Sales & Operations Planning Manager

Job Title: Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) Manager

Location: Hybrid – 3 days per week in Farnborough

Contract Length: 6 months

Rate: £900 per day (Umbrella Company)

Role Purpose

The Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) Manager will lead the S&OP function across the Group, ensuring the operational plan effectively delivers the organisation’s strategy and financial performance across people and facilities. This role is accountable for driving a coherent, integrated operational and financial plan through robust demand and supply management, cross‑functional collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Key Accountabilities

• Overall accountability for Sales and Operations Planning across the Group, leading the end‑to‑end S&OP cycle in close collaboration with Finance, Strategy, Growth, and Sector leadership teams.




• Ensure alignment between the operational plan and the financial plan, with consistent assumptions and an agreed, credible baseline.




• Foster collaboration, trust, and a “one‑team” mindset across the organisation, creating an environment of open and effective communication between demand and supply functions.




• Drive delivery and financial performance of the operational plan through effective demand and supply management to achieve strategic and performance targets.
  
  
  
  • Lead the business in achieving high standards of forecasting and demand articulation.

  
  

  • Lead effective supply and capacity planning to ensure projects have the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

  
  

  
  




• Ensure business risks, constraints, and key decisions within the operational plan are visible, understood, and actively managed.




• Monitor, report, and communicate performance against the operational plan, working closely with Sectors to understand variances and support the delivery of improvement actions.




• Own and manage the operational plan baseline, controlling changes and ensuring continued alignment with strategic and financial objectives.




• Provide clear, timely, and high‑quality information that enables effective decision‑making and proactive performance management.




• Own the S&OP process, systems, and tools, driving continuous improvement through lessons learned and best practice.




• Ensure coherence and consistency of data and Resource Breakdown Structures across short‑term work forecast planning, medium‑term capacity planning, and long‑term strategic workforce planning.

Key Capabilities/Knowledge

• Strong leadership capability with a proven ability to build, inspire, and lead high‑performing teams focused on collaboration and continuous improvement.




• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate effectively across a complex, geographically dispersed matrix organisation.




• Strong delivery focus with the confidence to challenge established behaviours and ways of working at all levels.




• Highly developed influencing, negotiating, and relationship‑building skills, with credibility at senior and executive level.




• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging for diverse audiences.




• Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable performing at pace in a dynamic and ambiguous environment.




• Ability to quickly assimilate complex scenarios, identify key drivers and issues, and make sound decisions under pressure and uncertainty.




• High level of IT literacy and the ability to rapidly learn new systems and planning tools.




• Advanced analytical, problem‑solving, and scenario‑modelling capabilities, with an innovative and creative mindset

Experience & Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading Sales and Operations Planning within a large, complex matrix organisation.




• Proven experience working with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, including engagement up to Director level.




• Degree‑level qualification in a subject requiring strong analytical, conceptual, and organisational skills.




• Background in project‑ and resource‑based environments, ideally within Defence, Aerospace, or Nuclear industries.

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