Supply Planner

AKT (pronounced “act”) is The Personal Performance Company that may change your life. Founded by West End stars Ed Currie and Andy Coxon, AKT is by and for those who are “Born to Perform” — on the stage, at work, or in life.

In 2020, The Deodorant Balm made its stunning debut to rave reviews and awards from Vogue, GQ, Esquire, and Harper’s BAZAAR. Plastic-free, aluminium-free, and gender-free, The Deodorant Balm instantly resonated with those looking for a natural deodorant that genuinely worked. Five fragrances and over 200,000 happy armpits later, The Deodorant Balm is already becoming a household name.

To this day, every new AKT product is put through its paces by London’s hard-working theatre community to ensure it lives up to the high standards of its founders. As a rule, AKT’s products don’t break character — ever. It’s this effectiveness that has propelled AKT from the backstage to bathroom cabinets, bedside tables, duffel bags, and carry-on luggage worldwide. And the good news is — the performance is just getting started.

About The Role:

In this fast paced and high-profile role, you will take ownership of AKT’s upstream supply chain operations. With continued international expansion, SKU complexity, and a transition to dual manufacturing, we need a dedicated Supply Planner to lead demand planning, production scheduling, and supplier interface. You will manage the full production lifecycle from forecast through to goods-ready, enabling AKT to scale efficiently while reducing dependency on external support.

As Supply Planner you will play a central role in scaling AKT’s supply operations and supporting growth across categories and markets. As we continue to expand our product offering and market presence, you will be responsible for enabling speed to market, maintaining supply flexibility, and building data-led planning practices that minimise risk and cost. You will work closely with the Logistics Manager to ensure seamless coordination between supply planning, production, and inbound logistics.

Requirements

Demand & Production Planning

● Lead the demand planning process across all SKUs, aligning with sales forecasts, marketing plans, and retail partner schedules.

● Translate demand plans into a rolling production schedule, coordinating with turnkey manufacturing partners (e.g. Pelham).

● Build flexibility into demand and production plans to absorb forecast variation and supply constraints.

● Lead scenario planning to evaluate the impact of demand surges, launch delays, or supplier lead time changes.

● Partner with Finance to support working capital optimisation through smart inventory planning and MOQ analysis.

Supplier & Site Coordination

● Manage supplier relationships, ensuring OTIF performance and risk mitigation across primary manufacturing.

● Own the PO process from forecast approval through to goods-ready at source, including coordination of critical paths and lead time optimisation.

● Support onboarding and operational setup of new manufacturing sites, including initial run planning and volume ramp-up.

● Document and maintain planning SOPs, timelines, and supplier planning calendars.

Cross-Functional & Strategic Alignment

● Collaborate with Product and NPD teams on lifecycle management (e.g. reworks, end-of-line, updates to box design, etc).

● Align with CX, Sales, and Logistics to ensure supply plans support go-to-market timelines and delivery expectations.

● Contribute to long-term supply chain design, including dual manufacturing strategies and regional production hubs.

● Support sourcing decisions and risk management, particularly as FRH and agency resourcing evolves.

Tech & Tools

● Build tools, templates, and processes to improve forecast accuracy, scenario planning, and reporting.

● Partner with data teams to develop planning dashboards and integrate supply data into ERP or inventory systems.

● Evaluate and improve planning systems and tools to support greater accuracy, visibility, and automation.

About You:

● Proven experience in demand planning and production coordination in a consumer product business (ideally omnichannel/D2C/retail).

● Familiarity with turnkey supply models and PO lifecycle management.

● Ability to build tools or work with data teams to produce actionable supply insights.

● Strong supplier communication and coordination skills.

● Comfortable with high levels of change and ambiguity in a growth business.

● Experience in beauty, wellness, or personal care categories (desirable).

● Exposure to international production and multi-market distribution (desirable).

● Working knowledge of inventory platforms like Fulfil or ShipBob (desirable).

Measurements for Success:

● Reliable, accurate 6–12 month demand plan that underpins PO and production decisions.

● Lead time reduction across key components or finished goods.

● Zero stock-outs linked to demand planning or production delays.

● Smooth transition of PO ownership from consultants to internal team.

● Defined supplier contact matrix and escalation process in place.

● Active role in onboarding new manufacturing sites (e.g. US, fragrance manufacturing in Europe).

Benefits

• This is a great opportunity to make a real impact and join the business in its next stage of growth having just launched in the US. 
• Agile Working Policy
• Employee discounts on our products
• Access to perks, deals and discounts via our HR platform
• Funny, kind and inclusive work environment. We are banter, but we get sh*t done. 
• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays (25 + 3 days over Christmas).

If you're a driven and hungry professional with a passion for beauty and sustainability, and you're ready to make a significant impact in a fast-growing start-up, we'd love to hear from you. Join us in redefining personal care while looking after our planet!