Supply & Inventory Planning Team Leader

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Are you ready to take ownership of Supply & Inventory Planning and play a key role in driving business success? We are looking for a dynamic Supply & Inventory Planning Team Leader to support our UK route to market. We’re looking for a proactive and strategic thinker who thrives on leading others, optimising processes, solving complex challenges, and ensuring seamless service to our Customers.

In this pivotal role you’ll lead our Supply & Inventory Planning Team, responsible for putting the customer at the heart of what we do to “Deliver WOW” in supplying our customers.

You will optimise stock deployment strategies for finished goods and raw materials, work within business policies and known constraints to deliver precision and reliability across the supply chain. You will champion Inventory Management excellence to ensure accuracy and efficiency, minimising risks and maximising opportunities. You will forge powerful partnerships with suppliers to meet supply plans, manage constraints and resolve issues quickly.

This is your chance to excel, identifying and delivering opportunities to “Find a Better Way” with our partners and our internal teams to achieve fantastic service whilst minimising costs and CO2 emissions. Your efforts and leadership will demonstrate we’re truly “Passionate About What We Do” at Nichols by continuously monitoring, optimising and elevating performance within the Supply & Inventory Planning team.

You will have a fantastic opportunity to play a valuable role in our Vimto journey, helping us to ‘Make Life Taste Better’ for everyone!

• Maintaining Stock Accuracy: Ensure flawless record‑keeping with 3PL partners and warehouses, keeping everything traceable and on point.
• Solving Inventory Challenges: Manage inventory risks, balancing supply and demand to avoid excess or shortages while communicating and expediting solutions.
• Ensuring Quality Control: Oversee inbound non‑conformance management, traceability, and stock status management to maintain top‑tier standards.
• Innovate with Insights: Develop supply plan scenarios and sensitivity analysis to support bold and informed business decisions.
• Generating KPIs and Reports: Generate insightful reports, monitor performance, and address any issues with actionable solutions.
• Supporting New Projects: Proactive planning for successful New Product Introductions (NPI) and other business‑critical projects.
• Leading Continuous Improvement: Identify and drive initiatives that cut costs, reduce carbon emissions, and elevate service levels.
• Optimisation: Define and refine inventory parameters to match demand variability and lead times, ensuring agility and accuracy.
• Empowering Your Team: Demonstrate empathetic leadership that inspires, motivates, and develops colleagues while fostering a culture aligned with company values and wellbeing strategies.

• Experience of leading teams within a supply chain environment.
• Management and development of a high‑performing cross‑functional team culture with an emphasis on embedding best practice and continuous learning.
• ERP systems knowledge including MRP, production planning and inventory control systems and processes.
• Production planning, materials requirements planning experience.
• Demonstrated experience of continuous improvement.
• Working within an S&OP/IBP cycle.
• Data visualisation tools capability such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Commercially savvy with a good general supply chain and business understanding.
• Proficiency in creating ‘What if’ scenarios and sensitivity analyses in Excel, driving actionable insights, identifying trends, issues and recommending improvement action.
• An understanding of safety stock calculations, reorder point formulas, and economic order quantity (EOQ) models.

No matter where you work in our business you will be entitled to a range of amazing benefits, here is a snapshot of what we can offer you:

• 25 days holiday (with opportunity to buy extra every year)
• Save as you Earn Share Scheme
• Option to join our private medical cover scheme
• Enhanced Primary Carers leave and sick pay
• Your birthday off work
• Free on site parking
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