Head of Planning

Head of PlanningWe’re looking for an experienced Head of Planning to become part of our motorsport clients COO’s leadership team, who will be responsible for managing the translation of customer demand into the delivery plan. You will be required to coordinate the activities of the planning team across all products and projects to create and maintain a deliverable production, supply chain and logistics plan that is aligned to the commercial demand and business objectives. This team and role covers both Sales and Operational Planning (S&OP) along with Execution side (S&OE) to ensure timely delivery to the customer.As the company’s planning leader, your primary role is to ensure that the master schedule for each manufacturing plant and the supply is created in a timely manner, communicated effectively, and updated and managed on a fast-paced regular basis. In addition, you are responsible for stock items being manufactured and procured on time alongside the production plan for new product introduction (NPI), to ensure the smooth introduction of new products across multiple phases.Working closely with the commercial, procurement and operations teams you will lead the production and delivery planning function to deliver the business operational and financial objectives. You will also manage the inventory policies to meet both the customer service requirements and the overall business working capital objectives.Day to Day Lead the translation of the commercial demand into a delivery plan.Create and maintain a Master Schedule to operate across the multiple manufacturing plants and supply chain.Translate the master schedule to a dynamic and efficient production schedule through a team of Production Planning Specialists and Embedded Planners, providing clear communication, mentoring and direct coaching in order to create and maintain a high performing team and culture.Provide operational and systems guidance, direction, and leadership within the planning team to ensure a consistent approach to planning activities and the delivery of a coherent production and logistics plan across the business.Lead the planning element of New Product Introduction (NPI) process, evaluating inventory and capacity requirements to ensure a smooth launch in conjunction with the Head of PMO.Manage the ongoing plan for the existing product portfolio lifecycle to meet customer expectations and business objectives, including the evaluation and implementation of ongoing engineering requests.Represent planning within the Xtrac business and the monthly integrated business planning (IBP) cycle.Support business growth by coordinating the aggregated capacity requirements over the rolling 0–24-month horizon.Define, develop and communicate the planning policies.Through the IBP process adopt a proactive and collaborative approach, especially with the planning team, raise constraints/risk and proposing mitigating actions.Methodical approach to ensure tasks are completed with a high degree of accuracy consistently.Ability to work calmly to deadlines with a flexible approach.About You You will have a thorough and in depth understanding of planning principles, ideally supported with a relevant professional qualification.You will have a deep understanding of manufacturing processes and routing (ideally within the metallic precision manufacturing space) and be used to working within an agile, fast paced environment with a strong on-time delivery mindset.You will be an expert communicator and comfortable flexing between layers of management.You will possess excellent leadership and management capability.You will possess a good understanding of ERP principles and be a proficient ERP user (Epicor preferred but not essential).An essential skill is a demonstrated capability to lead, develop and motivate a team.Good knowledge and understanding of metallic precision manufacturing techniques and processes, low volume assembly techniques and how they can be harnessed to deliver an agile, finite capacity based production plan for execution.Familiarity with project management techniques and stage gate processes for the introduction of new engineering and automotive products.Competent user of Microsoft Office suite. (Word / Excel / PowerPoint / Teams).You will have a positive attitude to problem solving and enjoy the analysis of complex scheduling requirements.You will demonstrate excellent organisational and interpersonal skills and be able to take the initiative to ensure goals are met.Role ImpactWorking Relations Expected decision making/problem solving You will be able to build appropriate professional, collaborative, friendly and accessible relationships with your team, peers and line managers. You will be comfortable with both verbal and written communication.You will represent the planning function, interfacing with commercial, finance, project management, engineering and operations colleagues. Some elements of the role will be customer facing.You will be able to use your skills and experience to mentor and develop your team and educate colleagues in the wider planning and business functions.Expected decision making/problem solving You will work to manage the requirements of the Delivery Plan to meet the business objectives, interfacing with senior colleagues from the commercial, finance, planning and operations teams to ensure a coherent approach.You will be able to take the initiative to not only identify risks but also offer solutions. You will be expected to provide robust solutions to achieve the business objectives that are based on demonstrated capacity and supported by the wider supply chain, along with being the process owner (and improver) for planning.Planning You will lead the production and delivery planning and function within the business to ensure there are no operational or capability gaps that limit the ability to deliver. You will manage your own time to ensure that the requirements of the department and business are met.You will be able to work independently and as part of the wider planning function.Other InformationBudgetary Responsibility: Annual headcount, learning & development.Leading People: Team of approximately 12Location: Onsite at Thatcham, UKTravel: Not usually required, occasional UK travel to customers, conferences, industry workshops and suppliers would be likely.Applications:Please apply with updated CV and details of current rate/salary and notice period. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted prior to submission. However please contact Michael Sorfleet if you have any questions.Please note, these positions CANNOT support sponsorshipIf this role is not for you, but you know some who may be interested, please forward this email on to them. We do offer a referral scheme.Arden White is an equal opportunities employer. If you have any specific requirements or require assistance or reasonable adjustments to be made for you during the selection process due to disability or long-term health condition, we will do our best to assist you

Created: 2025-08-01