Job Title

Forecast & Business Planning Manager

Ref #

54056

Date posted

Friday, September 12, 2025

Country

United Kingdom

Location

Woking

Business area

Sales

Department

Sales Operations

Position level

Working time

Full Time

Contract type

Permanent

Working pattern

8:30am - 5:30pm Monday to Friday

Salary

TBC

What to Expect

The Forecast and Business Planning Manager is the central architect of McLaren’s short-term sales and production game plan. Reporting to the Head of Operations, Planning & Strategy, this senior role’s purpose is to develop and manage the detailed “in-year” and “next-year” plans that synchronize market demand with production supply. By orchestrating consensus forecasts across regions and aligning them with manufacturing capacity, this manager ensures McLaren can meet its annual sales targets and financial objectives without compromising the exclusivity and pacing that define the brand. In essence, they hold the steering wheel on where the business is going in the near term, making real-time course corrections to guarantee McLaren hits its revenue and volume goals – a direct and major contribution to commercial success.

What You'll Do

Annual and In-Year Volume Planning: Develop and own the short-term strategic business plan for all sales volume metrics – wholesale, retail, and production capacity – for the current year and the next. This plan must ensure that the yearly budget (units and revenue) will be achieved, factoring in global demand, production constraints, and financial imperatives. It involves balancing enthusiasm (aggressive sales targets) with realism (supply chain and market headwinds).
Consensus Demand Management: Lead a global team of Regional Planning Managers (indirectly) through a robust consensus demand process each month. Consolidate input from each region about their market demand and negotiate adjustments such that when combined, it aligns with McLaren’s overall capacity and targets. Ensure that Directors in each area sign off on these forecasts, and prepare the consolidated demand package for executive review and approval. This manager is effectively the “referee” making sure all voices are heard and the final demand is agreed and achievable.
Executive Operational Planning Delivery: Present and deliver the consensus demand at the monthly Executive Operational Planning Meeting. Provide in-depth analysis to leadership – explaining changes from prior forecasts, highlighting risk areas, and justifying the plan. Gain approval for the plan and then own the execution of it, working with all stakeholders to ensure we stay on course.
Optimization of Mix & Margin: Working with the Order Value Steering Manager constantly strive to steer the volume plan for optimal quality, not just quantity. That means aiming for the right mix of models, markets, and options that yield a healthy order bank with target “order tagged” ratios (e.g., enough customer-sold orders vs. retailer stock), optimal retailer stock levels (avoiding overstock or stockouts), strong MSO option penetration, and overall optimized contribution margin per car. Introduce improvements to the planning process to hit these qualitative targets, for instance by scenario-planning different mix outcomes and guiding regions to push certain higher-margin configurations.
AI and Analytics Deployment: Innovate the forecasting process with AI and advanced analytics. Implement new tools or models to enhance forecast accuracy and responsiveness to real-world changes (e.g., use machine learning to predict demand based on historical patterns and external data). Drive adoption of these tools in both MTC and regional planning teams, upskilling them to leverage data science in planning. This is a forward-thinking aspect of the role to keep McLaren’s planning cutting-edge.
Regional Mix & Target Setting: Manage iterative discussions with Regional Directors to agree on country-level and model-level allocations per cycle. Ensure these align with live market demand signals while still meeting the overall global budget requirements. Essentially, allocate the “pie” of global volume into slices per region that make sense both locally and globally. Navigate any contention by offering data-driven rationale for volumes and by listening to regional intelligence (like specific client orders or economic shifts).
Vehicle Allocation Oversight: Lead the vehicle allocation process and systems in collaboration with operations teams. Once a consensus plan is set, ensure that every production slot is assigned to an order or region as appropriate and sequenced to support logistics and wholesale timings. The manager ensures the allocation system reflects the plan – matching production scheduling (taking into account supplier capacities) so that build rates per day align with achieving the monthly and yearly targets. Monitor that regions are filling allocated slots timely (so production isn’t idle and retailers get their cars).
Monthly Wholesale/Retail Management: Manage the monthly car flow – essentially the pacing of wholesale shipments and retail deliveries – to hit interim targets. During monthly sales reviews, provide updates on whether we are ahead/behind and adjust flows accordingly (e.g., pull ahead wholesales if possible to cover a shortfall or hold back if retail is lagging to avoid oversupply). Work closely with regions and the Commercial Operations team to mitigate risks (like a potential shortfall in one region) and maximize opportunities (like extra demand in another), so that global targets are still met even if local conditions vary.
Production Schedule Accuracy & Communication: Monitor production timing data and ensure its accuracy downstream to retailers. If production schedules shift, rapidly adjust the plan and inform regions so they can manage customer expectations. Guarantee that the information on the Retailer Portal about build dates and delivery ETAs is correct (this directly influences customer satisfaction). Essentially, own the handshake between production reality and customer promise.
MDP42 and gateway deliverables: Work hand in hand with the product team to ensure all gateway deliverables are completed on time. Some deliverables will often span a time horizon between commercial operations and product…you will co-ordinate the transition of responsibility as T-minus approaches.
Long Range Planning Integration: Champion the joined-up relationship from Commercial Operations to the wider business functions across Commercial and Engineering to steer long range business planning and the annual business plan. Work closely with the product strategy team to stitch together short term and long-term volumes, market strategy, model/market mix trends, meanwhile owning the FOK to wholesale and Retail methodology.
Cross-Functional Coordination: Coordinate inputs from multiple departments – Production, Supply Chain (Material Control), MSO, Sales, Finance – to underpin robust planning. For example, get updates from supply chain about any parts constraints that could affect production, incorporate MSO’s capacity for bespoke builds into planning, and align with Finance on revenue phasing. Convene and lead pre-OPMs (operational planning meetings) or working groups as needed to align these functions on one plan before the executive meeting.
Management Reporting: Provide continuous management information to the executive team on in-year performance. This includes owning the “current year forecast” figure at all times – updating it monthly or as needed – and explaining variances to budget and prior forecast. Also, coordinate the new model launch planning process for the current year – setting initial volumes for special or new models and tracking pre-order targets and actuals. And at year-end, take the lead in finalising the next year’s budget volume plan in line with business plan guidance, ensuring a smooth handover from final current-year forecast to official budget for next year.
Risk Management: Identify and manage supply-based issues that threaten the plan. If a key market’s demand softens or a supplier issue cuts production, this manager orchestrates a response – maybe reassigning volumes to other markets, or adjusting model mix to use available build slots effectively. They maintain a risk register and mitigation actions (like alternative sourcing or pushing marketing in certain regions) to safeguard monthly and yearly sales delivery.

