Senior Material Planner

Lotus Cars; Norwich; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 Vacation Days + Bank Holidays

Performance Bonus

Future-Proof Pension

Private Healthcare

Job summary

Lotus Cars is seeking an experienced Senior Material Planner to join our Hethel-based Material Control team in Norfolk. You will ensure material availability, manage supplier schedules and resolve supply challenges to keep production on track.

You’ll lead Material Planners, collaborate with Purchasing, SQA, Logistics and Engineering, and balance inventory with working capital priorities in a fast-paced automotive environment.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of ERP and MRP systems and processes.
• Good understanding of BoM structures.
• Knowledge of procurement practices and commercial awareness.
• Understanding of supply and demand planning and S&OP.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and resolve material planning challenges.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with proactive issue resolution.
• Excellent attention to detail, organisational skills and follow-through.
• Confident communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proactive, customer-focused approach with systems thinking.

Responsibilities

• Support the Material Planning Team Supervisor in day-to-day management of material planning activities.
• Oversee creation and management of supplier material schedules to ensure timely material arrivals and correct quantities.
• Manage and support Material Planners to ensure adherence to delivery schedules.
• Monitor supplier capacity and bottlenecks to maintain material continuity.
• Coordinate with Purchasing, SQA, Logistics, Material Handling and suppliers on material requirements.
• Balance inventory levels to support production while managing working capital.
• Liaise with suppliers on production volumes, shipping schedules and delivery arrangements.
• Identify and resolve potential supply issues to minimise downtime.
• Review and adjust supplier schedules to improve performance.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.

Skills

ERP & MRP knowledge

BoM understanding

Procurement awareness

S&OP understanding

multi-priority management

analytical problem solving

attention to detail

stakeholder communication

systems thinking

Tools

ERP software

MRP systems

Job description

About the Role

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Senior Material Planner to join our Material Control team at Lotus, based at our Hethel headquarters in Norfolk.

In this role, you'll play a key part in ensuring the smooth and efficient supply of materials to support our vehicle manufacturing operations, helping us deliver production schedules while maintaining cost-effective inventory levels.

Working closely with suppliers and internal teams, you'll be responsible for maintaining material availability, managing supplier schedules and proactively resolving supply challenges to minimise disruption to production.

You’ll also support the Material Planning Team Supervisor and provide day-to-day leadership to Material Planners, helping ensure our manufacturing operations run efficiently.

What You'll Be Doing

• Support the Material Planning Team Supervisor in the day-to-day management of material planning activities.

• Oversee the creation and management of supplier material schedules, ensuring materials arrive on time and in the correct quantities.

• Manage and support Material Planners, ensuring supplier adherence to agreed delivery schedules.

• Monitor supplier capacity, scheduling constraints and potential bottlenecks, taking proactive action to maintain material continuity.

• Work closely with Purchasing, Supplier Quality Assurance (SQA), Logistics, Material Handling and suppliers to coordinate material requirements.

• Balance inventory levels and material availability to support production requirements while managing working capital effectively.

• Liaise with suppliers regarding production volumes, shipping schedules, build requirements and delivery arrangements.

• Identify and resolve potential supply issues to minimise production downtime and disruption.

• Independently review and adjust supplier schedules to maintain material availability and improve performance.

• Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.

What We're Looking For

Essential Skills & Experience

• Strong knowledge and practical experience of ERP and MRP systems and processes.

• Good understanding of Bill of Materials (BoM) structures.

• Knowledge of procurement practices and commercial awareness.

• Understanding of supply and demand planning and Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP).

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and resolve complex material planning challenges.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to anticipate potential issues and develop effective solutions.

• Excellent attention to detail, organisational skills and follow-through.

• Confident communication and stakeholder management skills.

• A proactive, customer-focused approach with strong systems thinking.

Desirable

• Experience working within a manufacturing or automotive material planning environment.

• Experience coordinating supplier readiness and capacity activities.

• Flexibility to undertake occasional supplier visits where required.

About You

We're looking for someone who is organised, proactive and comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

You’ll have a strong understanding of material planning processes and the confidence to take ownership of supplier schedules, resolve issues and make decisions that support production requirements.

You’ll also enjoy working collaboratively with colleagues across Production, Logistics, Purchasing, Quality, Engineering and Finance, building positive relationships and ensuring everyone is working towards the same objectives.

With strong attention to detail and a solutions-focused mindset, you’ll be able to anticipate challenges, manage competing priorities and contribute to the continuous improvement of our material planning operations.

What you'll bring:

• Experience in managing teams, business processes, documentation, and similar projects in a complex environment such as automotive, ideally in premium brand

• Real passion for the customer experience and satisfaction

• Organized, reliable and results-driven professional

• Must have a practical mind to solve problems

• Excellent organisational and leadership skills with a big picture vision

What we offer:

• 25 Vacation Days + Bank Holidays: Recharge, explore, or binge-watch your favourite series with plenty of time to relax and enjoy life outside of work.

• Performance Bonus: Get rewarded for your hard work with an exciting, non-contractual bonus scheme—because great effort deserves great perks.

• Future-Proof Pension: Plan for your tomorrow while thriving today with a solid pension scheme to keep your future bright.

• Private Healthcare: Stay healthy and stress-free with premium healthcare coverage tailored to keep you at your best.

Additional Information:

• This role will be working from our Hethel plant, and will be required on site.

• Candidates must be eligible to work in UK without VISA sponsorship.

Our Company:

Group Lotus is a leading sports car manufacturer with over 75-year long history of iconic designs, groundbreaking engineering and legendary victories on the F1 track. Today we are transforming into a truly global performance car brand focused on the electrical future. In 2022 welaunched the Eletre, the world’s first all-electric hyper-SUV, and in 2023 our fully-electric Hyper-GT, Emeya.

As part of the Lotus team, you push boundaries. Those of the car industry and of your own. Every member of the Lotus family has some of the pioneering mindset of founder Colin Chapman in them.

Hethel, Norfolk, England has been the home of Lotus for over 60 years, ever since Colin Chapman, our founder, started making championship-winning racing cars.In conjunction with production facilities in Norwich, and research facilities near Warwick, our UK sites offer a wide breadth of roles for all disciplines.

We're not just a car company; we're a diverse mix of talent from all walks of life.At Group Lotus, we firmly believe that diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords but essential pillars of a thriving and successful organisation.Read more here: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in Lotus Cars.

Do you want to know what Sophisticated, Rebellious and Pioneering mean for Lotus Cars Limited? Come and take a look at our career siteand join the incredible adventure: https://lotusukmanufacturing.teamtailor.com/