Production Planner in Birmingham, West Midlands

Production Planner
West Midlands | £30k - £33k | Hybrid Working – 60/40 Split | Monday–Friday

25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays | Company Pension | Free Parking

Ballantine Recruitment has been appointed to recruit a Production Planner for an established UK drinks manufacturer.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a well-established manufacturing business with a collaborative culture, strong operational standards and a clear focus on continuous improvement.

Working within an experienced planning function, you will play a key role in ensuring production is aligned with customer demand, manufacturing capacity, material availability and wider supply chain requirements.

The Role

As Production Planner, you will support both short- and long-term production planning across the business.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Preparing and maintaining short- and long-term production plans
• Scheduling production to optimise line performance and minimise downtime
• Responding to forecast changes and updating plans accordingly
• Reviewing ingredient and material availability before implementing production changes
• Working closely with Production Managers to resolve potential supply issues
• Monitoring stock levels, warehouse capacity and production requirements
• Supporting customer forecasting and promotional planning
• Identifying and escalating potential supply chain risks
• Supporting NPD launches by ensuring production capacity and planning requirements are in place
• Working cross-functionally with Planning, Supply Chain, Operations, Commercial and NPD teams
• Contributing to continuous improvement across planning and supply chain processes

About You

We are looking for a highly organised and commercially aware individual who is comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

You will ideally bring:

• Experience within production planning, supply chain, materials planning or a related discipline
• Strong numerical and analytical skills
• Intermediate Excel capability
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Strong attention to detail
• The ability to manage multiple priorities effectively
• A proactive and solutions-focused approach
• The confidence to challenge constructively when required
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills

Experience within FMCG, food, drink or manufacturing would be highly relevant, although strong transferable planning experience will also be considered.

Culture & Values

The business places a strong emphasis on collaboration, integrity and continuous improvement.

They value people who are:

• Ambitious and motivated to develop
• Responsible and accountable in their approach
• Authentic and professional in how they work with others
• Comfortable working as part of one team
• Commercially aware and customer-focused
• Resilient and effective under pressure
• Proactive in identifying opportunities to improve ways of working

You will be encouraged to contribute ideas, build strong relationships across the business and play an active role in supporting the wider planning and supply chain function.

The Opportunity

This role offers broader exposure than traditional production scheduling alone.

You will gain experience across:

• Production and manufacturing
• Forecasting and demand
• Materials and supply chain
• Inventory and capacity planning
• Customer requirements
• New product development launches
• Cross-functional planning and commercial decision-making

For someone looking to develop a long-term career within Planning or Supply Chain, this role provides strong exposure and an excellent platform for progression.

Package

£31,827 salary

Hybrid working – 60/40 split

Monday–Friday office hours

25 days’ holiday + bank holidays

Company pension

Free on-site parking

If you are currently working within Production Planning, Supply Chain Planning, Materials Planning, Demand Planning or Manufacturing Planning and are considering your next career move, we would be keen to hear from you.

For a confidential conversation, contact Ballantine Recruitment.