to lead teams, influence without authority, and drive cross-functional alignment.
Clear, concise written and verbal communication tailored to both operational teams and senior leadership.
Comfortable making informed trade-off decisions (cost, capacity, inventory, delivery) under time pressure.
Skilled at building relationships and managing expectations with internal and external stakeholders.
Track record of improving processes, implementing new tools, and sustaining change.
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Salary description
£50.00 - £54.00 per hour