Senior Purchasing & Planning Manager – Growth & Delivery

Placr Recruitment; Hailsham; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

Placr Recruitment in East Sussex is seeking an experienced Purchasing & Planning Manager to lead a four-person team in a high‑complexity manufacturing environment. You will own purchasing and production planning, ensure materials are available when needed and support 95%+ on-time delivery to customers and suppliers.

You’ll collaborate with Production, Engineering, Quality, Finance and Sales, driving continuous improvement and scalable systems for growth.

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience across purchasing and production planning.
• At least 5 years’ experience in a leadership or management position.
• Strong background in production planning, purchasing and scheduling.
• Experience leading and developing a team.
• Excellent supplier management and negotiation skills.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving ability.
• A structured approach to planning, prioritisation and delivery.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in advanced manufacturing or technically complex environments is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of four purchasing and planning professionals.
• Manage purchasing, production planning and scheduling.
• Drive supplier performance and on-time delivery.
• Support a target of 95%+ customer and supplier on-time delivery.
• Develop efficient, scalable purchasing and planning processes.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities.
• Build strong relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Provide commercial and operational insight to senior management.
• Work with Production, Engineering, Quality, Finance and Sales.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Supplier management

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Degree-level qualification

Job description

Placr Recruitment in East Sussex is seeking an experienced Purchasing & Planning Manager to lead a four-person team in a high‑complexity manufacturing environment. You will own purchasing and production planning, ensure materials are available when needed and support 95%+ on-time delivery to customers and suppliers.

You’ll collaborate with Production, Engineering, Quality, Finance and Sales, driving continuous improvement and scalable systems for growth.