Materials Planner

W Talent • Permanent • Redditch, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom • £30,000 - £35,000 / year • 21h ago

W Talent are delighted to be partnering with a leading FMCG manufacturer in Redditch to recruit a Materials Planner to join their supply chain team.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an organised and proactive planning professional to join a fast-paced manufacturing environment, where you will play a critical role in ensuring materials are available to meet production demands while maintaining optimum stock levels and supporting operational efficiency.

The Role

As Materials Planner, you will be responsible for ensuring the uninterrupted supply of materials and components to support production schedules. You will work closely with suppliers and internal stakeholders to maintain stock accuracy, minimise supply risks, and ensure operational continuity.

This position requires a highly organised individual with strong analytical skills, excellent attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving FMCG environment. You will also contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, helping to drive efficiencies across supply chain and planning processes.

Key Responsibilities

Schedule the supply of materials and components to ensure production demands are met whilst maintaining minimum safety stock levels.
Assess volume requirements against planning assumptions to ensure accurate supply forecasting.
Manage day-to-day order processing, purchase orders, and supplier delivery scheduling.
Monitor material availability and proactively manage supply risks to minimise production disruption.
Escalate and resolve material shortages that could impact production schedules.
Support continuous improvement initiatives by identifying and implementing process improvements.
Schedule the supply of bought-in goods, including managing import documentation where required.
Utilise systems including Sage, WMS, and supplier portals to maintain accurate and up-to-date planning data.
Manage stock transfers from external warehouses and oversee associated purchase order activity.
Support inventory checks and stock validation to maintain high levels of stock accuracy.
Minimise obsolete stock and reduce business liability through effective stock control.
Produce regular reports, analysis, and planning updates to support wider business decisions.
Provide cover for wider planning duties during periods of absence and support with ad hoc departmental administration.
Build and maintain strong supplier relationships to ensure deliveries are made on time and in full.
Develop effective relationships across internal departments to ensure smooth operational communication.

Key Requirements

Previous experience within materials planning, supply chain, production planning, or procurement.
Experience working within a fast-paced manufacturing or FMCG environment is highly desirable.
Strong communication skills with the ability to build effective internal and external relationships.
Excellent negotiation, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
Commercial awareness with an understanding of how supply chain performance impacts cost, production, and customer delivery.
Highly organised with strong time management and the ability to prioritise effectively.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail.
Self-motivated, resilient, and adaptable to changing business demands.
Collaborative team player with a proactive and positive approach.
Competent using planning and ERP systems such as Sage, WMS, or supplier management portals.