Strategy & Planning Analyst

Our OEM Client based in Solihull, is searching for Strategy & Planning Analyst to join their team, Inside IR35. This is a 12-month maternity leave cover contract position.

Umbrella Pay Rate: £21.75 per hour.

The Opportunity:

This role sits within the Site Strategy & Transformation team, contributing to long-term planning, investment governance, and the effective execution of the site's strategic priorities.

The Strategy & Planning Assistant plays a central role in supporting the Site Strategy & Transformation department, with a strong emphasis on project controlling as a core part of the role. This position ensures that capital projects are accurately set up, monitored, and governed from approval through to completion. The role also provides essential administrative, analytical, and organisational support to strategic forums such as SIC and MIC, helping maintain strong financial discipline and effective project oversight.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

• Be cost/spend conscious
• Set up new projects in SAP and act as the first-line approver for orders raised by project owners
• Monitor all SCs (shopping carts), including value, purpose, timing, and expected invoicing
• Track project spend against budget from initiation to closure, ensuring accurate forecasting and timely updates
• Support capex processes, ensuring compliance with internal standards and cost-conscious decision-making
• Ensure all spend is accounted for, documentation is complete, and reports are updated
• Support leadership team discussions by providing data, insights, and structured updates on project performance.
• Attend Solihull Investment Committee (SIC) and Manufacturing Investment Committee (MIC) meetings, capturing minutes, actions, and decisions
• Organise and support strategic planning meetings, prepare agendas, circulate materials, and ensure follow-up actions are tracked
• Support regular reviews of project progress, risks, and financial performance

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Competent in all Microsoft office products
• Experience of system use and understanding of data
• Presentation skills, appropriate to all levels of the organisation and applicable to different cultures; the ability to produce professional presentations with appropriate and carefully targeted messaging
• Strong financial awareness with a cost-conscious mindset
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• High attention to detail, especially in tracking spend, commitments, and documentation
• Confident communicator able to work with project owners, finance, engineering, and leadership teams
• Proactive and structured approach to managing tasks and deadlines
• Comfortable with governance environments and supporting senior-level meetings
• Proficiency in SAP and Excel (or willingness to learn quickly)