Head of Production Planning

Europe Snacks UK; England; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food production company in the United Kingdom is seeking an experienced Production Planner to manage the production planning processes and lead a team of planners. The role involves collaborating with various departments to optimize production efficiency and ensure product availability. Candidates should have a solid background in production planning, experience with ERP systems such as SAGE X3, and strong leadership skills. This position offers opportunities for professional growth and the chance to make a significant impact within the organization.

Responsibilities

• Own the production planning processes & systems.
• Act as integration point for supply chain and manufacturing.
• Set and publish key performance metrics.
• Manage and develop a team of production planners.
• Collaborate with procurement to maintain daily operations.
• Provide data-driven feedback to Customer Services.
• Drive integration of Europe Snacks processes.
• Utilise and improve existing ERP/MRP systems.
• Support inventory checks and reporting processes.
• Project inventory levels adjusting plans.
• Lead cross-functional meetings.
• Set up processes for inter-site transfers.
• Ensure team training and sufficient cover.
• Develop tracking and forecasting of commodities usage.
• Ensure compliance with local requirements.

Skills

Production planning experience

Good communication

Team leadership

Interpersonal skills

Commercial awareness

Analytical skills

Detail-oriented

Ability to work under pressure

Trend identification

Organizational skills

Education

7 years of relevant experience

5 years of planning/scheduling team management experience

Experience with ERP/MRP systems (SAGE X3, SAP, Oracle)

Degree in related field (preferred)

Tools

SAGE X3

SAP

Oracle

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Own the UK production planning processes & systems, delivering optimised daily, weekly, and monthly supply schedules based on demand, projects, capacity constraints and KPI targets
• Act as key integration point between supply chain, manufacturing and technical teams to ensure exceptional product availability for customer order fulfilment, whilst minimising downtime, costs from inefficient processes and slow‑moving / obsolete products
• Set, monitor and publish key metrics on performance such as DoI, plan stability & adherence, resource utilisation and output efficiency to identify trends, optimise processes and workloads
• Manage, motivate, set objectives and develop a team of five production planners supporting alignment and delivery of Group & UK targets on a local operations execution level
• Collaborate closely with procurement and UK sites to maintain continuity of daily operations and contractual alignment on key commodities such as oils & potatoes
• Provide prompt and data‑driven feedback to Customer Services on potential risks, root cause analysis, and corrective actions supporting the customer OTIF (On‑Time In‑Full) reporting. Actively propose improvements and offer solutions to mitigate risks.
• Act as a point of escalation to immediately address any plan failings or anticipated risks to service
• Drive the integration and adoption of Europe Snacks processes, systems and ways of working
• Utilise and improve existing ERP / MRP / MPS / reporting and scheduling systems (e.g. SAGE X3) and regularly audit all planning data, including master data, for accuracy and compliance
• Support inventory checks and month / year‑end reporting processes
• Project inventory levels adjusting plans with make‑to‑order and make‑to‑stock models to achieve optimal stocks
• Lead and participate in cross‑functional meetings to align on priorities, resolve issues, and improve service levels
• Set up processes for products sourced or transferred inter‑site within the group so they are planned, plans are communicated and executed with sufficient lead times to achieve successful customer fulfilment
• Ensure team members are appropriately trained and organised to provide sufficient cover across UK sites
• Develop the tracking and forecasting of commodities usage & PPV, publishing analysis to ExCo, S&OP and other stakeholders
• Ensure compliance across all areas of responsibility in line with ES values, industry best practice and local statutory requirements

Skills

• Proven experience in production planning of a multi‑line manufacturing operation within the food or beverages industry
• Good communicator with the ability to form and maintain good relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to lead, develop and motivate a small multi‑site team
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation and influencing skills
• Commercial and financial awareness with an understanding of the supply chain and manufacturing workflows’ impact on business
• Strong analytical, planning and problem‑solving skills
• Detail‑conscious and numerically accurate
• The ability to remain calm under pressure, prioritise workloads and deliver to tight deadlines
• Ability to identify trends and draw actionable insights from data sets
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Excellent organisational skills

Qualifications

• 7 years of relevant experience using MRP / MPS or other production planning systems
• Minimum 5 years of planning / scheduling team management experience
• Experience in ERP / MRP (SAGE X3, SAP, Oracle or similar) essential
• Experience with production scheduling software preferred
• A degree in a related field is preferred but not essential