Central Planning Manager

Job Description

At OVO, we are on a mission to solve one of humanity's biggest challenges, the climate crisis. And we know it takes all of us to change the world. That's why we need diverse people from all abilities, gender identities, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, life experiences and backgrounds to join us.

Teamworking for the planet

Everything we do here spins around Plan Zero. So, naturally, the team you'll be joining plays a gigantic role in making that happen. Here's how:

You'll be working as part of the Central Planning Team within OVO Retail and will be at the heart of enabling the planning for customers for the Ovo business . You'll champion customers excellence and be empowered to make a difference on a global scale through enabling our Plan Zero objectives.

You'll work as part of the Resource Planning Team reporting to the Senior Central Planning Manager and help develop world-class plans that challenge the business to keep moving forward and work across our wider function and our Operations stakeholders to deliver our collective goals.

This role in a nutshell

You'll be responsible for developing standardisation for COO estate, operational build and management of Supply & Demand plans across functional areas. Supported by Planning Analysts, you'll ensure delivery of robust end to end planning solutions from 15 minutes through to long range projections, that will enable the successful delivery of Ovos business objectives . With responsibility for delivering solutions that protect operational service levels, managing against agreed budget envelopes auditing & monitoring any variance drivers in order to react and plan accordingly.

You'll be tasked with building rigor in planning, accurately forecasting supply & demand, and ensuring resource requirements & staffing solutions are defined to ensure Ovo Energy delivers world class service to its customer base. You'll also be be proactive and collaborate on key change initiatives , migrations, product launches, partnering to ensure flawless execution of the plan and attainment of our agreed KPIs

Your key outcomes will be

Strategic Forecasting & Financial Management

• Model Optimization: Assess, improve, and maintain robust supply and demand models using best-in-class statistical methodologies to drive accuracy and optimize operating expenses.
• Budgeting & Re-forecasting: Deliver annual budget outlooks and monthly re-forecasts in alignment with the Ovo Planning Cycle, maintaining rigorous audit tracking for all variances.
• Financial Accountability: Present monthly financial "walk-downs" to senior leadership, clearly articulating the root causes of variances against previous budgets.

Operational Alignment & Execution

• End-to-End Planning: Ensure tactical intraday and strategic forecasts are seamlessly aligned, optimizing shift patterns to match Time-of-Day (ToD) demand and secure operational SLAs.
• Partner Coordination: Package and share accurate forecasting data with internal deployment teams and external OSP partners to facilitate efficient scheduling.
• Risk Mitigation: Proactively identify operational risks, collaborate with stakeholders to build mitigation plans, and maintain meticulous historical performance records.

Stakeholder Business Partnering & Insight

• Data Storytelling: Translate complex data and operational metrics into clear, compelling performance insights for senior leadership and key stakeholders.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Business Readiness, project teams, and wider Ovo Care departments to capture critical inputs for the forecasting and resourcing process.
• Strategic Challenge: Build trusted relationships with senior operational leaders, acting as a strategic business partner who can constructively challenge assumptions when necessary.

Resource & Capacity Management

• Capacity Ownership: Drive resourcing solutions by owning recruitment plans and locking in suppliers to meet ongoing project capacity needs.
• Change Impact Modeling: Conduct impact assessments and scenario modeling for business changes, providing the performance prognoses needed for informed decision-making.

People Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Team Development: Manage and mentor a team of Planning Analysts, fostering a culture of continuous learning by developing their report-writing, presentation, and technical skills.
• Operational Excellence: Standardize F&P processes, leverage MI to diagnose root causes of inefficiencies, and champion a continuous improvement culture to support the management team.

You'll be successful in this role at OVO if you have...

• Proven expertise in resource and capacity planning, spanning long-range strategic outlooks down to intraday staffing
• Advanced data analytics skills with a strong grasp of commercial strategy and financial performance; able to translate data into data-driven business decisions.
• Outstanding analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a track record of identifying underlying trends and building solutions that balance risk and reward.
• A proactive, high-energy leader capable of delivering results both directly and by empowering others.
• Experience in leading, mentoring, and coaching multi-site, matrixed teams to foster continuous growth and development.
• Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to distill complex data into clear, executive-level recommendations and decision papers.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills; able to quickly build networks, drive alignment toward a common vision, and constructively challenge ideas while remaining committed to final decisions.
• A background working within technology, business transformation, or analysis fields, specifically within fast-paced, complex, or rapidly expanding businesses (including M&A/acquisitions).
• A structured and disciplined approach to workload prioritisation, time management, and delivery under pressure, with a customer-first tenacity.

Even better if you have...

• Experience or deep understanding of the Energy sector
• Formal BA training or certification (e.g., BCS or equivalent).
• Formal training in lean process design (e.g., Lean Six Sigma).
• Certification or training in Agile delivery (e.g., Scrum Master or Product Owner)

Let's talk about what's in it for you

We'll pay you between ??42,500 and ??53,000, depending on your specific skills and experience.

We keep our pay ranges broad on purpose to give us, and you, flexibility to match your experience to our zero carbon mission.

You'll be eligible for an on-target bonus of 15%. We have one OVO bonus plan that focuses on the collective performance of our people to deliver our Plan Zero goal.

We also offer plenty of green benefits and progressive policies to help you feel like you belong at OVO...and there's flex pay. We'll give you 9% Flex Pay on top of your salary - 4% of this is auto enrolled into your pension, and the remaining 5% is yours to do what you like with. You can use this to buy from our extensive range of flexible benefits, including our green benefits which we've put at the heart of our offering, add to your pension or even take it as cash.

Here's a taster of what's on offer:

For starters, you'll get 34 days of holiday (including bank holidays).

For your health

With benefits like a healthcare cash plan or private medical insurance depending on your career level, critical illness cover, life assurance, health assessments, and more

For your wellbeing

With gym membership, travel insurance, workplace ISA, will writing services, dental insurance, and more

For your lifestyle

With extra holiday buying, discount dining, home & tech loans, and supporting your favourite charities with give-as-you-earn donations

For your home

Get up to ??400 towards any OVO Energy plan, plus great discounts on solar, smart thermostats and EV chargers

For your commute

Nab a great deal on ultra-low emission car leasing, plus our cycle to work scheme and public transport season ticket loans

Want to hear about our full range of flexible benefits and progressive people policies? Our People Team can tell you everything you need to know.

For your Belonging

To find better ways to support our people, we need to listen to each other's experiences and find ways to build a truly inclusive and diverse workplace. As part of this, we have 8 Belonging Networks at OVO. Led by our people, for our people - so when you join OVO, you can play a part - big or small - with any of the Networks. It's up to you.

Oh, and one last thing...

We'd be thrilled if you tick off all our boxes, yet we also believe it's just as important we tick off all of yours. And if you think you have most of what we're looking for but not every single thing, go ahead and hit apply. We'd still love to hear from you!

If you have any additional requirements, there's a space to let us know on the application form; we want to make the process as easy and comfortable for you as possible.