MATERIAL RESOURCE PLANNER

Business Unit Purpose

To support culinary and production operations by ensuring the efficient availability, traceability, and management of raw materials, packaging, and disposables, enabling uninterrupted service delivery for airline and non-airline catering operations.

Job Purpose

To ensure the timely planning, scheduling, and coordination of materials, supporting uninterrupted production and operational efficiency in research, development, and large-scale catering workshops.

Key Result Areas

Forecast material requirements based on production schedules, menu plans, and usage trends to ensure an uninterrupted supply of ingredients and packaging.
Monitor raw materials, packaging, and disposables inventory, initiating replenishment to avoid shortages or overstocking.
Coordinate with production and culinary teams to align material availability with meal volumes, last-minute schedule changes, and airline-specific requirements.
Validate incoming materials for quantity, shelf life, quality, and storage compliance before releasing to production.
Maintain accurate Bills of Materials (BoMs) in ERP to ensure correct ingredient usage and minimise errors during execution.
Create and manage ERP requisitions and reservations to ensure timely staging and material readiness for kitchen and assembly operations.
Track material consumption during production runs, analyse variances, and provide insights to improve demand planning, reduce waste, and support cost efficiency.
Ensure full material traceability by maintaining records of batch codes, expiry dates, and supplier information for audit and food safety compliance.
Liaise with Procurement and Standards & Specifications teams to escalate urgent material requirements, resolve discrepancies, and support timely inbound logistics.
Collaborate with Quality Assurance to isolate, report, and escalate non-conforming, expired, or damaged materials before they affect production.

Job Context

This role ensures the timely availability and accurate traceability of raw materials, packaging, and disposables critical to airline catering operations. The position requires close coordination with production, culinary, procurement, and quality teams to adapt to changing schedules, menu updates, and operational demands. By maintaining ERP accuracy, reducing waste, and safeguarding food safety compliance, the role plays a vital part in ensuring production continuity and operational excellence in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

Knowledge, Skills & Minimum Experience

Education

Bachelor*s degree in Hospitality, Business Administration, or a related field

Work Experience

Minimum 4 years in materials planning, inventory management, or a similar role within aviation, hospitality, or food service industries

Skills

Strong knowledge of materials planning, inventory control, and procurement processes
Proficiency in ERP systems and database management
Understanding of menu engineering, yield testing, and sensory evaluation workflows (preferred)
Advanced Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and data analysis skills
Strong coordination and stakeholder communication abilities
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to multitask and meet tight deadlines
Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving and analytical capabilities