Operations & Planning Coordinator

Job Description

Operations & Planning Coordinator Salary: £38,000 - £42,000 per annum, depending on experience

Hours:

45 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Location:

Site-based, Gateshead NE10

Contract:

Permanent Reporting to:
Operations Director / Manager

Keep Operations Moving. Coordinate. Problem-Solve. Take Ownership. Are you an experienced operational professional who thrives on keeping multiple moving parts organised? Do you enjoy being at the centre of a busy operation, coordinating people, priorities and deadlines while making sure nothing gets missed? We are recruiting for an experienced Operations & Planning Coordinator to support the smooth day-to-day running of a busy site-based operation.

Sitting at the heart of the site, you will coordinate activity across plant, engineering, transport, commercial, compliance and SHEQ, helping ensure teams are aligned and operational priorities are delivered effectively. This is a varied, hands‑on position split between the office and the yard, making it ideal for someone who enjoys being close to the operation rather than working solely from a desk.

You will need to be highly organised, commercially aware, proactive and confident coordinating multiple teams and competing priorities.

• Coordinating daily production activity with Plant Managers and production teams.
• Working closely with Engineering around plant condition, breakdowns and planned maintenance.
• Coordinating inbound and outbound deliveries with transport, hauliers, suppliers and customers.
• Liaising with Commercial to ensure production remains aligned with customer and sales requirements.
• Working alongside Compliance and SHEQ to ensure operational activities meet company, permit and safety requirements.
• Acting as a first point of contact for operational issues and ensuring actions are followed through.
• Monitoring plant availability, breakdowns and downtime, ensuring issues are accurately recorded and escalated.
• Coordinating labour, shift cover, holidays, absences and agency requirements.
• Maintaining high standards of housekeeping and site presentation.
• Providing operational administration, reporting, meeting actions and documentation.
• Coordinating outbound material movements and ensuring documentation, tonnages and grades are accurate.
• Supporting stock management and communicating available volumes to the Commercial and Finance teams.
• Deputising on routine operational coordination during periods of colleague absence.

Importantly, you don’t necessarily need to have experience in every single aspect of this role. The key requirement is strong operational aptitude and the ability to confidently coordinate people, activity and priorities. You will need:

• Experience coordinating day-to-day activity within an operational environment.
• Strong organisation and communication skills.
• The ability to coordinate across several departments while managing competing priorities.
• Confidence dealing with site teams, contractors, hauliers and customers.
• Strong attention to detail and numeracy skills.
• Good Excel and Outlook skills, alongside the ability to learn new systems quickly.
• A proactive approach and good personal standards.
• A full UK driving licence.

We are interested in hearing from candidates from:
Manufacturing, Waste and Recycling, Production, Processing, Logistics, Transport, Other fast‑paced operational environments.

What matters is that you have strong operational coordination experience, can bring people and priorities together and are comfortable working in a practical, site‑based environment.

If you’re looking for a position where you can develop beyond coordination, this could be a fantastic next step. The role offers a…