Production and Raw Materials Planner
Inspired Pet Nutrition · Thirsk, North Yorkshire
Our estimate of how close this role sits to decisions about what gets sourced, specified, bought and served. How we score
Why this role matters
Where the work sits relative to real sourcing and menu decisions.
Pet food is manufactured substantially from animal by-products and meat, so materials flowing through this desk connect indirectly to farmed animal supply chains, but this role's scope is logistics and scheduling rather than sourcing standards. There is no evident lever here over what welfare requirements suppliers must meet, or what ingredients get specified in the first place. What this role builds is genuine credibility in FMCG planning, supplier relationship management and materials flow inside a major pet food manufacturer — skills and industry relationships that could be a stepping stone toward a category or sourcing role with real standing over ingredient specifications and supplier welfare requirements later on. Treat it as a bridge into the industry rather than a seat with direct influence over animal outcomes today.
About the role
Inspired Pet Nutrition, a pet food manufacturer with brands including Harringtons, Wagg, Barking Heads, Meowing Heads, AATU, Blink, Butcher's, Classic, Pro-Nutrition and Ultra Premium Direct, is recruiting a Production and Raw Materials Planner for its Thirsk manufacturing site, arising from an internal promotion. The role sits within the Planning team and is described as central to the business: building production plans and schedules that keep stock and customer service on target, and buying the materials needed to deliver them, organising production around customer demand and site capability. The postholder issues production plans and commits raw materials, finished goods and stock, working closely with operations, commercial and finance teams, building supplier relationships to keep materials flowing, and flagging risk early with practical solutions, with scope to review and improve surrounding processes. Key responsibilities include using planning systems to convert sales forecasts into achievable production plans, schedules and material plans balancing customer service and operational capability; managing risk within the plan, amending schedules where practical, and escalating dropped production; sharing forecasts with suppliers and resolving materials availability issues with them; managing ongoing communication with operations teams on schedule changes; proposing and implementing continuous improvements in their own area; monitoring plan attainment by work centre and escalating root causes to management; translating production plans into material requirements and converting them into supplier purchase orders; managing material stocks above agreed minimum levels and escalating supply shortfalls; and scoping and defining the processes needed to work effectively in the role, aligning with operations, finance and commercial teams and continually reviewing them. Candidates should have planning experience gained in a fast-paced FMCG or manufacturing environment, experience working across a wide SKU range with both short and long lead-time materials, confidence converting sales forecasts into workable production, schedule and material plans using a planning system, an analytical approach to problem solving, clear communication with operations teams and suppliers, and good IT skills including intermediate Microsoft Excel. The role is permanent, based on-site at Thirsk, North Yorkshire, with a competitive salary. Benefits include an annual bonus of up to 10% tied to personal and company performance, enhanced pension, life assurance, enhanced maternity/paternity/sick pay, holiday buy options, "paw-reavement" and "paw-ternity" leave, bringing your dog to work, a healthcare cashback plan, Hertility at-home fertility testing, discounted pet food and lifestyle benefits (Netflix, Spotify, breakdown cover), retail and gym discounts, an electric car scheme, free onsite parking and EV charging, and an onsite canteen with free hot drinks.
This is an extract. Read the full advert on the employer's site.
How to position yourself
The language that lands with hiring managers in this kind of role.
Position this as building supply chain resilience and materials risk management expertise in a major FMCG manufacturing environment, emphasising your ability to manage supplier relationships and mitigate stock risk under pressure. Build toward a future sourcing or category role by developing procurement vocabulary (CIPS) and paying close attention to how raw material specifications and supplier standards are set elsewhere in the business, as a step toward roles with more direct influence over those decisions.
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