Supply Chain Manager ll

Synthomer is a leading supplier of high-performance, highly specialised polymers and ingredients that play vital roles in key sectors such as coatings, construction, adhesives, and health and protection - growing markets that serve billions of end users worldwide. Headquartered in London, UK and publicly listed there since 1971, we employ c.3,900 employees across our 5 innovation centres of excellence and more than 29 manufacturing sites across Europe, North America and Asia. Around 20% of our sales volumes are from new and patent protected products.

At our innovation centres of excellence in the UK, Germany, China, Malaysia and Ohio, USA we collaborate closely with our customers to develop new products and enhance existing ones tailored to their needs, with an increasing range of sustainability benefits. Since 2021, we have been proud holders of the London Stock Exchange Green Economy Mark, which recognises green technology businesses making a significant contribution to a more sustainable, low-carbon economy.

Position Summary

The Supply Chain Manager oversees end-to-end supply chain operations within a chemical manufacturing environment, ensuring efficient planning, sourcing, production scheduling, logistics, and inventory management. This role is responsible for leading the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process, optimizing material and product flows, and partnering closely with operations, commercial, procurement, and cross-functional teams to support safe, reliable, and cost-effective site performance.

Key Responsibilities

Integrated Business Planning (IBP)

• Lead and facilitate the monthly IBP/S&OP process, ensuring alignment of demand, supply, and financial targets for 2-year horizon.
• Develop scenario analyses and capacity reviews to support strategic decision-making.

Master Production Scheduling (MPS)

• Create and maintain detailed master production schedules aligned with forecast, capacity, and raw material availability.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and maintenance teams to optimize production campaigns and minimize downtime.

Raw Material Planning

• Ensure timely and cost-efficient procurement of raw materials through close coordination with procurement and suppliers.
• Monitor material availability risks and develop mitigation plans to support uninterrupted operations.
• Manage & develop team of raw material planners to achieve targeted finished good and raw material inventory levels.

Logistics Planning & Execution

• Oversee inbound and outbound logistics, including transportation scheduling, carrier management, and export compliance.
• Drive efficiency in freight cost, warehousing, and distribution processes while ensuring adherence to regulatory and safety requirements.

Inventory Planning & Management

• Develop and execute inventory strategies to maintain optimal working capital levels while ensuring supply reliability.
• Monitor safety stock, cycle counts, and inventory accuracy across all storage locations.

Supply Chain KPIs & Metrics Reporting

• Define, track, and report key supply chain performance indicators (OTTR & OTTP, Inventory vs Target by FG & RM, Schedule Attainment, Production Performance vs Plan, Slow-Moving & Off-Spec inventory vs target).
• Use data-driven insights to identify improvement opportunities and lead continuous improvement initiatives.

Cross-Functional & Commercial Business Partnering

• Serve as the primary liaison between supply chain, commercial teams, operations, and finance.
• Support product launches, customer commitments, and strategic projects with accurate supply and capacity information.

Support to Site Operations

• Provide daily and long-term planning support to manufacturing sites, ensuring alignment of resources, materials, and schedules.
• Participate in site meetings, root-cause analyses, and operational excellence initiatives.

What do you bring to the role?

• Bachelor’s degree or 10+ years’ experience
• 5+ years of experience in Supply Chain, Customer Service, or Operations
• Expertise in Master Production Scheduling across multiple plants.
• Strong knowledge of ERP tools, including but not limited to SAP S/4HANA, SAP Analytics Cloud, Arkieva, Power BI, & Salesforce
• Ability to analyze production constraints and develop optimized scheduling solutions to meet service level, inventory, and capacity goals.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills for complex scenario planning
• Proven ability to drive process improvements or system enhancements
• Leadership and coaching capabilities to manage, develop, and mentor and team of schedulers to foster a high-performance culture
• Strong decision-making skills, prioritization, and ability to manage multiple tasks under tight deadlines

Global Benefits Overview

• Competitive, market-aligned compensation

• Discretionary global bonus scheme

• Discretionary Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) - for senior positions

• Company car or car allowance - varies by region and role

• Healthcare - tailored to regional locations

• Parental leave and family support - maternity, paternity, adoption (aligned with regional policies)

• Working options - flexibility where it matters, based on role and business needs

• Learning & development opportunities - training, online platforms, buddy/mentorship programs, Internal Synthomer University with L&D offers

• Wellbeing support - employee assistance program (EAP), mental health resources, wellbeing initiatives

• Retirement / pension contributions - plans vary by country

• Culture of Inclusion - where everyone can thrive

• Performance culture, global reward & recognition programmes