Material Planner

Wasabi Sushi and Bento; Greater London; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free Sushi or hot food

50% discount in our Branches

Employee Assistance Programme

Long Service Awards

Cycle To Work

Free on-site parking

Job summary

Wasabi Sushi and Bento in Park Royal is seeking a Material Planner to ensure the right materials — raw materials, components and packaging — are available for production and restaurant needs, without overstocking or delays.

You will develop material requirements from demand forecasts and production schedules, raise purchase orders, monitor inventory, mitigate supply risks, and work closely with Production, Planning, Procurement, NPD, Technical and Warehouse teams to optimise planning processes

Qualifications

• Proven experience of Material Planner supply planning or production planning in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.
• Understanding of production scheduling, manufacturing constraints and supply chain planning principles.
• Proficiency in material planning tools (ERP / MRP).
• High level of accuracy with strong planning, organisational and administrative skills.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills, with Excel proficiency.
• Proactive problem solving and excellent communication skills.
• Experience planning in chilled, short shelf life (SSL) food manufacturing is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop material requirements based on demand forecast and production schedules.
• Raise purchase orders and ensure materials available when needed.
• Respond quickly to changes in demand and schedules to align with priorities.
• Collaborate with warehouse teams to report and improve inventory accuracy.
• Identify and mitigate material supply risks to minimise production impact.
• Monitor planning KPIs such as availability and stockholding.
• Support Demand Planning and Material Manager with delists and new listings.
• Collaborate with Production, Planning, Procurement, NPD, Technical and Warehouse teams.

Skills

Material planning

ERP / MRP

Excel

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Tools

ERP / MRP systems

Excel (Advanced)

Job description

Founded in 2003 Wasabi's vision is to lovingly create and serve delicious Asian food for a busy nation.

Wasabi now has 42 thriving restaurants across London and major UK cities and 4 in New York and in 2019, we introduced Wasabi Home Ben to the grocery channel , launch ing exclusively in Sainsbury’s. Building on that success, the grocery business broadened its reach to Tesco in September 2022, followed by exciting launches in Co-op and Morrisons in 2024. Wasabi grocery has seen phenomenal growth and is now a £62m RSV brand. Wasabi proudly stands as the No. 2 chilled ready-meal brand in the market , consistently attracting new customers to the category through an innovative East Asian range.

Wasabi’s menu is celebrated for its unique character, exceptional freshness, and bold flavours. Our diverse range is designed to delight a wide audience, delivering both comfort and excitement with every bite.

We have an ambitious 5-year growth strategy, focusing on new restaurants, franchise partnerships, and international expansion.

As we embark on our next phase of growth and innovation, we’re thrilled to offer an exciting opportunity for aMaterial Plannerto join our Procurement team based inPark Royal.

The Role:

Responsible for ensuring that the right materials (raw materials, components, packaging) are available for production and restaurants when needed, without overstocking or causing delays due to shortages.

Key responsibilities:

Material Planning:

• Develop material requirements based on the demand forecast and production schedules, raising purchase orders, ensuring all required materials are available in the right quantity at the right time.
• Respond rapidly to changes in demand, production schedules and customer requirements, ensuring material plans remain aligned to operational priorities.
• Supplier forecasts to be shared with suppliers in regular manner. To be a first point of contact for suppliers in terms of daily deliveries and queries.
• Warehouse capacity.

Inventory reporting:

• Work closely with warehouse teams to collate and consolidate data, running reports when required.
• Support with improvement of inventory accuracy and investigations into inventory discrepancies.

Supply risk mitigation:

• Identify, assess and communicate material supply risks in a timely manner, escalating issues with clear mitigation plans to minimise impact on production and customer service.
• Identify opportunities to reduce material waste by optimizing ordering processes, reducing surplus, and improving material handling practices.

KPI Ownership:

• Monitor and report key planning KPIs including material availability, inventory levels, supplier service, write-offs and stockholding.

Support Demand Planning and Material Manager

• Manage any material delists, changeover and new product listings.

Cross Functional Working

• Collaborate closely with Production, Planning, Procurement, NPD, Technical, and Warehouse teams to support operational and business objectives.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning processes, system utilisation, data quality and supplier collaboration to enhance supply chain performance

Environment, Social, Governance (ESG)

• Support site ESG agenda ensuring commitments are delivered across areas of responsibility.
• Weekly meetings with suppliers to ensure timely delivery of materials, managing lead times, supplier production plans and minimum order quantities.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed service, lead time and delivery metrics, challenging underperformance and supporting corrective actions where required.

Inventory Control:

Maintain end-to-end visibility of material availability and take ownership of resolving potential shortages before they impact production or overstocking impacting Warehouse

Our requirements:

Proven experience of Material Planner supply planning or production planning in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.

Understanding of production scheduling, manufacturing constraints and supply chain planning principles.

Proficiency in material planning tools (ERP / MRP)

H igh level of accuracy and attention to detail, supported by strong planning, organisational, and administrative skills.

Strong analytical and numerical skills, with advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.

Proactive approach to problem solving.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Planning experience in chilled, short shelf life (SSL) food manufacturing environment is desirable

• A great working environment
• Refer A Friend Scheme
• Free Sushi or hot food (vegan options available)
• 50% discount in our Branches
• Employee Assistant Programme
• Long Service Awards
• Wagestream - a financial wellbeing benefit that lets you access your pay as you earn it in real time and manage savings
• Life Assurance
• Electric Vehicle Scheme through Octapus
• Cycle To Work
• Free on-site parking
• A variety of discounts (shopping, food & drink, entertainment and health & fitness) through Perkbox and
• The opportunity to develop your skills within a growing company.

Our people make us who we are.