Demand Planning Manager - Future Operations Leader
Are you an ambitious professional looking to accelerate your career in operations? Do you want a role where your analytical thinking, commercial awareness and leadership potential can directly influence business performance - while opening the door to future Operations Management opportunities?
Our client is a global leader in professional garment and linen rental services, operating at the forefront of the circular economy. With 80% of group revenue driven by textile solutions and annual investments of several hundred million pounds, optimising cost, quality and customer value is a strategic priority across the Group and within the UK business.
As part of their succession planning and growth strategy, the business is actively seeking high-potential, career-driven individuals who want to grow into senior operational leadership roles. This position is designed to provide the commercial exposure, operational insight and strategic responsibility needed to build a long-term leadership career.
The Opportunity
As Demand Planning Manager, you will take ownership of linen management at site level - ensuring customer product availability while carefully controlling textile investment and delivering measurable financial performance.
Working at the intersection of operations, commercial teams and customer services, you will become the site's centre of expertise for textile configuration, demand planning and utilisation strategy.
This role provides deep operational exposure, giving you the opportunity to understand how a large-scale service operation performs end-to-end - from customer demand forecasting to cost optimisation, operational processes and continuous improvement.
For ambitious individuals with leadership aspirations, this role offers an ideal stepping stone into Operations Management.
Key Responsibilities
· Own and manage linen demand forecasting to ensure optimal customer service levels and stock availability
· Identify risks, trends and opportunities within textile utilisation and agree proactive action plans
· Ensure customers are configured on the correct service models and replenishment levels
· Partner closely with site Operations teams to optimise textile lifecycle management, including compliant rewash and rag-out processes
· Manage and monitor the financial performance of the linen pool against site budgets
· Deliver weekly, monthly and quarterly performance reporting, providing clear commercial insight to site leadership
· Act as the site's centre of knowledge for textile configuration and customer setup within business systems
· Collaborate with Account Management and Customer Services to optimise customer outcomes
· Drive continuous improvement initiatives to maximise textile utilisation and operational efficiency
· Support the site leadership team with data-driven operational decision making
About You
We're looking for individuals who combine analytical capability with leadership potential and who are motivated by building a long-term career in operational leadership.
You will ideally bring:
· Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn data into actionable insight
· Commercial awareness and experience managing or influencing budgets
· Confidence working cross-functionally with operational and commercial teams
· A proactive, improvement-focused mindset
· Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
· Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
· Strong IT capability (MS Office and ERP systems)
· Degree educated or equivalent experience within a customer-focused service environment
· Exposure to continuous improvement or operational optimisation is advantageous
Most importantly, you will be ambitious, curious about operations and motivated to grow into a leadership role.
Career Development & Progression
This role is part of a long-term talent pipeline into Operations Management.
Successful individuals will benefit from:
· Exposure to senior operational leadership
· Involvement in strategic site performance initiatives
· Development of commercial and operational management skills
· Opportunities to progress into Operations Manager and senior leadership roles
The organisation is committed to developing future leaders from within, making this an excellent opportunity for individuals seeking a clear and structured career path.
What's on Offer
· A strategically important role within a growing international organisation
· Exposure to large-scale operational decision making
· High visibility across operations, commercial and leadership teams
· The opportunity to directly influence cost, quality and customer value
· A collaborative, supportive and people-focused culture
· Clear progression opportunities into Operations Management
If you are commercially sharp, operationally curious and motivated by building a leadership career within a fast-paced, operational environment, we would love to hear from you.
Barker Ross Group values diversity and promotes equality. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate against any of the protected characteristics that fall under the Equality Act 2010. We encourage and welcome applications from all sections of society and are more than happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and/or additional arrangements as required to support your application.
For the purposes of the Conduct Regulations 2003, when advertising permanent vacancies we are acting as an Employment Agency, and when advertising temporary/contract vacancies we are acting as an Employment Business