National Sales & Operational Planning Manager

Position: National Sales & Operational Planning Manager
National Sales & Operational Planning Manager

Job introduction

We’re looking for an exceptional National Sales & Operational Planning Manager to lead and transform our end‑to‑end Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning process across the UK.This is a high‑impact, enterprise‑level role sitting at the intersection of commercial strategy, operational execution and financial performance.

As the national owner of Sales & Operational Planning, you’ll unify planning across the organisation, removing regional silos and embedding a robust, data‑driven framework that supports smarter decision‑making at executive level.

Working closely with senior leaders across commercial, operations, supply chain and finance, you’ll play a critical role in unlocking significant value while shaping how the business plans, balances and performs at scale.

What you’ll be doing

In this role, you’ll take full accountability for the national Sales & Operational Planning agenda and how it drives performance across the business.

Key responsibilities include:

Leading the national Sales & Operational Planning cycle, from demand forecasting through to executive decision‑making, ensuring alignment between sales plans, capacity, inventory and financial targets.
Orchestrating cross‑functional collaboration, bringing together commercial, operations, supply chain and finance leaders to reconcile gaps, assess risk and agree trade‑offs at both pre‑Sales & Operational Planning and executive Sales & Operational Planning forums.
Optimising the national spine and supply network, overseeing capacity reviews, footprint analysis and production planning to maximise efficiency, service and resilience.
Driving data‑led insight and governance, establishing strong forecast accuracy standards and using tools such as Anaplan and Power BI to create clear, compelling executive dashboards and MD summary packs.
Delivering measurable financial impact, tracking planned versus actual performance and identifying opportunities that generate significant EBITDA improvement year on year.
Building credibility with senior leaders, confidently communicating complex scenarios and influencing decisions in a fast‑paced, high‑stakes environment.
Embedding process excellence and continuous improvement, strengthening KPIs, stage‑gate discipline and national ways of working across the Sales & Operational Planning operating model.
Leading change at scale, playing a key role in the transition from regional to national Sales & Operational Planning, building capability and ensuring lasting adoption of new processes and behaviours.

What we are looking for

We’re seeking a senior Sales & Operational Planning professional with the gravitas, analytical depth and influencing skills to operate at enterprise level. You’ll bring:

Deep Sales & Operational Planning / Integrated Business Planning expertise, with a strong grasp of demand and supply planning best practice within complex, multi‑site environments.
Strong commercial and financial acumen, including a clear understanding of P&L dynamics, EBITDA drivers and the levers that impact overall business performance.
Advanced analytical capability, with experience using planning platforms (such as Anaplan), BI tools (Power BI / Tableau) and advanced Excel to turn data into action.
Exceptional stakeholder influence, able to distil complexity into clear executive narratives and challenge senior leaders constructively without formal authority.
Broad supply chain and operations knowledge, covering capacity planning, inventory optimisation, logistics networks and production scheduling.
Proven change and transformation experience, with a structured, disciplined approach to implementation, governance and benefit realisation.
A strategic yet hands‑on mindset, comfortable moving between big‑picture thinking and operational detail, and thriving in ambiguous, high‑pressure situations.

A degree in business, supply chain, operations, engineering or a related field is expected, with formal Sales & Operational Planning / IBP or Lean qualifications seen as an advantage.

Experience with in building materials, construction products or heavy industry would be beneficial but…