Material Planning Manager

Material Planning Manager

Location: Blackpool Salary: 40,000–£45,000

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced material planning professional to join an industry leading manufacturing business as Material Planning Manager at their Blackpool manufacturing site.

Reporting into the central purchasing structure and working closely with the Site Director, you will take ownership of materials planning and availability for the site, leading the transition from spreadsheet-driven ordering to a robust, MRP‑led process within SAP Business One. This role has been created to address recent materials shortages and to underpin a multi million pound investment and capacity expansion programme that will significantly increase output over the next 2–3 years.

This is a key operational role where you will be responsible for stabilising day‑to‑day materials availability, embedding system discipline, and acting as the link between forecasting, production planning, purchasing and the external supply base.

Key Responsibilities

• Own day‑to‑day material planning and availability for the Blackpool manufacturing site.

• Translate production plans and forecasts into time‑phased material requirements and supplier schedules.

• Lead the rollout and day‑to‑day use of MRP within SAP Business One, reducing reliance on manual and spreadsheet-based planning.

• Set up and maintain planning parameters (lead times, safety stocks, order multiples, MOQs), balancing availability, capacity and working capital.

• Monitor inventory levels and stock days across key material categories and take corrective action where required.

• Work closely with purchasing/category management on material price variance, supplier performance and commercial terms.

• Identify and mitigate material shortages and supply risks before they impact production, communicating clear recovery plans to stakeholders.

• Partner with Operations, Production Planning, Sales/Forecasting and Warehousing to align demand, capacity and materials supply.

• Line manage, coach and develop the existing Material Controller, shifting the function towards a disciplined, system‑led way of working.

• Challenge “we’ve always done it this way” behaviours and drive continuous improvement in planning processes, data accuracy and supplier communication.

About You

• Proven experience in Material Planning / Materials Control / Supply Planning within a manufacturing environment.

• Strong hands‑on experience of ERP/MRP planning (ideally SAP Business One), including ownership of planning parameters and inventory controls.

• Comfortable working with data: able to interpret MRP outputs, diagnose root causes of shortages or excess, and implement practical fixes.

• Experience collaborating with purchasing and suppliers to improve service, stability and forward visibility.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the resilience to challenge long‑established ways of working and gain buy‑in from long‑tenured teams.

• Experience coaching or supervising others in a planning or materials environment is desirable.

What’s on Offer

• Competitive salary in the region of £40,000–£45,000

• Genuine ownership of the materials planning agenda, with direct visibility to site and group leadership.

• Opportunity to lead the shift from spreadsheets to true MRP-driven planning within SAP Business One.

• Monday–Friday role with a primarily site‑based remit and scope for some hybrid working once established