Customer Engagement Demand Planner

Manpower 2Sisters; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A large food manufacturing company in the UK is seeking a Customer Engagement Demand Planner. This role involves managing customer forecasts, collaborating with major grocery retailers, and improving supply chain performance. Candidates should have proven experience in demand planning, excellent communication skills, and a passion for analytical problem-solving. This position offers a competitive salary and flexible working arrangements with travel to the Manchester head office.

Benefits

Refer a friend scheme

Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle2Work Scheme

50% discount at selected restaurants

Qualifications

• Proven experience in demand planning, ideally within fresh food categories.
• Ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
• Confident presenting insights and influencing stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage customer forecast, ensuring alignment with internal teams.
• Collaborate on monthly and quarterly forecast reviews.
• Analyse lost sales and forecast accuracy for improvement.

Skills

Demand planning experience within FMCG or food manufacturing

Strong retailer experience

Excellent communication and presentation skills

Strong analytical skills and Excel proficiency

Highly organised

Job description

Customer Engagement Demand Planner

Location: Flexible - with travel to Manchester and Birmingham 2 x per week

Working Hours: Monday - Friday, Hybrid working (travel to Head Office and Customer when required.)

Salary: Competitive + Benefits

About Us

Join 2 Sisters Food Group, one of the UK's largest food manufacturers, with an annual turnover exceeding £3 billion and approximately 13,000 employees across 16 sites. We have a strong presence in poultry, chilled, and bakery food categories. We are committed to delivering high-quality products to the British public and our retail and food service customers, including major retailers like Aldi, Asda, Co‑op, KFC, Lidl, Marks & Spen…

About the Role

We're looking for a proactive and customer-focused Demand Planner to join our team within our UK Poultry sector of the business. You'll play a key role in driving forecast accuracy, customer collaboration, and supply efficiency across our poultry sites. Acting as a key liaison between our business and the customer, you'll ensure seamless visibility of production needs, support business growth, and enhance service levels.

This position is ideal for an experienced Demand Planner who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys engaging directly with customers, and has a passion for improving forecasting and supply chain performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and manage the customer forecast for Co‑op and Costco, ensuring alignment between internal teams and customer demand
• Collaborate closely with Co‑op on monthly and quarterly forecast reviews to drive joint business planning
• Provide clear visibility to production sites on forecasted volumes to maximise sales and minimise waste
• Analyse lost sales, waste, and forecast accuracy to identify areas for improvement
• Engage cross‑functionally with Commercial, Supply Chain, and Operations teams to ensure strong service performance
• Provide regular reporting, insight, and strategic input into the category and customer performance

About You

You'll be an analytical and commercially minded professional who enjoys working with data, solving problems, and engaging directly with customers. You'll bring proven experience in demand planning, ideally within fresh food or short shelf‑life categories, and have a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities of working with major retailers.

You'll also be confident presenting insights and influencing both internal and external stakeholders to drive effective business outcomes.

Key Skills & Experience

Essential:

• Previous demand planning experience within FMCG or food manufacturing
• Strong retailer experience, ideally with a major grocery account
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage competing priorities
• Strong analytical skills and Excel proficiency

Desirable:

• Experience within fresh food categories (e.g. chilled, poultry, produce)

Benefits

• Refer a friend scheme
• Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme and Grocery Aid – free and confidential support 365 days a year
• Boparan Restaurant Group Discount – 50% discount for friends and family at Giraffe World Kitchen, Harry Ramsden, Ed's Easy Diner, and Burger & Cocktails
• Cycle2Work Scheme

Why Join Us?

As one of the UK's largest food manufacturers, we provide ample opportunities for career growth and skill development. We emphasise promoting from within, ensuring you can build a rewarding career with us.