Central Planning Manager

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 02392 314679.