Inventory Planner

The Advocate Group; St Albans; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consumer goods firm in St Albans is seeking an experienced Inventory Planner to manage stock integrity and availability in a fast-paced environment. The role requires strong skills in SAP and experience in FMCG or retail. Key responsibilities include managing inventory levels, reporting, and cross-functional collaboration. The ideal candidate is organised, detail-focused, and a confident communicator. This position offers long-term development opportunities within the supply chain.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in FMCG or retail as an Inventory Planner or similar role.
• Strong SAP experience, particularly with MM and APO modules.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage inventory levels across multiple SKUs using SAP.
• Own inventory reconciliation processes, including cycle counts.
• Produce and maintain inventory reports, tracking KPIs.

Skills

Inventory management

SAP experience

Excel skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Are you an experienced Inventory Planner with a strong SAP background, looking to deepen your impact within a fast-paced FMCG or retail environment? This is an opportunity to join a well-established consumer goods business, supporting inventory accuracy, availability, and reporting across a high-volume, multi-SKU operation.

The Company

A highly respected consumer goods organisation operating across the UK and international markets, this business is known for its strong brand portfolio, robust supply chain infrastructure, and commitment to continuous improvement. With a collaborative and commercially minded culture, the company offers long-term development opportunities within supply chain and operations.

The Role

Sitting within the Supply Chain function, the Inventory Planner will play a critical role in managing stock integrity and availability, with a particular focus on SAP driven planning, reconciliation, and performance reporting. You’ll work closely with Operations, Demand Planning, Finance, and Commercial teams to ensure inventory accuracy while balancing service level and working capital targets.

This role is well-suited to someone coming from an FMCG or retail background, comfortable working with complex data, tight timelines, and high stock turnover.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage inventory levels across multiple SKUs and locations using SAP, ensuring availability and service targets are consistently met.
• Own inventory reconciliation processes, including cycle counts, stock adjustments, variance investigation, and month-end close support.
• Produce and maintain inventory reports and dashboards, tracking KPIs such as stock cover, availability, slow-moving and obsolete stock.
• Work closely with Demand Planning to align forecasts, promotions, and replenishment plans.
• Support purchase order planning and stock movements in line with lead times, capacity, and operational constraints.
• Partner with Operations and Finance to resolve discrepancies and improve stock accuracy.
• Identify risks and opportunities within inventory performance, recommending corrective actions where required.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across SAP processes, data accuracy, and reporting standards.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience in an Inventory Planner / Inventory Coordinator / Stock Analyst role within FMCG or retail.
• Strong SAP experience (MM, APO, or similar modules highly desirable).
• Solid experience with inventory reconciliation, reporting, and variance analysis.
• Advanced Excel skills for data analysis and reporting (pivot tables, lookups, etc.).
• Highly organised, detail-focused, and comfortable managing competing priorities.
• Confident communicator with the ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment.

Interested? Click “Apply” or email your CV to

The Advocate Group is a leading recruitment partner to the FMCG and consumer product sectors. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion / belief, sexual orientation, or age.

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