Network & Capacity Planning Manager

Location – Essex (on the Elizabeth line, easy reach from London) – 3 days on site, 2 from home

Salary – Up to £75,000 + bonus

We're recruiting on behalf of a fast-growing, multi-site operational business for a Network Planning Manager to take ownership of network planning, capacity and inventory positioning across their group, spanning the UK, Spain, US and Canada.

This is a genuinely broad, group-level role reporting into the Head of Operations, with a small team of around 5, and real scope for progression into a Head of/Director level role as the business continues to grow. You'll be the one turning demand and sales forecasts into operational reality, working out where stock should sit, what capacity looks like across sites, and how to reduce cost to serve as volumes shift.

• Leading network planning and optimisation across the group, including network modelling, territory planning and service area reviews
• Translating sales and demand forecasts into operational requirements across inbound, picking, dispatch, labour and productivity rates
• Owning capacity planning, monitoring utilisation and recommending action to address risk and constraints
• Determining inventory positioning across the network based on demand and shipping flows
• Building reporting, dashboards and performance metrics to track network and inventory performance
• Producing scenario planning and business cases to support strategic decisions and investment
• Supporting compliance, sustainability and day-to-day customs documentation across the network
• Partnering with Operations, Procurement, Sales, Finance and IT to deliver cross-functional improvements

• Strong experience in high-volume, complex or multi-site operational environments; high value and fast-moving backgrounds would be particularly relevant
• Strong grounding in DC operations, capacity management, network modelling and data analysis
• A self-starter who brings fresh ideas and rigour to reporting and planning, rather than waiting to be told what's needed
• Articulate and confident presenting recommendations to senior stakeholders
• Someone who asks the right questions rather than making assumptions
• Customs or compliance specialism isn't essential, though comfort picking this up is important

Current data and processes exist but haven't been properly structured or reported, so there's real scope to bring order and influence how the function is run from the ground up. With succession into the Head of Operations role genuinely on the table, this is a platform for someone ready to grow into broader senior leadership.

Whilst we aim to respond to every applicant, due to the high volume of applications this isn't always possible. If you haven't heard from us within three weeks of applying, please assume that your application has unfortunately been unsuccessful on this occasion.