Despatch Planner

DS Smith Europe; Smethwick; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Pension scheme

Life assurance and income protection

Employee Assistance Programme

Employee Discounts

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

DS Smith in Birmingham (Smethwick) is seeking a proactive Despatch Planner to manage the daily production schedule and UK transport plan. You will own route optimisation, load utilisation, and vehicle allocation across supplier and customer networks to drive on-time, in-full deliveries.

You will liaise between on-site manufacturing teams and external transport partners, balance workloads, and identify improvements to reduce bottlenecks and waste while delivering world-class service.

Qualifications

• Experience in transport planning, despatch, or logistics within manufacturing or FMCG.
• Strong understanding of vehicle capacities, load planning and route optimisation.
• Proven problem‑solving skills when handling early‑morning volume peaks.
• Clear and effective communicator, liaising with site teams and external hauliers.
• Attention to detail for paperwork, scheduling and transport compliance.

Responsibilities

• Plan daily production schedule and UK transport plan.
• Own route optimisation, load utilisation and vehicle allocation across networks.
• Balance workloads and manage early‑morning peaks under pressure.
• Liaise between on‑site manufacturing teams and external transport partners.
• Identify continuous improvements to reduce bottlenecks and waste and improve OTIF.

Skills

Transport planning

Despatch

Logistics

Route optimisation

Problem-solving

Communication

Attention to detail

Job description

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for a proactive and detail-driven individual to join us as a Despatch Planner at our Birmingham (Smethwick) operational hub. This is a key position within our logistics and supply chain operations during an exciting period of modernisation, following the implementation of our new scanning systems, and a fantastic opportunity to be part of a high-performing site team!

Working closely with the Despatch Team Leader, Production, and Customer Services teams, you will use your planning expertise and problem-solving skills to manage the daily production schedule and UK-wide transport plan. This is a fast-paced, hands-on role where you will take ownership of route optimisation, load utilisation, and vehicle allocation across our supplier and customer delivery networks to drive on-time, in-full (OTIF) delivery.

As a confident communicator and natural organiser, you will thrive on liaising between on-site manufacturing teams and external transport partners to ensure smooth inbound and outbound goods flow. You will balance daily operational workloads, proactively manage early-morning volume peaks, and identify continuous improvement opportunities to eliminate bottlenecks, reduce waste, and deliver world-class service to our customers.

So, if you have experience in transport planning or logistics, have the energy and tenacity to thrive in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, and are eager for a new challenge — then we might be looking for you!

About you

• Background in transport planning, despatch, or logistics, ideally within manufacturing or FMCG


• Strong understanding of vehicle capacities, load planning, and route optimisation


• Proven problem-solving skills with the ability to manage early-morning volume peaks under pressure


• Clear and effective communicator, confident liaising across site teams and external hauliers


• Attention to detail regarding paperwork, system scheduling, and transport compliance

Benefits

• Competitive salary


• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays


• Pension scheme, life assurance and income protection


• Employee Assistance Programme


• Employee Discounts


• Cycle to work scheme

Location

This is an on-site role based in our site in Birmingham with the working hours; Monday to Thursday 08:00 – 16:00 & Friday 08:00 – 15:00.

About us

We are DS Smith, together with International Paper, we are a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions and other fibre-based products.We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. We employ more than 65,000 colleagues in North America and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), who are experts in innovation,manufacturing, design, sales, sustainability, supply chain, and much more. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Become part of a world-leading organisation and do your best work with us!

Fair recruitment at DS Smith

To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria.

As a Safety‑first employer, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards across our operations. Our approach to safety means going beyond minimum legal requirements and focuses on continuously elevating how we work safely - every day, at every level. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a brief safety questionnaire as part of the selection process. This helps us ensure that everyone who joins our team shares our focus and commitment to design, operate and maintain injury-free workplaces for our employees and everyone who enters our facilities.