Planning Manager

First Base; Bridgwater; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A renowned manufacturing company in Bridgwater is seeking a Planning Manager to join its operations leadership team. This key role focuses on aligning commercial demand with production capabilities while developing a dedicated planning team. Candidates should have experience in manufacturing planning, strong leadership and communication skills, and confidence in using ERP systems. This is an opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment and make a significant impact.

Qualifications

• Experience in planning within a manufacturing environment.
• Proven leadership or supervisory experience.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of planners, managing workloads and performance.
• Act as a key interface between customer-facing teams and operations.
• Ensure accurate processing of commercial enquiries through ERP.

Skills

Planning within manufacturing

Leadership experience

Stakeholder management

Strong communication skills

Analytical skills

ERP and Microsoft Office

Tools

ERP systems (e.g. SAP)

Job description

Planning Manager 6706

Location: Bridgwater

Salary: Competitive (DOE)

Hours: 08:00-16:30 Mon-Thu, 08:00-13:00 Fri

Job Description

An established and highly regarded manufacturing business is seeking a Planning Manager to join its operations leadership team at its Bridgwater site. This is a key role within the wider operations function, responsible for bridging commercial demand with production capability while leading and developing a dedicated planning team.

You’ll play a central role in external collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and production planning, ensuring orders flow smoothly through the business and customers receive a consistently high level of service. If you thrive in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment and enjoy combining people leadership with operational problem‑solving, this role offers genuine scope to make an impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading and developing a team of MPS Planners, managing workloads, performance, and development.
• Acting as a key interface between customer‑facing teams, supply chain, and site operations.
• Ensuring accurate and timely processing of commercial enquiries and customer orders through the ERP system.
• Identifying capacity constraints, supply risks, and potential delivery issues, providing early visibility to stakeholders.
• Supporting production teams with order release, expediting, and demand prioritisation.
• Monitoring on‑time delivery, backlog, arrears, and lead times, driving continuous improvement.
• Overseeing freight forwarder performance and cost control.
• Maintaining accurate documentation and records to meet audit and compliance requirements.
• Contributing to operational excellence and process improvement initiatives across the site.

Key Skills

• Experience in planning within manufacturing.
• Proven leadership or supervisory experience.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence and negotiate.
• A solid understanding of production processes, order flow, and dispatch activities.
• Strong analytical skills and a high level of attention to detail.
• Confidence working with ERP systems and Microsoft Office (SAP or similar systems desirable)