Head of Planning

Location: Windsor, UK Job Type: Fulltime, Permanent Company overview En Route International operates globally as part of dnata, one of the world’s largest combined air services providers. With offices in the UK, USA, Australia and UAE, En Route supplies premium baked goods, meals and snacks to the travel industry. We focus on partnering with world-class manufacturers, customising products and packaging to suit individual customer needs while managing a complex supply chain with the highest levels of precision.Job purposeReporting to the Director, Supply Chain, the Head of Planning will be responsible for managing the UK/EU Supply Planning and Global Demand Planning teams. The scope of this role includes the development & leadership of all processes covering demand planning, distribution planning (DRP), inventory strategy & policy and capacity planning (both short term & long term). This person will also play a key role in ongoing maturity development of the business’s S&OP/IBP processes and will lead/facilitate the formal Supply Review meeting for the relevant regions. Planning engagement and support with wider business critical operational/supply resources is also in scope.Key responsibilitiesLead the Supply Planning teams in UK and remotely where appropriate, driving performance to meet and exceed relevant KPI targetsManage the Demand Planning team, supporting the development of global Demand Planning processesAccountable for all Supply Planning (S&OP/IBP) processes aligning the business to deliver the demand planInforming and advising senior management on the future outlook for supply, highlighting issues, risks and opportunities.Responsible for the leadership and development of the relevant Demand & Supply Planning Managers and their teamsLeading the team to develop and execute effective Supply Plans, including all distribution planning activity including the end to end DRP (Distribution Requirements Plan)Responsible for liaising with Product Management teams to support end to end integrated planning and engendering an integrated planning approach with Demand & Supply Planning teamsContinually challenging the planning processes and principles in line with providing the best service and value for our customersAnalyse and report on all key Supply performance statistics and trendsDrive weekly root cause analysis to understand and resolve issuesMaintain stock strategy 'stock/batch level settings across all materials in the network, minimising stock write off risk as well as optimising working capital performanceEngage closely with the Procurement function in order to initiate Supplier Development activities where requiredResponsible for maintaining the Supply Planning system, providing supply plan projections at various levels of aggregation, modelling alternative supply scenarios and cost implicationsManage the lifecycle management process for all productsTake the initiative to identify ways to increase throughput and improve flow throughout the operationDefine and provide the KPIs to inform on the ‘end to end’ health of the overall Supply Planning processEnsure all processes and procedures are both documented and measured for performance, with clear accountabilities in placePerson Specification Knowledge and skills Demonstrable Leadership skills, including management of remote teamsA technical expert who is adept at building, working with, and through the teamSignificant experience of Demand & Supply Planning, planning techniques and Supply Chain strategyExperience in a manufacturing/distribution environment Experienced in the use of using ERP systems as part of driving data driven decision makingExperienced in the use of automated planning toolsEnd to End Supply chain knowledge is desirableSpecific aptitudes / skillsEducated to Degree level preferred

Created: 2025-08-02