Job Description:

Planning and Purchasing Manager

Location: Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 4EL
Salary: Competitive, DOE
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Benefits: Competitive salary, Private medical insurance, 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, Salary sacrifice pension scheme, Life assurance, State-of-the-art working environment and the Opportunity to shape and influence business growth!

At VACGEN, we're not just manufacturing world-class ultra-high vacuum technology, we're helping to power some of the most ambitious scientific discoveries on the planet.

For more than 60 years, our products have supported pioneering research and innovation for organisations including NASA, CERN, and the European Space Agency.

As we continue to grow, we're looking for an exceptional Planning & Purchasing Manager to join our senior operations team and play a critical role in our next phase of success.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic and commercially-minded leader to take ownership of our planning and purchasing function, driving performance, efficiency, and scalability across a highly specialised advanced manufacturing environment.

The Opportunity

As Planning & Purchasing Manager, you'll lead a talented team of professionals while shaping the processes, systems, and strategies that keep our operations performing at their best.

Working closely with colleagues across Production, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Sales, you'll ensure materials, resources, and schedules align seamlessly to deliver outstanding results for both customers and the business.

This is a highly visible role with genuine influence, offering the opportunity to make a lasting impact on operational performance, supplier partnerships, and future growth.

As our Planning and Purchasing Manager you will:

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing Planning & Purchasing team.
• Drive world-class planning, scheduling, purchasing, and supplier management processes.
• Achieve and maintain exceptional on-time delivery performance from both suppliers and internal operations.
• Build scalable systems and processes to support business growth and increased demand.
• Monitor performance, identify risks, and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strengthen supplier relationships while ensuring cost, quality, and delivery objectives are met.
• Collaborate across departments to align operational priorities and enhance customer satisfaction.
• Contribute to strategic planning, capacity management, and long-term business objectives.
• Provide operational insight and commercial expertise to support senior leadership decision-making.

About You

We're looking for an experienced manufacturing professional who thrives on driving improvement, leading people, and delivering results in a complex engineering environment.

Essential Requirements

• Minimum 5 years' experience in purchasing and planning within a low-volume, high-complexity manufacturing environment.
• At least 5 years' leadership or management experience.
• Proven success in production planning, purchasing, inventory management, and supplier performance.
• Strong track record of leading teams and improving operational performance.
• Experience supporting business growth, transformation, or scale-up initiatives.
• Degree qualified or equivalent industry experience.

What Will Make You Stand Out

• Strong commercial awareness and strategic thinking.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• A proactive, solutions-focused mindset.
• Experience within advanced engineering or high-precision manufacturing sectors.

Why VACGEN

This is more than a management role. It's an opportunity to join a globally respected business whose products make a real difference to scientific advancement around the world.

If you're looking for a leadership position where you can influence strategy, drive change, develop people, and contribute to an exciting growth journey, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today and help shape the future of advanced manufacturing at VACGEN.

No agencies, please