Sales Forecast & Operations Planning Manager (m/f/d)

Confidential Careers; Andover; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Attractive remuneration package

30 days holiday

Flexible working hours

Company pension scheme

Further training opportunities

Health management offers

Job summary

A leading manufacturing firm in the United Kingdom is seeking a highly analytical and strategic SF&OP Manager to lead the Sales Forecast & Operations Planning process. You will be responsible for managing all sales forecasting activities and acting as a liaison between various teams to ensure accurate demand forecasts. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain or a related field along with 4+ years of experience in demand planning roles. A competitive remuneration package and flexible working hours are offered.

Qualifications

• 4+ years’ experience in Demand Planning or related roles.
• Strong business acumen aligning operations with strategic goals.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with multiple data sources.

Responsibilities

• Lead and optimize the monthly SF&OP cycle.
• Coordinate cross-functional review of forecasts.
• Monitor and improve forecasting performance metrics.

Skills

Demand Planning

Supply Chain Management

Data Analysis

Cross-functional Leadership

Forecasting Software

Excel

ERP Systems

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain or related field

Tools

MS Power BI

ERP software (AX, D365)

Job description

We are seeking a highly analytical and strategic SF&OP Manager to lead and manage the Sales Forecast & Operations Planning (SF&OP) process. The SF&OP Manager is responsible for all sales forecasting activities – by products, purchasing by Supply Chain and Inventory Management through the Inventory Roll Forward Model, along with running the monthly SF&OP Senior Management Review. This pivotal role acts as the primary liaison between Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Supply Chain/Operations and Finance, to ensure demand forecasts are accurate, aligned, and actionable—driving effective decision‑making across the business, to ensure effective and efficient Cash Management and Inventory Timing and Holding.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• SF&OP process management

• Management and optimization of the monthly SF&OP cycle, to include: demand review, supply review, etc..
• Establishment of a structured reporting system (KPIs, dashboards) for decision support.
• Support gathering, analysis and reporting of business, customer and market intelligence.

Demand Planning & Forecasting

• Review historical sales trends, research demand drivers, customer inputs, develop statistical forecast, and evaluate forecast results using forecasting software.
• Retrieve, validate and review customer Point of Sales (POS) data for forecasting and business intelligence purposes.
• Coordinate cross‑functional review of forecasts to reconcile variances, anomalies and uncertainties to develop a consensus forecast.
• Maintain the forecasting software as the primary tool for forecasting. Create reports in the forecasting tool or via the business intelligence tool.
• Proactively provide input to the supply chain, sales, finance and other teams to optimise operations, inventory management and reporting. Provide ad‑hoc information or reports to various teams.
• Continually monitor and review forecasting performance metrics to improve forecasting models and / or processes.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships internally with relevant cross‑functional teams whilst maintaining rigour and integrity of established processes.
• Lead the cross‑functional SF&OP process to identify pain points, risks and opportunities.
• Building strong, trusting relationships and acting as the key link between sales, marketing, supply chain/operations, and finance.
• Promoting cooperation and mutual understanding between operational and commercial functions.
• Proactively provide input to the business to optimise operations, inventory management and reporting. Provide ad‑hoc information and data modelling as required.

Key Skills and Personal Qualities required

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Economics or a related field
• 4+ years’ experience in Demand Planning, Supply Chain Planning, or S&OP‑related roles
• Strong business acumen and ability to align operations with strategic goals
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced environment, collating multiple types of data and information from multiple sources, and to analyse and prepare coherent information and reports
• Ability to set priorities, work under pressure and to strict timelines, and follow through with assigned tasks with limited supervision
• Proficiency in Excel, forecasting software, and ERP systems (eg AX, D365), familiarity with Business Intelligence tool (eg MS Power BI) preferable
• Excellent oral and written communication skills as well as excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to lead cross‑functional teams

We Offer

• An attractive remuneration package
• 30 days holiday with a 5-day week
• Flexible working hours and mobile working
• Versatile tasks and the freedom to realise your own ideas
• Company pension scheme
• Further training opportunities
• Offers within the framework of company health management (fitness allowance, coursees)
• Jubilee payments and much more.

We are looking forward to your application!

Seniority level

• Associate

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Finance

Industries

• Manufacturing