External Supply Planner

Description Overview

The Local Supply Planner supports daily, medium‑ and long‑term supply planning and execution for both externally sourced and internally supplied finished goods across the UK and Ireland markets.

Reporting to the UK & Ireland Supply Planning Manager, the role acts as a key local interface between Central Supply Planning and UK&I stakeholders, ensuring effective communication, alignment and execution of agreed plans.

The role contributes to S&OE and IBP cycles, supports New Product Development (NPD) and portfolio activity, and plays an important part in maintaining service levels while balancing cost, inventory and risk in a dynamic environment.

Scope of the Role

Supply Chain Planning & Execution

• Support daily execution, mid‑term planning and long‑term supply horizon visibility for internal and external supply portfolios.
• Work closely with Central Supply Planning to execute agreed supply plans, and manage constraints, assumptions and scenarios.
• Support the management of planned and unplanned supply events, including demand changes, supply constraints, quality status changes and new product introductions.
• Provide local market insight and feedback into central planning processes to support feasible and aligned plans.
• Support supply readiness for NPD, lifecycle changes and portfolio updates by identifying risks and required actions early.

Risk, Opportunity & Information Flow Management

• Identify and track supply risks and opportunities across short, mid‑ and long‑term horizons.
• Support consolidation and communication of weekly supply risks, mitigation options and business implications for S&OE discussions.
• Actively manage the flow, interpretation and clarity of information between Central Planning and UK&I teams, particularly where inputs are incomplete, unclear or changing.
• Challenge assumptions, highlight gaps or inconsistencies and escalate issues with clear context and potential business impact.

Stakeholder Communication & Engagement

• Act as a key local supply planning contact for UK&I stakeholders on operational, tactical and longer‑range supply matters.
• Support UK&I business decision‑making by clearly outlining options, trade‑offs and potential impacts based on supply planning scenarios.
• Build strong relationships with Customer Supply, Commercial, Quality, Finance, Logistics and other operational teams.
• Participate in and present at supply, IBP and cross‑functional forums, translating complex planning topics into clear, decision‑ready summaries.
• Confidently support and navigate difficult conversations relating to service impact, prioritisation, constraints and changes to outlook, maintaining trust and credibility.

Order, Inventory & Systems Management

• Support the execution and prioritisation of purchase orders in line with agreed supply plans.
• Reconcile inventory positions across SAP and 3PL partners, identifying discrepancies and coordinating resolution.
• Identify and support resolution of IDoc and data issues impacting planning accuracy, execution and reporting confidence.
• Work closely with Customer Supply and Finance to support inventory health and service performance.

Reporting, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Prepare supply planning reports and inputs supporting daily management, S&OE and IBP processes.
• Analyse supply, demand and inventory trends to support understanding of short‑term execution and longer‑term risks.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives focused on planning processes, communication effectiveness and cross‑functional ways of working.
• Support supply chain projects and change initiatives, including improvements to tools, reporting or governance.

Experience Required

•  Minimum of 6 years experience within Supply Planning, ideally in a large organsiation.

• Experience with various systems, particularly SAP and Microsoft Office.