Supply Chain Planner

Questech Recruitment Ltd; Coleraine; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

Questech Recruitment Ltd is partnering with a well-established food manufacturer to recruit a Supply Chain Planner. The role focuses on creating and maintaining supply plans that align demand with capacity, inventory, and service targets across the network.

You will collaborate with Material Planning, Production Scheduling, Transport Planning, Manufacturing, Procurement, and Commercial teams to optimize OTIF performance, minimize working capital, and mitigate supply risks.

Qualifications

• Experience in Food Ingredients, Flavours, Beverage, FMCG, Pharmaceutical, or Process Manufacturing industries is advantageous.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management or related field or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience in Supply Planning, Production Planning, Demand Planning, or related operations in manufacturing.
• Understanding of S&OP, inventory management, and supply planning practices.
• Experience with ERP systems and planning tools such as SAP APO, SAP IBP, Kinaxis, OMP or equivalent planning platforms.
• Strong Excel skills are required.
• Familiarity with Power BI or other data visualization tools is a plus.
• Strong data interpretation and problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Continuous improvement mindset.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain short, medium, and long-term supply plans to meet customer demand and business needs.
• Manage planning alerts and exceptions, including projected shortages, capacity constraints, excess inventory, and service risks.
• Develop and maintain Master Production Schedules (MPS) to optimize manufacturing resources.
• Monitor inventory levels, weeks of cover, and stock-at-risk positions, contributing to inventory and working capital performance.
• Contribute to monthly Supply Reviews and Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) processes through scenario planning and risk assessment.
• Promote production plan adherence and identify opportunities to improve schedule stability and manufacturing efficiency.
• Contribute to new product introductions, product transitions, delistings, and lifecycle management activities.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on service performance, inventory optimization, planning accuracy, and operational efficiency.

Skills

Supply chain planning

ERP systems

Excel

Power BI

Stakeholder management

S&OP knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management

Tools

SAP APO

SAP IBP

Kinaxis

OMP

Job description

Our client is a well-established and successful food manufacturer. They are looking for a Supply Chain Planner to join their team.

Salary: circa £39,000 depending on experience + Benefits

Working hours: Full-time, on-site role, 5 days per week, 8:00 - 16:30 or 9:00 - 17:00 (30-minute lunch break included)

The Supply Planner contributes to the development and maintenance of achievable supply and production plans across the network. Working in close partnership with Material Planning, Production Scheduling, Transport Planning, Manufacturing, Procurement and Commercial teams, the role helps align customer demand, manufacturing capacity, inventory levels and service requirements.

A key focus of the position is delivering an efficient and balanced supply plan that enables strong customer service performance (OTIF), optimizes inventory and working capital, and reduces operational risks while ensuring continuity of supply across the network.

Requirements

• Experience in Food Ingredients, Flavours, Beverage, FMCG, Pharmaceutical, or Process Manufacturing industries is advantageous.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, or a related field. Alternatively equivalent practical experience in Supply Planning, Production Planning, Demand Planning, Logistics, or Procurement.
• Experience in Supply Planning, Production Planning, Demand Planning, Supply Chain Planning, or related operational roles within a manufacturing environment.
• Understanding of S&OP, inventory management, and supply planning practices.
• Experience with ERP systems and planning tools such as SAP APO, SAP IBP, Kinaxis, OMP, or equivalent planning platforms is advantageous.
• Strong Excel skills are required.
• Familiarity with Power BI or other data visualization tools is a plus.
• Strong data interpretation and problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Continuous improvement mindset.

Responsibilities include:

• Create and maintain short, medium, and long-term supply plans to meet customer demand and business needs, balancing demand requirements with manufacturing capacity, labour availability, and material constraints.
• Manage planning alerts and exceptions, including projected shortages, capacity constraints, excess inventory, and service risks.
• Develop and maintain Master Production Schedules (MPS) to optimize the use of manufacturing resources.
• Monitor inventory levels, weeks of cover, and stock-at-risk positions while contributing to inventory and working capital performance.
• Contribute to monthly Supply Reviews and Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) processes through scenario planning and risk assessment.
• Promote production plan adherence and identify opportunities to improve schedule stability and manufacturing efficiency.
• Contribute to new product introductions, product transitions, delistings, and lifecycle management activities.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on service performance, inventory optimization, planning accuracy, and operational efficiency.

Applicants with previous similar job titles could include; Supply Planner / Supply Chain Planning Analyst / Supply Chain Analyst / Supply Planning Analyst / Supply Chain Coordinator / Supply Chain Specialist / Supply Chain Associate / Materials Planner / Production Planner / Demand & Supply Planner / Inventory Planner / Inventory Analyst / similar