Material Planner

The Role

As Material Planner, you will take responsibility for an allocated portfolio of spare parts, managing stock planning, purchasing and supplier coordination to ensure parts are available when required.

Working across a diverse product portfolio including accessories, retrofit products, exterior and interior trim, made-to-order and bespoke parts, you will work closely with suppliers, purchasing, warehouses, technical teams, aftersales, warranty and other internal stakeholders.

You will also support the wider global dealer network, ensuring parts availability is effectively managed while minimising excess and obsolete inventory.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage material and stock planning across an allocated portfolio of spare parts.
• Forecast requirements and maintain appropriate stock levels to support ongoing demand.
• Manage the purchasing and ordering of parts from external and internal suppliers.
• Work closely with suppliers to monitor availability, lead times and continuity of supply.
• Balance parts availability against stockholding and obsolescence risk.
• Identify potential shortages, supply constraints and excess or obsolete stock, taking appropriate action.
• Coordinate inbound stock requirements with warehouse and logistics partners.
• Work with technical teams to understand changes that could affect future stocking requirements.
• Support after sales, service and warranty campaigns, ensuring required parts are available.
• Support accessories, retrofit, bespoke and made-to-order parts requirements.
• Coordinate parts and materials required by the global dealer network.
• Build strong working relationships across Purchasing, Aftersales, Warranty, Technical, Finance, Marketing and Customer Relations.
• Support and resolve supplier invoice queries relating to parts supplied.
• Help resolve customer and dealer issues where parts availability or supply constraints are involved.

What We’re Looking For

• Ideally, you will have experience within automotive after sales, service/spare parts, material planning, inventory planning, purchasing or a similar supply-chain environment.
• You should be able to demonstrate:
• Strong material, inventory or spare-parts planning experience.
• Experience of purchasing and supplier management.
• Forecasting and stock optimisation experience.
• Understanding of MRP/material planning systems.
• Experience managing stock availability, lead times and supply constraints.
• Good understanding of excess and obsolete inventory management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Confidence working with Excel and planning/reporting systems.
• Excellent supplier and stakeholder management skills.
• The ability to work across multiple teams in a fast-paced, complex environment.
• Experience within automotive aftersales or service parts would be particularly advantageous, although candidates from other complex parts-led environments such as aerospace, aviation or engineering would also be highly relevant.

Why This Opportunity?

This is a long-term contract opportunity with a prestigious luxury automotive client, offering the chance to work within a highly complex global spare-parts operation.

You will be managing a varied product portfolio and working across suppliers, technical teams, warehouses and aftersales functions to ensure the right parts are available in the right quantities while maintaining effective stock levels.