Allocations Planner

Co-op; Manchester; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

28 days holiday

Pension with employer contributions

Onsite gym access

Discount on Co-op products

Stream – pay as you earn

Job summary

Co-op seeks an Allocations Planner to join our team, ensuring stock is allocated to independent society partners in the right places, at the right times. You’ll work across multiple product categories, balancing demand, promotions, and ad-hoc needs, while maintaining stock availability and service levels.

The role requires strong admin skills, experience with Excel and MS Access, and ability to build relationships with internal and external partners. Hybrid working in Manchester city centre.

Qualifications

• Strong administrative and organisational skills with good attention to detail.
• Good Excel and MS Access skills and confidence working with data.
• Experience building positive relationships with internal and external partners.
• Good communication skills with the ability to collaborate with others.
• The ability to prioritise workload and manage multiple tasks at the same time.

Responsibilities

• Allocate stock to our independent society partners within agreed timescales, balancing seasonal demand, promotional activity and ad-hoc business requirements, while ensuring compliance with GSCOP
• Work across multiple product categories, applying your knowledge of supply chain and partner processes to optimise allocations, taking into account category-specific requirements such as fresh and ambient products
• Produce timely and accurate information in agreed formats to support forecasting and partner decision‑making
• Build and maintain strong relationships with society and wholesale partners, ensuring queries and issues are resolved promptly and service levels are maintained
• Collaborate with colleagues across supply chain, commercial and operational teams to resolve issues that impact partners and deliver an excellent service experience
• Support promotional activity, ensuring stock volumes are planned effectively and any issues are identified and addressed in a timely manner
• Load allocations for Co‑op to support depot stock clearance activity when required
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and systems

Skills

Administrative skills

Organisational skills

Excel

MS Access

Data handling

Relationship building

Communication skills

Prioritisation

Tools

Excel

MS Access

Job description

Allocations Planner
£26,500 to £30,350 plus great benefits (Work Level 6B)
Manchester city centre (Hybrid) - In this role you’ll work in a hybrid way, splitting your time between home and the office, with at least one day per week in the office

We’re looking for an Allocations Planner to join our team and help make sure our independent society partners have the right stock, in the right places, at the right time. You’ll play a key role in planning and allocating stock across multiple product categories, working closely with partners, and colleagues across our supply chain and commercial teams to maintain stock availability and great service levels.

If you’re highly organised, enjoy building relationships, and have good administration skills, we’d love to hear from you.

Why this role matters

Our independent society partners rely on us to help keep their shelves stocked and their customers served. In this role, you’ll help make sure products are available when and where they’re needed, supporting successful promotions and helping our partners provide a great shopping experience.

What you’ll do

• Allocate stock to our independent society partners within agreed timescales, balancing seasonal demand, promotional activity and ad-hoc business requirements, while ensuring compliance with GSCOP
• Work across multiple product categories, applying your knowledge of supply chain and partner processes to optimise allocations, taking into account category-specific requirements such as fresh and ambient products
• Produce timely and accurate information in agreed formats to support forecasting and partner decision‑making
• Build and maintain strong relationships with society and wholesale partners, ensuring queries and issues are resolved promptly and service levels are maintained
• Collaborate with colleagues across supply chain, commercial and operational teams to resolve issues that impact partners and deliver an excellent service experience
• Support promotional activity, ensuring stock volumes are planned effectively and any issues are identified and addressed in a timely manner
• Load allocations for Co‑op to support depot stock clearance activity when required
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and systems

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

• Strong administrative and organisational skills with good attention to detail
• Good Excel and MS Access skills and confidence working with data
• Experience building positive relationships with internal and external partners
• Good communication skills with the ability to collaborate with others
• The ability to prioritise workload and manage multiple tasks at the same time

Why Co‑op?

At Co‑op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• 30% discount on Co‑op products and 10% off other brands
• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
• 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle‑to‑work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone, and our support centre is an inclusive environment where all our colleagues can thrive.

If you have a disability, we’ll make reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process. We’re also proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme - if you’re disabled and you meet the minimum criteria for this job, we’ll guarantee you an interview.

Learn more about our recruitment process atYour Co‑op Application Journey

Explore our commitments to diversity, inclusion and wellbeing atDiversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing at Co‑op

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co‑op colleague, this does not need to be completed.