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Planning Manager - Dartford
Contract: 9 months (Possible Extension) | Start Date: 1st February 2026
Hours: 37.5 per week | Working Hours: 08:45 - 16:45 | Home Working: Not Available
Pay: Up to 50,000 per year / 25.63 per hour
Thrive Group is representing an exciting manufacturing organisation in Dartford who are looking for a Planning Manager to join their site. This role is pivotal in ensuring consistent delivery of customer orders while optimising inventory and production planning processes.
What You'll Do:
Own and manage the site planning process, from 0-13 week Master Production Schedules to 3-24 month Sales & Operations Planning.
Oversee inventory management, including stock levels, slow-moving items, short-dated and expired stock.
Develop and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers and manage customer-owned inventory.
Lead the Customer Service team, ensuring proactive engagement and communication with customers.
Implement process improvements to drive efficiency and effectiveness in planning and scheduling.
Monitor and report KPIs to ensure planning and inventory processes are operating effectively.
Contribute as an active member of the site leadership team, promoting a culture of safety, quality, compliance, and collaboration.
Who You Are:
Experienced in managing planning processes in a manufacturing environment, ideally within pharmaceuticals or fast-moving goods.
Knowledgeable about cGMP, regulatory compliance, and manufacturing standards is highly desirable.
Strong leadership skills with the ability to communicate at all levels and influence cross-functional teams.
A proactive self-starter with a continuous improvement mindset and a commercial, problem-solving approach.
Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, pressurised environment, making data-driven decisions, and managing multiple priorities.
Education & Experience:
Proven track record in manufacturing planning, ideally in make-to-order operations.
Experience managing small teams is a plus, but not essential.
Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain long-term customer relationships, internationally if required.
Personal Qualities:
Tenacious, detail-oriented, and persistent.
Innovative thinker with strong analytical skills.
Commercially astute and able to balance strategy with practical execution.
Acts as a role model for organisational values and behaviours.
This is an exciting opportunity to take ownership of planning and inventory processes in a dynamic, regulated manufacturing environment. If you thrive in driving efficiency, building relationships, and making a tangible impact on operations, we want to hear from you.
Location: Dartford | Contract: 9 months (with potential extension) | Apply Today via Thrive Group!
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