Supply Planning Manager

Bold ideas. Big ambition. Real impact. We're part of Delightful Food Group. A collective built on decades of expertise across food and beverage, with one clear goal. Do things better. From first concept to final production, we bring together insight, creativity and technical know-how to build what's next. We don't just follow the market. We help shape it. We create food and beverage products, ideas and partnerships that deliver real impact. Smarter thinking. Stronger products. Solutions that move our customers forward. At Bold Foods we're building something bigger. A business driven by bold ideas and big ambition. A team focused on what comes next, not what's been done before. Because real impact doesn't happen by accident. It's built. Role overview Own and develop the end-to-end supply planning function across a growing multi-site manufacturing network. The role is responsible for translating demand into an achievable production and supply plan, balancing customer priorities, inventory, materials, manufacturing capacity and service requirements across internal and external manufacturing partners. The Supply Planning Manager will provide the business with clear forward visibility of capacity, constraints and supply risk, while improving planning processes, data and systems to support continued growth. Location Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Key responsibilities Supply & Production Planning ·      Own the master production and supply plan across internal manufacturing and co-manufacturing sites. ·      Convert demand and forecast requirements into realistic production schedules, considering capacity, lead times, changeovers, minimum runs and material availability. ·      Sequence production against customer priorities, stock position, demand and agreed service requirements. ·      Maintain clear short-, medium- and longer-term visibility of production requirements and constraints. ·      Coordinate changes to the plan and communicate the customer, stock and capacity impact to relevant stakeholders. Demand, Forecast & Scenario Planning ·      Work with Sales, Customer Operations and the Head of Supply Chain to translate forecasts and demand changes into supply requirements. ·      Monitor forecast versus actual demand and highlight material changes that affect capacity, inventory or customer service. ·      Run scenario planning to support decisions where demand exceeds available capacity or customer requirements conflict. ·      Support improved forecasting discipline by identifying gaps, unusual demand and assumptions requiring commercial validation. Capacity & Multi-Site Planning ·      Own forward capacity planning across manufacturing lines, sites and co-manufacturing partners. ·      Identify capacity gaps early and provide clear options for re-sequencing, outsourcing or other mitigation. ·      Coordinate production allocation across multiple manufacturing partners while considering capability, cost, lead time and operational complexity. ·      Maintain visibility of planned trials, launches, seasonal activity and customer-specific production requirements. Materials & Production Readiness ·      Translate the production plan into clear material and packaging requirements for Procurement and operational teams. ·      Ensure upcoming production is reviewed for material readiness, including ingredients, flavours, bottles, lids, labels, cases and other packaging. ·      Highlight shortages or late materials early enough for corrective action. ·      Work closely with Procurement, Inventory and Warehouse teams to ensure the plan is supported by reliable stock and supply information. Planning Systems, Data & Continuous Improvement ·      Review the current planning processes, tools and systems and identify opportunities to improve accuracy, visibility and efficiency. ·      Assess appropriate planning technology, including automation and AI-enabled planning tools, against the needs of a multi-site and multi-line operation. ·      Recommend suitable solutions and lead the planning workstream for agreed system implementation, working with internal stakeholders and external system partners. ·      Reduce reliance on manual spreadsheets and develop repeatable, controlled planning processes and reporting. ·      Define and maintain appropriate planning KPIs, including forecast performance, plan adherence, capacity utilisation and supply risk. Cross-Functional Leadership ·      Chair or lead relevant planning reviews and provide a clear view of the current production plan, risks and required decisions. ·      Partner closely with Procurement, Inventory, Warehouse, Customer Operations, Sales, Technical and manufacturing partners. ·      Escalate material service, capacity and supply risks with clear evidence and recommended options. ·      Support new product launches and customer projects by ensuring planning assumptions, capacity and material requirements are understood before commitment. Key skills & experience ·      Strong supply planning, production planning or manufacturing planning experience, ideally within FMCG, food, beverage or another fast-moving environment. ·      Experience planning across multiple production lines, sites or external manufacturing partners. ·      Strong understanding of capacity planning, material requirements, lead times, inventory and production constraints. ·      Advanced Excel and strong analytical capability, with confidence working with ERP/MRP or planning systems. ·      Experience improving planning processes or implementing planning tools/systems is highly desirable. ·      Ability to turn complex operational data into clear priorities, decisions and recommendations. ·      Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the confidence to challenge assumptions and escalate risk. ·      Highly organised, commercially aware and comfortable operating in a fast-growing, changing environment. What success looks like ·      Improved production-plan stability and adherence. ·      Early identification and mitigation of capacity and material constraints. ·      Clear visibility of customer and supply risk across the planning horizon. ·      Improved forecast-versus-actual understanding and planning responsiveness. ·      Reduced manual planning effort and stronger use of systems and standard processes. ·      Effective coordination of production across multiple manufacturing sites and co-manufacturers. ·      Improved service performance through realistic, evidence-based planning. How we work We're building a high-performing team. That means: ·      We take ownership and deliver. ·      We move with pace and purpose. ·      We stay close to our customers and the market. ·      We challenge thinking and push for better. ·      We keep things simple, clear and outcome focused. ·      We support, trust and develop our people. But we also expect individuals to take ownership of their own growth, progression and impact. What we stand for ·      Best in class – We set the standard. Then raise it. ·      Customer-centric – We listen, adapt and deliver solutions that work in the real world. ·      Continuous growth – We don't stand still. As a business or as individuals. ·      People first – We build strong teams by backing our people. ·      Be kind – High standards. No ego. Respect always. ·      Committed to ESG – We're building responsibly. For the long term. Benefits We believe great people deserve great support. That's why we offer: ·      23 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with length of service ·      A half day off on your birthday ·      Perkbox membership with monthly flexi-points and exclusive discounts ·      24/7 confidential wellbeing support covering mental, physical and financial health ·      Staff discounts across our products ·      Free onsite parking ·      Unlimited tea and coffee, plus plenty of product sampling opportunities ·      Regular team socials and an annual Christmas celebration ·      Salary sacrifice pension scheme ·      Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay ·      Death in Service benefit ·      Cycle to Work scheme Our commitment We're building a team for the future. That means creating an environment where people feel supported, challenged and able to do their best work.