Operational Planning Manager

Job content

At M&G our vision is: to become the best loved and most successful savings and investment businessand we’re looking for people who are excited about joining us on our journey. We’re digitally transforming and investing heavily in technology and innovation to develop new and improved customer propositions that really raise the bar for our customers. To help us achieve our vision we’re looking for exceptional people who live our values and behaviours and who can inspire others; embrace change; deliver results and keep it simple.

We know that an inclusive environment makes us more accessible and ensures we attract, engage, promote and retain exceptional people. We welcome applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity/nationality, disability, or military service and welcome those who have taken career breaks. We will consider flexible working arrangements or home working arrangements for any of our roles and also offer work place accommodations to ensure you have what you need to effectively deliver in your role.

What You Can Expect From Us

We are committed to creating an environment where you can be exceptional at all you do. To help us deliver this, we promise to:

• Challenge Your Limits by creating a stimulating working environment and providing opportunities for you to be involved in meaningful and challenging work
• Support Your Aspirations with a commitment to learning and development that helps you achieve and build your experience with people who want you to succeed
• Value Your Input whereby leaders and managers will involve you in key decisions, listen to your thoughts and recognise the important contribution you make
• Balance Your Life through a work life partnership that focuses on making this an inclusive, diverse and friendly place to work and offers the flexibility and support that enables everyone to be at their best
  

How Do We Support Our Employees

All M&G plc employees will be supported in the workplace through our M&G Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). If you need counselling, confidential financial or legal advice. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and offers access to qualified professionals who can provide specialist information, advice and support on many issues. It offers a broad range of services, including help with family issues, maintaining work/life balance and mental health support.

The Role: Operational Planning Manager (Hybrid working - Edinburgh or Stirling or Reading or London)

Reporting to the Head of Operational Planning, you’ll be joining the Retail and Savings Operational Planning team, helping us shape the future of our Operational Planning framework. This is a hands on role, working collaboratively with our third party suppliers, where the successful candidate will have a genuine impact on the business. Focusing on the production and improvement of the Operational Plans that delivers an accurate view of the organisations future position. Responsible for the rigour of the rolling tactical resourcing plans for back and / or front office (voice) planning, ensuring that our stakeholders understand risks and opportunities within the plans. There are two roles available, one Back Office Planning Manager and one hybrid Voice and Back Office Planning Manager. The plans will enable the operational teams to deliver improved customer experiences in line with our agreed SLA’s.

The Operational Planning Managers will be responsible for a number of plans, where they will become the SMEs in the Operational Planning Space. Working closely with our Data, Reporting and Performance teams, recommendations should be made as to the risks in the plan alongside the provision of planning insights on a continual improvement basis.

Key Work Level Accountabilities

• For technical specialists, accountable for delivering expert advice or service, using specialist knowledge and subject matter expertise
• Applies judgement to deliver outcomes, evaluating a range of potential solutions, considering the impact for customers, cost and risk
• Manages conflicts that may impact delivery
• Challenges upwards given knowledge of delivery and awareness of complex systems and the broader picture
• Identifies and anticipates need for changes to continuously improve quality and efficiency of output
• Manages resources and risks using expert judgment, know-how and experience
  

Key Responsibilities For This Role

• Responsible for oversight and the supporting of a third party Operational Planning partner, ensuring a joint understanding of the risks in our plans, and collaborating on assumptions and mitigations agreed across our stakeholders
• Develop and maintain a detailed understanding of all factors influencing current and future business demand across our operational areas.
• Maintain a detailed understanding of all factors influencing current and future supply of our capacity used in the delivery of our operations.
• Understand how current and forecast performance compare to agreed KPI’s.
• Ensure visibility of any known factors that might impact operational capability.
• The role holder will have a hands on approach to reviewing and maintaining the plans whist agreeing and understanding the context behind planning methods and proposed changes to the plans.
• Analysis and interpretation of variances to plan, providing root cause analysis, explaining deviations to our partners and Service Performance teams.
• Investigate unexpected trends and ensure that there is a high degree of integrity in the data used for planning.
• Turn analysis into insightful and business impacting recommendations, gaining buy-in and influencing changes necessary to improve planning process delivering trackable customer improvements.
• Work with other teams across the business to ensure best possible business and customer outcomes.
  

Key Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Previous experience in an Operational Planning Manager role.
• Experience in demand forecasting techniques
• Experience in capacity forecasting techniques i.e. gross capacity capture, applied shrinkage, net capacity calculations, unit times calculations, productivity calculations, overall closure calculations etc.
• Ability to draw on inferred relationships between Planning, Workflow and Allocation.
• Able to effectively communicate and make recommendations in an environment of multiple and conflicting demands to mitigate service and/or risks in the plans.
• Experience of using Excel and Power BI at a moderate to high level with basic data analysis and data manipulation skills
  

Desirable Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Degree in a suitable subject (Mathematics, Statistics, Business Management or similar).
• Experience of data modelling and analysis techniques.
• Previous experience in oversight activity.
  

Work Level: Experienced Colleague

Recruiter Name: Chloe Murphy

We live by four behaviours at M&G and we ask all our employees to:

• Inspire Others - Support and encourage each other, creating an environment where everyone can contribute and succeed
• Embrace Change - Be open to change, willing to be challenged and able to adapt quickly and imaginatively to new ideas
• Deliver Results - Focus on outcomes, set high standards and deliver with energy and determination
• Keep it Simple - Cut through complexity and bureaucracy, be clear and decisive and never overcomplicate things