A fantastic opportunity for a Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) Manager has arisen to join a leading defence and advanced technology organisation at a highly strategic UK site. You'll operate at group level, owning and driving the S&OP framework across a complex matrix business, working closely with finance, strategy and senior leadership to deliver strong operational and financial performance.
This is a highly visible role, ideal for a senior S&OP professional who thrives on influencing at director level, driving alignment, and embedding best‑in‑class planning processes across a large organisation.
Role - Sales & Operations Planning Manager (S&OP Manager)
Location - Farnborough (hybrid working, minimum 3 days onsite per week)
Type - Permanent position
Salary - Competitive + benefits
Key responsibilities of the Sales & Operations Planning Manager / S&OP Manager role include but are not limited to:
Holds full accountability for the end‑to‑end S&OP process across the group, ensuring alignment between operational, financial and strategic plans.
Leads effective demand and supply planning to ensure the business has the right capability and capacity in place to deliver projects successfully.
Drives financial and delivery performance through robust operational planning, risk management and decision‑making processes.
Ensures the operational plan is coherent, agreed and based on consistent assumptions across finance, strategy and delivery teams.
Owns the baseline operational plan and manages changes to ensure continued alignment with strategy and financial targets.
Monitors, reports and communicates performance of the operational plan, working with business sectors to identify issues and drive improvement actions.
Ensures risks and key decisions within the operational plan are clearly understood and actively managed.
Owns the S&OP systems, tools and governance framework, driving continuous improvement and lessons‑learnt activity.
Builds strong, trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across the organisation, influencing at director level and above.
Key skills and experience required for the Sales & Operations Planning Manager / S&OP Manager role include but are not limited to:
Extensive experience leading Sales & Operations Planning within a large, complex, matrix organisation.
Proven ability to operate and influence across a wide stakeholder group, up to and including director level.
Strong leadership capability with experience building, motivating and inspiring high‑performing teams.
Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation and influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge established behaviours and ways of working.
Strong commercial and operational mindset, with the ability to balance strategic objectives and day‑to‑day delivery.
Degree‑level qualification in a numerate, analytical or business‑focused discipline (or equivalent experience).
Comfortable working with geographically dispersed teams in a collaborative, fast‑paced environment.
This role is based at a highly advanced UK technology site and offers hybrid working, with a minimum average onsite attendance of three days per week. Due to the nature of the work, security clearance eligibility (SC as a minimum) is required.
To apply for this Sales & Operations Planning Manager / S&OP Manager / Head of S&OP / Senior S&OP Manager / Operations Planning Manager role, candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK and meet the relevant security clearance requirements