Lead Consultant, Supply Chain Planning

Vocative Consulting; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Vocative Consulting is seeking a Lead Consultant, Supply Chain Planning to own the successful delivery of software implementations on client sites in the Midlands. You will translate solution designs into practical delivery plans, lead day-to-day client contacts and ensure the solution is adopted and delivering results.

Working with Solution Architects and dedicated project managers, you will guide planning teams through change, apply forecasting, inventory and replenishment expertise, and

Qualifications

• Experience leading or central role in implementing a planning or inventory system.
• Strong planning knowledge across forecasting, inventory and replenishment.
• Ability to advise clients and act as a trusted partner beyond instructions.

Responsibilities

• Leading end-to-end delivery of planning software implementations, keeping projects on time, on budget and within scope.
• Acting as the primary day-to-day contact for clients, building strong relationships with planning, operational and business stakeholders.
• Translating solution designs into detailed delivery plans, in partnership with the Solution Architect.
• Applying your planning knowledge to configure the platform around each client’s forecasting, inventory and replenishment processes.
• Overseeing configuration, testing and deployment, and validating that the solution meets the client’s business requirements.
• Owning change management, training and operational readiness so that end users adopt the solution with confidence.
• Spotting risks, issues and scope changes early, managing them decisively and escalating where needed.
• Leading, coaching and coordinating the consultants on your projects, and working with colleagues across hosting, integrations, installations and support.

Skills

Demand planning

Forecasting

Inventory management

Replenishment

Project management

Stakeholder management

Change management

Tools

RELEX

Blue Yonder

ToolsGroup

Kinaxis

SAP IBP

Job description

Lead Consultant, Supply Chain Planning

Midlands, hybrid

Up to £70,000 with great benefits

Have you lived through a planning system implementation and come out the other side knowing exactly what makes one succeed? Perhaps you were the demand or supply planner who led the rollout at your own business, or the consultant who took a client from kick-off to go-live. Either way, if you understand supply chain planning from the inside and want to help other businesses get it right, we would love to talk to you.

About the company

Our client is an established, award-winning supply chain planning software company with decades of experience helping businesses make better and faster supply chain decisions. Its AI-powered platform brings demand forecasting, inventory optimisation, replenishment, S&OP and integrated business planning together in one solution, used by wholesalers, retailers and manufacturers to cut waste, reduce stock and improve availability.

More than a thousand businesses worldwide rely on the platform, from privately owned companies to household-name retailers, wholesalers and logistics providers. The company is privately owned, operates internationally with a strong UK team, delivers hundreds of projects a year, and has a clear mission to eliminate waste from supply chains.

The role

As Lead Consultant you will own the successful delivery of software implementations on client sites. Working alongside Solution Architects, you will turn the agreed solution design into a practical delivery plan, lead the day-to-day relationship with the client, and make sure the solution is not just switched on but genuinely adopted and delivering results.

You will be the person the client trusts. You will understand their planning challenges, guide their teams through change, and bring the supply chain expertise that turns a software project into better business outcomes. You will be supported by dedicated project managers, so your focus is where it matters most: the consultancy.

What you will be doing

• Leading end-to-end delivery of planning software implementations, keeping projects on time, on budget and within scope.
• Acting as the primary day-to-day contact for clients, building strong relationships with planning, operational and business stakeholders.
• Translating solution designs into detailed delivery plans, in partnership with the Solution Architect.
• Applying your planning knowledge to configure the platform around each client’s forecasting, inventory and replenishment processes.
• Overseeing configuration, testing and deployment, and validating that the solution meets the client’s business requirements.
• Owning change management, training and operational readiness so that end users adopt the solution with confidence.
• Spotting risks, issues and scope changes early, managing them decisively and escalating where needed.
• Leading, coaching and coordinating the consultants on your projects, and working with colleagues across hosting, integrations, installations and support.

What we are looking for

Supply chain planning expertise matters most. Project management support is in place; what cannot be taught is years of real planning experience. You are likely to have:

• Strong hands-on knowledge of demand planning, forecasting, inventory management or replenishment, gained in industry, consultancy or a software vendor.
• Experience leading or playing a central role in the implementation of a planning or inventory system, on platforms such as RELEX, Blue Yonder, ToolsGroup, Kinaxis, SAP IBP or similar.
• The confidence to advise clients, challenge their thinking and act as a trusted partner rather than simply following instructions.
• A practical approach to change management, training and user adoption.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to keep several workstreams moving at once.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain trade-offs clearly to both planners and senior stakeholders.
• We particularly welcome applications from client-side planners who have led a planning system rollout in their own organisation. Some of the company’s best consultants started exactly there, and that first-hand understanding of what a client goes through is invaluable.

Experience of ERP integration (for example SAP, Microsoft Dynamics or Oracle) or a background in wholesale, retail, distribution or manufacturing would be a bonus, but is not essential.

Why join

• Work with a market-leading planning platform trusted by more than a thousand businesses worldwide.
• Focus on the consultancy, with dedicated project managers supporting delivery.
• See the impact of your work directly in clients’ stock levels, availability and waste.
• Join a privately owned, international business with a genuine sustainability mission.
• Benefit from structured product training through the company’s own academy and room to grow your career