S&OP Manager Recruiters
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An S&OP manager is hired when the monthly planning meeting has turned into an argument about whose forecast is right. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
The hiring decision
What makes this hire work on your plant floor?
An S&OP manager is hired when the monthly planning meeting has turned into an argument about whose forecast is right. If sales pads numbers, operations ignores them and finance reconciles it all after the quarter closes, you need someone who can make the cycle a real decision forum. We search for planners who have raised forecast accuracy at the item level, held a cadence through a bad month, and told an executive team that the plan did not fit the plant.
We ask what accuracy they were measured on, at what level of the product hierarchy, and over what horizon. Then we ask what they changed. Better statistical models, cleaning promotions out of history, forcing sales to own overrides, and measuring forecast value added are all real answers.
Demand review, supply review, pre S&OP and the executive meeting each have a purpose. We ask who attended, who chaired, what the pre read looked like and what decisions got made. We ask about a meeting that went badly and how they recovered. Cadence is easy to start and hard to hold when the general manager skips three in a row.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
Our recruiter conversations establish what the candidate says they personally handled, how they made decisions and why they would consider this opening. The brief identifies candidate-reported information, available supporting evidence and unresolved questions. Your team still assesses technical performance, site-specific safety requirements and the authority the person will need.
Planning tools and data
We ask what platform they ran, whether the plan lived in a dedicated planning tool or in spreadsheets bolted to the ERP, and how they handled master data and lead time errors. We care less about brand names than whether they could build the model, trust the output and explain it to a plant scheduler.
Constraint and capacity thinking
A plan that ignores a bottleneck is a wish. We ask how they incorporated line capacity, labor availability, changeover cost and shelf life or seasonal builds into the supply plan, and what they did when demand exceeded what the plant could make. For food and consumer goods, we ask about promotions, co packers and short dated inventory.
Influence without authority
S&OP managers have no direct power over sales, finance or production. We ask how they got a commercial leader to commit to a number and how they handled a scenario that required cutting a customer's order. A number that nobody owns is not a plan. We also ask what the planning calendar looked like in a month with a plant shutdown, a supplier failure or a customer cancellation, and whether the executive team accepted a changed plan or reverted to wishful numbers.
Need a S&OP Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
The strongest pool sits in consumer packaged goods and food manufacturers, where promotions, seasonality and shelf life force planning discipline. We also look at demand planning managers and directors of planning in other multi site manufacturers who run an established S&OP process and have outgrown the role.
We separate pure demand planners from integrated planners. If your plant needs a person to bridge demand and supply, we exclude analysts who have never touched a production schedule. We approach employed planners directly and describe the scope, the systems and the executive access. We ask about their experience with new product launches and discontinuations, since phase in and phase out decisions leave stranded stock when the process is weak.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
- Forecast accuracy and how it improved. A candidate who simply says accuracy went up without naming the method has probably inherited the work.
- Influence without authority. The people we hire describe negotiation with data, not escalation by email.
- Influence without authority. We also ask how they documented assumptions so the same debate did not repeat each month, and how they reported the gap between the commercial plan and the operating plan to the leadership team.
Executive-search discipline, on every assignment
What do you get from the Six-Step Search?
Plant leaders, engineers and skilled technicians receive the same care in defining the work, researching relevant backgrounds and understanding the individual. Pulling a list and sending messages is not the hard part. The value is doing the research and qualification well enough to support a sound hiring decision.
Calibrate the work and the decision
We start with the operating problem, what the hire must improve and the decisions they will own. We agree what experience matters, who supports the role and what you can realistically offer. A maintenance leader inheriting reactive breakdowns needs a different brief from one building a reliability program.
Research relevant plants and people
We research manufacturing environments where people have handled comparable work. Process, equipment and decision authority matter more than a matching title. We look for relevant professionals, including people who are not applying, rather than treating an exported list as a completed search.
Make respectful, targeted contact
We explain why the work may be relevant and invite a conversation without pressure. We agree what information may be shared on a confidential search. Contact is the start of qualification, not evidence that someone wants the job or fits it.
Discuss the work they personally performed
Our conversations separate an individual's decisions and responsibilities from the team's results. We explore judgment under pressure, reasons for considering a move and practical expectations. For technicians, that includes equipment background, shift, commute and the support available. Candidate accounts are identified as such; a conversation is not a technical certification.
Write down fit, gaps and open questions
You receive a written candidate brief connecting the person's background to your operating problem. It explains motivation and practical fit, the gaps we have identified and what remains to assess. We distinguish candidate-reported information from supporting evidence rather than presenting every statement as independently verified.
Stay involved through interviews and offers
We use your interview feedback to clarify gaps and keep both sides informed about the work and expectations. We help address offer questions, counteroffers and practical concerns without promising an acceptance. Your team makes the hiring decision and assesses technical capability and site-specific requirements. A shortlist is an output of this work, not the whole service.
Need a S&OP Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Which manufacturing settings need this role?
- Food Manufacturing
- Beverage
- Meat, Poultry & Protein
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
- Packaging
- Plastics & Rubber
- Metals & Fabrication
- Automotive (OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2)
- EV & Battery Manufacturing
- Aerospace & Defense
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing
- Chemicals & Specialty Materials
- Electronics & Electrical Manufacturing
- Semiconductors
- Building Products & Construction Materials
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment
- Energy & Power Equipment
- Paper, Pulp & Forest Products
- Textiles & Nonwovens
Questions about S&OP Manager searches
Need a S&OP Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Start your S&OP Manager search
Need a S&OP Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Pay snapshot
$141,900 annual national median for SOC 11-9199 Managers, All Other.
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideNeed a S&OP Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What else affects this S&OP Manager hire?
How do you charge?
A percentage of the first year base salary, agreed in writing before work starts. There is no fee unless we place a hire.
Is the search confidential?
Yes: Planning leaders see sensitive volumes and customer data, so we keep your name private until a candidate is engaged. We ask what accuracy they were measured on, at what level of the product hierarchy, and over what horizon.
Can you find passive planners?
Yes: Good S&OP managers are embedded in their own cycles and rarely apply to postings. We call them directly with the scope and authority.
How do you handle relocation?
Some planning roles can be hybrid, many cannot, since the plant matters. We ask early and tell you who will move.
Do you consider demand planning or IBP titles?
Yes: Demand planning manager, director of planning and IBP manager can all fit. We judge by the cycle they ran, not the title.
Need a S&OP Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should we discuss first?
When do we pay the fee?
After a candidate we introduced accepts your offer and starts. Before that, no invoices for shortlists or interviews.
Questions before starting a search
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.