Lead, Workforce Planning & Forecasting – Contact Center

Marks and Spencer plc (UK); Salford; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20% discount for colleagues

Discretionary bonus schemes

Defined Contribution Pension

Life Assurance

Wellbeing support

Volunteer day

Job summary

Marks & Spencer plc in Salford seeks a highly analytical WFM leader to drive demand forecasting, capacity planning and scheduling for our contact centre operations. You will build and continuously improve workforce plans, align resources with service levels, and monitor performance against targets.

You will partner with customers services and third‑party partners to optimise productivity, implement real-time adjustments and ensure robust business continuity.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading workforce planning, forecasting, scheduling or WFM in customer service.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision making.
• Proactive planner balancing short-term needs with long-term capacity.
• Influential stakeholder management across functions and partners.
• Excellent communication of complex data to insights and action.

Responsibilities

• Lead demand forecasting, capacity planning and resource management across in-house and outsourced contact centre operations.
• Create, maintain and continuously improve workforce plans, including recruitment, training and long-term capacity plans, with forecast performance analysis.
• Oversee workforce management and scheduling, ensuring resources are planned effectively, schedules are optimised and adherence/shrinkage monitored.
• Lead real-time service delivery, monitor intra-day performance, adjust resources, and provide data-driven insights for performance management.
• Manage activity planning and business continuity, ensuring all customer service activities are effectively sequenced and delivered.

Skills

Forecasting

Capacity planning

Workforce management

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Communication

Job description

Marks & Spencer plc in Salford seeks a highly analytical WFM leader to drive demand forecasting, capacity planning and scheduling for our contact centre operations. You will build and continuously improve workforce plans, align resources with service levels, and monitor performance against targets.

You will partner with customers services and third‑party partners to optimise productivity, implement real-time adjustments and ensure robust business continuity.