Material Planner

Whyte & Mackay; Grangemouth; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Whyte & Mackay is seeking a Material Planner to manage the 4–12 week dry materials planning horizon for our Bottling Plant in Grangemouth. You will focus on production continuity, inventory control and proactive risk mitigation, coordinating with SLS and EDC operations and procurement.

You will lead planning governance, RIRO and status management, and drive improvements in material availability with bottling partners, ensuring accurate data and timely decisions to protect service and working

Qualifications

• Strong material planning and planning knowledge in manufacturing or FMCG environments.
• Good understanding of inventory management, working capital, Days of Supply, SLOB, aged stock and obsolescence prevention.
• Ability to interpret demand, supplier commitments, lead times and system alerts into clear planning decisions.
• Experience using ERP or planning systems; SO99+ and Tropos are beneficial.
• Confident analytical capability including root-cause analysis, trend review and KPI interpretation.
• Strong stakeholder management with the ability to influence cross-functional decisions and escalate risks clearly.
• Governance mindset with attention to data quality, process control, auditability and ownership of actions.

Responsibilities

• Own and continuously improve the 4 to 12 week material planning horizon to support production continuity.
• Lead supplier engagement within the 12 week window to align supply with demand and elevate risks early.
• Identify and escalate supply risks with clear recommended actions across expedite, de-expedite, redeployment and mitigation.
• Own planning visibility, governance and control of dry materials at SLS and EDC, balancing service, lead times and working capital.
• Lead actions to reduce Inventory, SLOB, aged stock and obsolescence; provide inventory insight to Procurement.
• Own monthly Material Risk pack and KPI reporting for SLS and EDC dry materials.
• Design and embed improved RIRO and Dry Goods status management; ensure data quality and ownership of actions.
• Represent material planning in S&OP and Supply Review; resolve risks with cross-functional teams.
• Secure dry goods against approved production plans and align with bottling partners; manage WIP disruption.

Skills

Material planning

Inventory management

Data interpretation

ERP planning systems

Analytical capability

Stakeholder management

Data governance

Tools

SO99+

Tropos

Job description

Job Title: Material Planner

Function: Supply Chain

Location: Bottling Plant, South Lumley Street, Grangemouth

Job Level: (Internal Reference Only) 4

Contract: Full Time / Permanent - 35 Hours per week Monday to Friday - Hybrid

Role Reports to: Spirit, Materials & Supply Chain Manager

Date vacancy will close: 23rd August 2026. Where we receive high numbers of applications we may close vacancies early. If you think this is the right opportunity for you please don't delay in applying!

Who we are:

Born in Glasgow, made in Scotland and enjoyed around the world. Whyte and Mackay is home to a collection of multi-award-winning global whisky brands led by The Dalmore, Fettercairn, Jura and Tamnavulin. Our mission is to be a driving force in whisky, renowned for building brands that stand-out. Enabled by our brilliant community of 675 colleagues, reaching across 17 countries and counting. We're led by our values, continuing to grow and invest and looking for great talent to join our brilliant community. Ready to hear more?

What the opportunity looks like

The Material Planner is responsible for the 4 to 12 week material planning horizon, with primary focus on dry materials availability at SLS and EDC, inventory performance and clear planning decisions.

The role uses demand signals, supplier commitments, system alerts and inventory insight to protect production continuity, manage material risks early and convert risk visibility into appropriate expedite, de-expedite, redeployment, mitigation or escalation actions.

Leads material planning reporting and KPI insight for SLS and EDC dry materials, including the monthly Material Risk pack for Procurement.

The role will also implement and lead improved planning processes and ways of working, including RIRO and Finished Goods status management, where these will strengthen inventory control, availability and decision making.

Forward visibility and risk management

• Own and continuously improve the 4 to 12 week material planning horizon, converting forward visibility into timely decisions and controlled actions.

• Lead supplier engagement within the 12 week window to align supply commitments to demand, challenge constraints and elevate risks early to protect production continuity.

• Identify, assess and elevate supply risks, constraints and scenario impacts, with clear recommended actions across expedite, de-expedite, redeployment, mitigation and escalation routes.

Inventory and working capital management

• Own planning visibility, governance and control of dry materials held on site at SLS and EDC, balancing service, lead time and working capital.

• Lead the identification, root-cause analysis and delivery of planning actions to reduce Inventory, SLOB, aged stock and new obsolescence creation.

• Provide Procurement with clear inventory insight, risk analysis and recommended actions to support supplier follow-up and commercial decision making.

KPI ownership, reporting and risk insight

• Own and actively manage material planning KPIs including Days of Supply, SLOB, aged materials, MRA, supplier OTIF and material status governance.

• Own the monthly Material Risk pack for SLS and EDC dry materials, delivering clear analysis and agreed follow-through actions with Procurement.

• Translate data-led insight into clear risk statements, mitigation plans and escalations that protect service, cost and working capital.

Planning Governance, RIRO and Status Management

• Design, implement and embed improved ways of working for NPI RIRO and Dry Goods status management, ensuring these processes strengthen inventory control, availability and decision making.

• Govern Dry Goods status visibility, ensuring blockers, risks and required actions are clear, current and owned by the appropriate stakeholders.

• Act as SO99 key user for Material planning, governing planning parameters, item attributes and system inputs to ensure data is accurate, current and fit for planning decision making.

• Lead SO99 issue resolution and continuous improvement activity, working with Data, Supply Chain and operational stakeholders to improve system use, data quality and planning outputs.

• Drive continuous improvement across planning processes, tools and reporting to improve service, inventory performance, waste reduction and decision quality.

Planning governance and cross-functional engagement

• Represent material planning in Supply Review and S&OP, providing availability, inventory and risk insight that supports business decisions.

• Lead cross-functional resolution of material planning risks with Supply Planning, Production Scheduling, Procurement, Data, NPI and Operations.

Production Continuity & Material Availability at Bottling Partners (CVH)

• Secure dry goods against approved production plans and proactively manage material risks to minimise downtime, last-minute expediting and W/O disruption.

• Lead material availability alignment with bottling partners, ensuring shortages, excesses, variances and corrective actions are visible, owned and closed.

• Govern FG inventory visibility at bottling partners, ensuring stock accuracy, exception management and alignment with central planning decisions.

• Own the weekly stock snapshot process, ensuring shortages, excess stock, variances and corrective actions are identified, governed and followed through to closure.

Skills and experience that will help you be a success

For this role we're looking for:

• Strong material planning, supply planning or production planning knowledge, preferably in a manufacturing, FMCG or drinks environment.

• Good understanding of inventory management, working capital, Days of Supply, SLOB, aged stock, obsolescence prevention and material availability risk.

• Ability to interpret demand, supplier commitments, lead times, MOQ constraints and system alerts, and convert them into clear planning decisions.

• Experience using ERP or planning systems, with SO99+, Tropos or similar systems beneficial.

• Confident analytical capability, including root-cause analysis, trend review, KPI interpretation and clear reporting for decision makers.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to challenge constructively, influence cross-functional decisions and escalade risks clearly.

• Good governance mindset, with attention to data quality, process control, auditability and ownership of agreed actions.

We believe that everyone has the potential for growth in our roles! You may feel you don't tick every box for this role, but if you believe you have relevant experiences that could help you succeed we'd much rather you apply rather than rule yourself out based on any self-limiting beliefs!

Why join us

We offer a competitive salary, bonus package, life assurance, competitive pension, excellent product allowance, 35 days annual leave, plus enhanced family friendly policies. Our Rewards & Benefits page has further information.