Material Control & Supply Planning Manager

What to Expect

McLaren Automotive is seeking an experienced and inspirational Material Control & Supply Planning Manager to lead a high-performing team responsible for ensuring the seamless flow of materials across our manufacturing operations.

Reporting to the Head of Material Control & Planning, you will play a key leadership role within the Logistics Leadership Team, driving operational excellence across material planning, inventory management and supplier scheduling. You will ensure the right materials are available at the right time while optimising inventory levels and supporting world-class manufacturing performance.

Leading a team of material planners and controllers, you will champion continuous improvement, develop strategic supplier relationships, and build a culture focused on delivering our mission:

Right part. Right place. Right time. Every time.

• Lead, inspire and develop the Material Control & Planning team, fostering a high-performance culture that embraces accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Drive effective hybrid working practices, ensuring productivity, engagement and strong team connectivity.
• Promote a "One Team" culture by building strong relationships across the wider Logistics function.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, coaching, performance management and succession planning, ensuring individuals are empowered to make informed decisions and achieve their full potential.

• Lead the planning and control of production materials to ensure uninterrupted manufacturing operations.
• Manage supplier schedules to optimise material availability while minimising inventory and associated costs.
• Ensure parts are available at the Point of Fit (PPoF), supporting build stability and first-time-through manufacturing targets.
• Monitor inventory levels, balancing customer demand, operational requirements and cash flow objectives while minimising obsolete and excess stock.

• Represent Material Control & Planning within cross-functional New Model Launch activities.
• Collaborate closely with Engineering, Manufacturing and Programme teams to ensure material readiness for new vehicle introductions.
• Provide regular cross-functional reporting on launch readiness, risks and recovery actions.

• Build and maintain strong strategic relationships with suppliers across short, medium and long-term planning horizons.
• Act as the senior escalation point for supplier performance, capacity constraints and delivery issues.
• Drive supplier performance improvement through robust KPI management, business reviews and corrective action plans where required.

• Foster a culture of innovation by challenging existing processes and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, resilience and service performance.
• Lead improvement initiatives from concept through implementation, ensuring measurable business benefits are delivered.
• Utilise operational metrics and KPIs to monitor performance, identify trends and support informed decision-making.

Lead the resolution of critical supply chain issues including line stops, supplier shortages, freight disruptions, system constraints and scheduling challenges.

Conduct structured root cause analysis to identify underlying issues and implement sustainable corrective actions that prevent recurrence.

Support commercial discussions relating to supply risk, contracts and recovery planning where required.

Develop strong working relationships with key internal stakeholders including Purchasing, Quality, Manufacturing, Legal, Aftersales and McLaren Special Operations (MSO).

Ensure Material Control & Planning requirements are represented throughout business planning and operational decision-making.

Develop and implement long-term material planning strategies aligned to future business growth and product plans.

Ensure the function has the appropriate systems, processes, resources and capability to support future operational requirements.

Analyse complex operational and financial data to support forecasting, investment decisions and cost optimisation initiatives.

We re looking for a highly capable supply chain leader who combines strategic thinking with strong operational execution.

You will ideally have:

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent relevant industry experience.
• Significant experience in Supply Chain, Material Planning or Logistics within a manufacturing environment (automotive experience desirable).
• Proven leadership experience, including leading teams through organisational change and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, end-to-end global supply chains.
• Strong analytical capability with experience interpreting operational and financial data to drive decision-making.
• Excellent…