Senior Planner

Ford & Stanley Recruitment; Barton-under-Needwood; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency seeks a Senior Planner in Barton-under-Needwood to develop and implement planning processes for a new facility. This pivotal role involves strategic oversight, team development, and performance monitoring. Ideal candidates will have proven experience in production planning, strong communication skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment. Competitive salary of £45,000 - £50,000 per annum, with excellent benefits including holiday and pension schemes.

Benefits

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Standard pension scheme

Flexible core working hours

Life assurance (3x salary)

Career progression within a global business

Qualifications

• Proven experience in production planning within a complex engineering or manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of planning principles, capacity management, and resource scheduling.
• Ability to develop planning tools and processes from the ground up.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement integrated planning processes for production and maintenance activities.
• Lead planning meetings and the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process.
• Monitor KPIs and conduct variance analysis between planned and actual performance.
• Mentor and support junior planners, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability.

Skills

Production planning experience

Planning principles understanding

Organisational skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Tools

SAP

Dynamics 365

Job description

Senior Planner | Barton-under-Needwood | £45,000 - £50,000 per annum | Full-time, Monday - Friday

About the Role

We are looking for a Senior Planner to join our team at Barton during an exciting period of transformation. This role is critical to establishing robust planning processes for a new, state-of-the-art facility that will consolidate multiple product lines under one roof. You will lead the development of planning systems, drive strategic scheduling, and ensure operational readiness as we transition into a fully integrated site.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of planning within a global organisation and make a tangible impact on efficiency and delivery performance.

Key Responsibilities

Planning Leadership

• Develop and implement integrated planning processes for production and maintenance activities.
• Lead planning meetings and the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process.
• Create and maintain long-term capacity and resource plans (3-6 months horizon).

Strategic Oversight

• Move planning from reactive to proactive, introducing tools and systems where none currently exist.
• Support new bids and industrialisation projects, providing accurate lead times and resource forecasts.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across operations, engineering, and procurement to align plans with business objectives.

Performance & Reporting

• Monitor KPIs and conduct variance analysis between planned and actual performance.
• Implement corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Produce high-level reporting for senior management on capacity, labour, and material availability.

Team Development

• Mentor and support junior planners, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability.
• Coordinate planning activities across multiple business units within the Barton site.

What We're Looking For

Essential

• Proven experience in production planning within a complex engineering or manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of planning principles, capacity management, and resource scheduling.
• Ability to develop planning tools and processes from the ground up.

Desirable

• Experience with ERP/MRP systems (SAP, Dynamics 365, or similar).
• Exposure to S&OP and integrated business planning.

Skills

• Strategic thinker with excellent organisational and analytical skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced, evolving environment.

Why Join Us?

Be part of a major site transformation project with significant investment and growth. Opportunity to shape planning strategy and implement best practices from scratch. Work within a global organisation offering career progression and international opportunities. Collaborative culture with strong support for training and development.

Benefits

• Competitive salary: £45,000 - £50,000
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Standard pension scheme
• Flexible core working hours
• Life assurance (3x salary)
• Career progression within a global business

Close date: 19/12/2025

Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy.