Planning Manager

Planning Manager- £55,000, Rotherham

We are working with a well-established and internationally recognised manufacturing business in Rotherham to recruit a Planning Manager. This is a key role within the business, responsible for leading the planning function and ensuring customer demand, manufacturing capability, material availability and inventory strategy are effectively aligned.
Reporting into the Operations Manager, you will lead a team of three across planning, materials planning and planning administration, whilst working closely with Operations, Customer Service, Procurement, Sales and Finance. The role will suit an experienced manufacturing planning professional who combines strong leadership skills with a hands-on, analytical and commercially focused approach.

Package & Benefits:

Circa £55,000 salary, dependent on experience
Contractual bonus
Flexible working around core hours
Core working hours of approximately 8:30am – 5:30pm
Flexitime available, with core availability between 10am – 3pm
Opportunity to join a well-established international manufacturing organisation
Significant responsibility within a key business function
Opportunities to contribute to wider UK and group supply chain initiatives
Key Responsibilities:

Lead and develop the site's planning function and a team of three
Own the end-to-end production planning and scheduling process
Develop and execute the master production schedule
Translate customer demand into achievable manufacturing plans
Ensure production schedules align with labour, machinery and material availability
Monitor schedule adherence and identify opportunities for improvement
Manage changes in customer demand and adjust plans to maintain customer commitments
Lead and support the site's Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process
Facilitate regular demand and supply reviews with key stakeholders
Balance customer demand with manufacturing capacity
Identify production bottlenecks and resource constraints and develop mitigation plans
Conduct short, medium and long-term capacity planning
Work closely with Operations to maximise throughput and operational effectiveness
Ensure material availability to support production schedules
Work closely with Procurement to resolve supply risks and shortages
Support inventory review activity
Drive customer On-Time Delivery (OTD) performance
Manage critical customer priorities and expedite requirements where necessary
Coordinate recovery plans where delivery performance is at risk
Own planning master data within the ERP system
Maintain planning parameters, routings, lead times and capacity data
Develop and improve planning dashboards, metrics and reports
Drive data accuracy and integrity across planning systems
Lead continuous improvement initiatives across planning and supply chain processes
Support digitalisation and automation projects
Build strong working relationships across Operations, Production, Customer Service, Sales, Procurement, Quality, Engineering, Finance and HR
Support wider UK and group supply chain initiatives where requiredAbout You:

We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Planning Manager with a strong background within a manufacturing environment. You'll be comfortable leading a planning function while remaining close to the operational detail, using data and analysis to make informed decisions and improve performance.

You'll ideally have:

Previous experience within a manufacturing planning environment
At least 5 years' experience across production planning, scheduling or supply chain
Previous experience leading planning, scheduling or supply chain activities
Strong knowledge of production planning, capacity planning and inventory management
Good understanding of Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)
Experience working with MRP/ERP systems
Strong understanding of manufacturing operations
Previous people management or team leadership experience
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Excellent planning and organisational abilities
Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
The ability to influence decision-making at all levels
Strong numerical and data interpretation capabilities
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
A continuous improvement mindset
The ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities
A degree in Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, Engineering or a related discipline would be advantageous, although equivalent relevant industry experience will be considered.
Experience with SAP, APICS/ASCM qualifications such as CPIM or CSCP, or experience within aerospace, engineering or advanced manufacturing would also be beneficial.

If you are interested in finding out more about this Planning Manager opportunity, please click 'apply now'.
Chase & Holland acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and an employment business for the supply of temporary workers. We specialise in finance, supply chain, HR, IT and office support recruitment and comfortably service Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and Lincolnshire