What You'll Bring

Volume Planning Experience: Extensive experience (8-10+ years) in demand planning, sales forecasting, or business planning for a global automotive company. Ideally, has been directly responsible for aligning sales and production plans. Understands the intricacies of global automotive supply/demand (e.g., lead times, homologation differences by market, etc.).
Global Perspective: Highly detailed technical understanding of automotive sales at a global level. Familiar with how different regions behave (seasonality in Europe vs Middle East, etc.) and how to integrate these into one plan. Knowledgeable about McLaren’s brand and product nuances, or at least the luxury/performance segment, to foresee how certain models might perform relative to others.
Strategic and Operational Balance: Unique mix of strategic thinking and operational execution. Can elevate to see the strategy (ensuring plans meet financial goals and brand direction) and dive deep to detailed Excel models and daily build rates. Able to formulate tactical plans consistent with high-level policy, then also roll up sleeves to implement them month by month.
Leadership & Influence: Proven leadership capability – even if this role doesn’t have a huge direct team, it requires influencing a broad set of stakeholders. Must be comfortable leading meetings with senior regional directors and debating numbers firmly yet diplomatically. Able to “hold their own around the table” with key stakeholders, defending the plan or challenging others with credibility. Good at indirect management, getting cooperation from regional planners who report elsewhere.
Analytical Mastery: Top-notch analytical and numerical skills. Build and maintain complex forecasting models, scenario simulations, and “what-if” analyses. Advanced Excel skills and familiarity with planning software are given. Can quickly turn data into insight – e.g., see trends, identify variance causes. Also adept at business analysis like identifying volume opportunities or efficiency improvements.
Cool Under Pressure: The nature of forecasting is that it’s always wrong to some degree and always under scrutiny. This person should be resilient and adaptable under pressure, handling last-minute changes or executive queries calmly. When targets are threatened, they double down and problem-solve rather than panic. Keeps a positive, “can-do” attitude even in challenging months to rally others to solutions.
Communication & Presentation: Excellent communicator, especially in presenting numbers coherently to non-specialists. Can turn a spreadsheet full of figures into a clear slide explaining the situation. Good at writing succinct commentary on cause/effect for forecast changes. Also assertive in meetings, ensuring decisions and agreements are clearly understood by all.
Passion & Curiosity: Passionate about cars and industry trends, which helps in making intuitive judgment calls beyond what the data says (like sensing an upcoming market shift). Curious about improvements – always looking to refine forecasting techniques, learn new tools, or incorporate new data sources. Challenges the status quo if it could lead to a better way (e.g., championing the use of an AI forecasting tool as mentioned).
Flexibility: Willingness to put in extra hours especially around key planning cycles or month-end, which in automotive can mean some late nights or weekends to nail targets. A flexible approach to working hours demonstrates commitment to delivering results, which is often needed in this role when crunching the final plan adjustments.

AI/Innovation Focus: Innovation is explicitly part of this role – “Innovate and deploy AI analytics and forecasting” is a core accountability. The Forecast and Business Planning Manager is pioneering the integration of machine learning and AI in McLaren’s planning process. They may introduce predictive models that automatically adjust forecasts based on real-time sales data or external indicators (economic trends, Google search interest in McLaren models, etc.). They could champion an AI tool that optimizes allocation – for example, an algorithm that suggests the ideal allocation of limited-production models to markets to maximize global profit. Moreover, this manager will likely use scenario modeling software that can simulate dozens of supply-demand scenarios rapidly (leveraging AI to identify the most probable scenario). They might also harness AI to optimize retailer stock levels, analyzing sell-through rates and recommending inventory moves to where demand is highest. By pushing these innovations, the Forecasting Manager not only improves accuracy but also responsiveness – the plan can adapt faster to changes, guided by AI insights, ensuring McLaren remains agile in hitting its targets despite volatility.

What We'll Do for You

We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:

Structured career development framework
25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
Enhanced company pension scheme
Discretionary annual bonus award
Private medical insurance and health cash plan
Life assurance benefit
Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
Generous parental leave policies
A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice

Who Are We?

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks.

McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.