Sales & Operations Planning Manager

Caterpillar; Desford; On-site; GBP 79,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave + bank holidays

Up to 20% annual bonus

Car allowance

Private Medical, Healthcare, Vision &

Dental schemes

Green Car Scheme

Share Scheme (50% Company Matched)

Contributory Pension Scheme (Company 2

Free Car Parking

Caterpillar Advantage website

Job summary

Caterpillar in Desford, Leicestershire, is seeking a Sales & Operations Planning Manager to lead global demand and orders governance, aligning product groups, operations and configuration teams to deliver stable orders and customer satisfaction.

You will develop team strategy, manage a high‑performing team, influence stakeholders, and drive KPIs, with travel up to 10% and a permanent, office-based role that offers a rewarding package.

Qualifications

• Leadership: coaching, performance management, and workforce and succession planning.
• Customer Focus: aligning customer needs with decisions to create customized solutions.
• Decision Making and Critical Thinking: analyze situations and reach informed judgments.
• Effective Communications: convey ideas clearly and interpret information accurately.
• Negotiating: negotiate across the organization and with external vendors.
• Problem Solving: identify and resolve organizational or process problems.
• Relationship Management: build healthy relationships with clients, vendors, peers.
• Project Management: plan, organize, monitor, and control projects.
• Value Selling: articulate product/service value to customers.

Responsibilities

• Set demand and order team strategy, governance, and service standards with global reports.
• Partner with product configuration, Product Groups, and Operations as the escalation point.
• Govern demand intake for configuration, prioritization, and NPI/NMI/NSI forecasts.
• Drive order stability, quality, and continuous improvement while developing the team.
• Influence stakeholders to align on priorities, requirements, risks, and timelines.
• Validate priority, readiness, and requirement quality before work enters the value stream.
• Identify and prevent recurring order/configuration issues using data and corrective actions.
• Establish quality standards, SOPs, and monitor KPIs against objectives.
• Lead priority planning, succession planning, performance management, and capability development.

Skills

Leadership

Customer Focus

Decision Making

Effective Communications

Negotiating

Problem Solving

Relationship Management

Project Management

Value Selling

Job description

Career Area

Sales

Job Description

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Sales & Operations Planning Manager leads global demand and orders consultants as the link between Product Groups, Operations, and product configuration team, owning product configuration governance and performance to deliver stable order outcomes and customer satisfaction.

What You Will Do

• With multiple global direct reports, you will set demand and order team strategy, governance, and service standards aligned with business goals.
• Partners with product configuration team, Product Groups, and Operations as the primary escalation point.
• Governs demand intake for product configuration, prioritization, and New Product Introduction (NPI), New Marketing Introduction (NMI), and New Source Introduction (NSI) forecasts from Product Groups.
• Drives order stability, quality, and continuous improvement while developing a high-performing team.
• Influences stakeholders to align on priorities, requirements, risks, and timelines.
• Validates request priority, stakeholder readiness, and requirement quality before work enters the Product configuration value stream.
• Identifies, resolves, and prevents recurring order and configuration issues using data, feedback, and corrective actions.
• Establishes quality standards, operating procedures, and monitors KPIs against business objectives.
• Leads priority planning, succession planning, performance management, and capability development.

What Skills You Will Bring

• Leadership – demonstrable experience of coaching, performance management, and workforce and succession planning.

• Customer Focus: Knowledge of the values and practices that align customer needs and satisfaction as primary considerations in all business decisions and ability to leverage that information in creating customized customer solutions.
• Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
  consensus.
• Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.
• Negotiating: Knowledge of successful negotiation concepts and techniques; ability to negotiate successfully across the organization and with external vendors and clients in a constructive and collaborative manner.
• Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations.
• Relationship Management: Knowledge of relationship management techniques; ability to establish and maintain healthy working relationships with clients, vendors, and peers.
• Project Management: Knowledge of effective project management strategies and tactics; ability to plan, organize, monitor, and control projects, ensuring efficient utilization of technical and administrative resources to achieve project objectives.
• Value Selling: Knowledge of the principles and practices for selling products, technology and services; ability to provide overall product/service 'value' and to differentiate support offerings that address clearly understood customer needs.

Desired knowledge or experience in the following is desired

• Order Management Process – end to end order to delivery process.
• Engineering and Marketing – understanding engineering intent, regulatory compliance, and regional offerings.
• Dealer Order Resolution & Fulfilment – resolving dealer order issues and keeping fulfilment on track.
• Product Configuration – understanding Construction, Earth Moving and Minging Machine order configuration.
• Systems Knowledge – SAP Variant configuration, MSF, COO, CMOPS and Price list.
• Governance & Quality Management – quality standards, KPI monitoring, and escalation.
• Continuous Improvement – innovation and process improvement.
  

Pending the number of applications, the criteria for the position may be enhanced to facilitate shortlisting.

Job Title: Sales & Operations Planning Manager

Salary: £79,000-£92,000 depending on experience

Benefits: 27 days annual leave + bank holidays, up to 20% annual bonus, Car allowance, Flexible Buy in Benefits such as Private Medical, Healthcare, Vison & Dental schemes, Green Car Scheme and more, Share Scheme (50% Company Matched), Contributory Pension Scheme (Contribution double by Company up to 10%), Free Car Parking, Caterpillar Advantage website

Location: Desford, Leicestershire- office based

Contract: Permanent

Travel: 10% Domestic & Global

What We Offer

From day one, you’re set up to thrive at Caterpillar: helpful training, relatable mentors, global experience, competitive salary package, work-life balance, and the growth opportunities you expect with a Fortune 100 company.

You power our success, and we are committed to empowering yours. After all, when your work can impact the entire world, it’s important to do work that matters.

We value authenticity and encourage candidates to submit original, personally crafted responses throughout our hiring process. Use of AI-generated content may disadvantage your application

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply