Sales & Operations Planning Lead

Job Title:                    S&OP Lead.

Department: Procurement & Planning

Location:                    Coppice & Sirane

Reports to:                Divisional General Manager

People Manager:      Yes

 

Role Purpose & Scope

The S&OP Lead is accountable for establishing, leading and continuously improving the Sales & Operations Planning process across Coppice and Sirane. The role creates a single, aligned view of demand, supply, capacity, inventory and operational priorities, enabling timely, data‑led decisions that support customer service, production stability, cost control and profitable growth.

 

Operating within a developing group environment, the role combines hands-on planning leadership with cross-functional facilitation across Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance and site leadership teams. The S&OP Lead owns the monthly planning cadence, ensuring risks, opportunities and actions are clearly defined, tracked and delivered.

 

The role significantly influences decisions impacting cost, service and working capital. It leads a small planning team and broader cross-functional contributors, with accountability for S&OP governance, planning standards and decision-making integrity

 

Our Culture & Values

At Coppice, we work as one team, grounded in integrity, accountability and continuous improvement. We encourage open communication, problem solving, and taking ownership end‑to‑end to deliver great outcomes for our customers.

 

We value mastery, commercial discipline, and purposeful action — escalating blockers early and maintaining momentum. Innovation, sustainability, and quality underpin everything we do, and every colleague contributes to strengthening the customer experience.

 

Key Responsibilities

S&OP Process Leadership

• Establish and lead a structured, disciplined S&OP process across Coppice and Sirane, ensuring a consistent monthly cadence and governance framework.
• Deliver a single, aligned view of demand, supply, capacity, inventory and operational priorities to support effective decision-making.
• Facilitate cross-functional planning forums, ensuring alignment, accountability and timely escalation of risks and decisions.

 

Demand, Supply & Capacity Planning

• Lead the development of robust demand plans using sales forecasts, customer insights and market intelligence.
• Align demand with production capacity, material availability and supplier capability to create realistic and executable plans.
• Identify gaps between demand and operational capability, providing scenario analysis and recommendations.

 

Inventory, Service & Performance Management

• Optimise inventory levels to balance customer service, working capital, production efficiency and waste reduction.
• Improve planning performance through enhanced forecast accuracy, service levels and production stability.
• Use performance data to identify root causes and drive continuous improvement actions.

 

Data, Reporting & Decision Support

• Ensure planning data, assumptions and reporting are accurate, consistent and support effective decision-making.
• Translate complex data into clear, commercially relevant insights for senior stakeholders.
• Track and communicate planning decisions, risks, opportunities and actions across both sites.

 

Systems, Tools & Planning Standards

• Improve the use, consistency and accuracy of planning systems, tools and master data.
• Develop practical tools, templates and routines to strengthen visibility, accountability and planning discipline.
• Promote standardised planning processes while accommodating site-specific requirements.

 

Collaboration, Change & Integration

• Build strong cross-functional relationships to enable alignment across Sales, Operations, Supply Chain and Finance.
• Challenge assumptions constructively to ensure decisions are evidence-based and commercially sound.
• Support business integration and continuous improvement initiatives by strengthening planning capability and reducing reactive decision-making.

 

Measures of Success

· A structured and consistently applied S&OP cadence across Coppice and Sirane.

· Improved forecast accuracy, service levels, production stability and inventory performance.

· Alignment of demand, supply and capacity plans with clear visibility for stakeholders.

· Early identification and escalation of risks, constraints and opportunities.

· Data-led decision-making with clear actions, ownership and follow-through.

· Strong cross-functional collaboration and engagement across planning stakeholders

 

Key Relationships

Internal

·      Site Leadership Teams – alignment of operational priorities and planning decisions

·      Sales, Commercial & Customer Service – demand planning, customer requirements and service performance

·      Operations, Engineering & Production – capacity, scheduling and execution alignment

·      Supply Chain, Procurement & Quality – material availability, supplier constraints and compliance

·      Finance & Group Leadership – financial alignment, forecasting and performance insight

 

External

·      Customers – service alignment and planning collaboration where required

·      Suppliers & Logistics Partners – supply continuity and planning coordination

·      External system providers or consultants – planning process and system improvement

 

Required Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Essential

·      Proven experience in S&OP, demand planning, supply planning or supply chain leadership within manufacturing or FMCG.

·      Strong knowledge of end-to-end planning processes including demand, supply, capacity and inventory management.

·      Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional planning forums and influence senior stakeholders.

·      Strong analytical capability with experience interpreting forecast, capacity and service performance data.

·      Experience identifying risks and translating analysis into clear, practical recommendations.

·      Proficiency in ERP/MRP systems, planning tools and advanced spreadsheets.

·      Strong commercial awareness and ability to balance service, cost, efficiency and working capital.

·      Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills

 

 

Desirable

·      Relevant qualifications (e.g. APICS, IBF, CIPS, Lean, Six Sigma).

·      Experience implementing or improving S&OP processes across multiple sites.

·      Background in FMCG, packaging, food or fast-paced manufacturing environments.

·      Experience in NPI, lifecycle planning or promotional demand management.

·      Exposure to systems implementation, ERP optimisation or master data governance

 

Competencies

Coppice Behavioural Expectations

Coppice colleagues are expected to work in a way that supports teamwork, accountability, continuous improvement, customer focus, safety, honesty, and practical problem solving.

Demonstrates calm, credible leadership in operational planning environments, maintaining professionalism, objectivity and pace under pressure.

 

Role‑Specific Technical Competencies

·      S&OP Process Leadership: Leads and governs a structured planning cadence with clear outputs and accountability.

·      Demand & Supply Planning: Aligns commercial demand with operational capability to deliver realistic plans.

·      Forecasting & Scenario Planning: Develops data-driven scenarios to support informed decision-making.

·      Inventory & Service Performance: Balances service, cost, waste and working capital through effective planning.

·      Planning Systems & Data Governance: Maintains accurate, reliable data and reporting discipline.

·      Cross-Functional Influence & Continuous Improvement: Drives alignment and sustained improvement across teams

 

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

·      The role is primarily office‑based, split across the Coppice and Sirane sites, with regular travel between the two locations as required.

·      Occasional home working may be supported where operational and business needs allow.

·      Standard working hours are aligned to site operations, with flexibility required to support shift patterns, peak periods, employee relations activity or incident response.

·      The role includes periodic time spent in manufacturing and production areas to support operational engagement and people management activity.

·      When present on the manufacturing floor, there may be exposure to noise, temperature variation and other operational conditions, and appropriate PPE must be worn in line with site health and safety requirements.

 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals and are dedicated to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone.

 

Additional Information

This job description is not exhaustive and may be updated in line with business needs. Other duties may be assigned as required.