Supply Chain Manager Location: Essex Salary: £54,000 to £60,000 benefits Are you an experienced Supply Chain professional with a proven background in production planning, strategic procurement and end-to-end product lifecycle management? Due to continued growth, we’re supporting a cutting-edge manufacturing business in their search for a skilled Supply Chain Manager to lead planning, purchasing, and supplier performance across a complex production operation. Working as part of a lean, collaborative operations team, you will take ownership of ensuring raw materials, finished goods and packaging components are sourced, scheduled and delivered to support both made-to-order and stock-holding manufacturing. You’ll be confident building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and able to deliver products against demanding customer requirements. The Role Reporting into the senior leadership team, you will: Lead a small team across planning and purchasing, motivating through clear communication and objective setting Oversee day-to-day purchasing activities and manage supplier performance using KPIs and SLAs Forecast demand, analyse costs and use MRP tools to support purchasing decisions Plan production across multiple lines to optimise capacity and output Manage sourcing, supplier relationships, contracts and KPI frameworks, driving cost savings and continuity of supply Analyse data to create actionable reports and drive continuous improvement using lean methodologies Implement sustainability considerations across the supply chain, including reporting for industry accreditationsAbout You You will be: A confident communicator with the ability to influence at all levels Experienced in production planning, scheduling and coordinating critical paths Analytical, commercially aware and data-driven Highly organised with strong stakeholder and supplier management capability Adaptable, process-minded and able to lead through changeYou’ll ideally bring experience within production manufacturing within a regulated sector. Strong ERP/MRP experience and advanced Excel capabilities are essential. Team leadership experience — including performance reviews, objective setting, and workload prioritisation — will be key to success. What’s in it for you? A business that is investing in automation and continuous improvement Influence and autonomy to shape processes, efficiency and supplier strategy Clear development pathway within a growing organisationIf you’re a forward-thinking Supply Chain Manager who enjoys improving processes, driving supplier performance and orchestrating complex production demands, we’d love to speak with you