# Supply Chain Leader **Company**: McLaren Automotive **Work arrangement**: hybrid **Experience**: senior **Job type**: full-time **Category**: Operations **Industry**: Automotive **Wikidata**: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1351854 **Apply**: https://mclarencareers.mclaren.com/careers/JobDetail/Material-Control-Supply-Planning-Manager/59468?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply **Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_87748b20-5b5 ## Description We are seeking a highly capable supply chain leader who combines strategic thinking with strong operational execution. **Leadership & People Development** - Lead, inspire and develop the Material Control & Planning team, fostering a high-performance culture that embraces accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. - Drive effective hybrid working practices, ensuring productivity, engagement and strong team connectivity. - Promote a “One Team” culture by building strong relationships across the wider Logistics function. - Oversee recruitment, onboarding, coaching, performance management and succession planning, ensuring individuals are empowered to make informed decisions and achieve their full potential. **Material Planning & Supply Chain Operations** - Lead the planning and control of production materials to ensure uninterrupted manufacturing operations. - Manage supplier schedules to optimise material availability while minimising inventory and associated costs. - Ensure parts are available at the Point of Fit (PPoF), supporting build stability and first-time-through manufacturing targets. - Monitor inventory levels, balancing customer demand, operational requirements and cash flow objectives while minimising obsolete and excess stock. **New Model Launch** - Represent Material Control & Planning within cross-functional New Model Launch activities. - Collaborate closely with Engineering, Manufacturing and Programme teams to ensure material readiness for new vehicle introductions. - Provide regular cross-functional reporting on launch readiness, risks and recovery actions. **Supplier Relationship Management** - Build and maintain strong strategic relationships with suppliers across short, medium and long-term planning horizons. - Act as the senior escalation point for supplier performance, capacity constraints and delivery issues. - Drive supplier performance improvement through robust KPI management, business reviews and corrective action plans where required. **Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement** - Foster a culture of innovation by challenging existing processes and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, resilience and service performance. - Lead improvement initiatives from concept through implementation, ensuring measurable business benefits are delivered. - Utilise operational metrics and KPIs to monitor performance, identify trends and support informed decision-making. **Issue Resolution & Risk Management** - Lead the resolution of critical supply chain issues including line stops, supplier shortages, freight disruptions, system constraints and scheduling challenges. - Conduct structured root cause analysis to identify underlying issues and implement sustainable corrective actions that prevent recurrence. - Support commercial discussions relating to supply risk, contracts and recovery planning where required. **Business Partnership** - Develop strong working relationships with key internal stakeholders including Purchasing, Quality, Manufacturing, Legal, Aftersales and McLaren Special Operations (MSO). - Ensure Material Control & Planning requirements are represented throughout business planning and operational decision-making. **Strategic Planning & Financial Management** - Develop and implement long-term material planning strategies aligned to future business growth and product plans. - Ensure the function has the appropriate systems, processes, resources and capability to support future operational requirements. - Analyse complex operational and financial data to support forecasting, investment decisions and cost optimisation initiatives. **What You'll Bring** - Degree-level qualification or equivalent relevant industry experience. - Significant experience in Supply Chain, Material Planning or Logistics within a manufacturing environment (automotive experience desirable). - Proven leadership experience, including leading teams through organisational change and continuous improvement initiatives. - Demonstrated experience managing complex, end-to-end global supply chains. - Strong analytical capability with experience interpreting operational and financial data to drive decision-making. - Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence across all levels of the organisation. - Strong commercial awareness and negotiation capability. - High proficiency in ERP systems (SAP preferred) and Microsoft Office applications. **What We'll Do for You** - Structured career development framework - 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days - Enhanced company pension scheme - Discretionary annual bonus award - Private medical insurance and health cash plan - Life assurance benefit - Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service - Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping - Generous parental leave policies - A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice ## Skills ### Required - Supply Chain - Material Planning - Logistics - Leadership - Strategic Thinking - Operational Execution - ERP systems - Microsoft Office ### Nice to have - Automotive experience - SAP --- Source: [Apply at mclarencareers.mclaren.com](https://mclarencareers.mclaren.com/careers/JobDetail/Material-Control-Supply-Planning-Manager/59468?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)