Senior Planning Manager

Job Description

Job Description

About the Opportunity

Our client, a leading manufacturer, is seeking a highly driven Senior Manager, Production Planning & Scheduling to lead production planning, scheduling, capacity management, and operational coordination across its manufacturing operations.

This leadership role is responsible for developing and executing integrated production plans that align customer demand, manufacturing capacity, material availability, and labor resources to achieve operational and financial objectives. The position serves as a key liaison between Sales, Engineering, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Project Management, and Manufacturing to ensure customer commitments are met while maximizing operational efficiency.

This is an excellent opportunity for a strategic manufacturing leader looking to make a significant impact while advancing into broader Operations and Supply Chain leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Production Planning & Scheduling

• Own the Master Production Schedule (MPS) and oversee all production planning and scheduling activities.
• Develop and maintain short- and long-term production plans that balance customer demand, capacity, labor, and material availability.
• Drive schedule attainment while ensuring customer delivery commitments are met.
• Lead finite-capacity planning to optimize manufacturing resources and throughput.
• Partner with manufacturing leadership to identify constraints, resolve bottlenecks, and improve workflow efficiency.
• Manage production priorities, backlog sequencing, and capacity planning to maximize operational performance.
• Lead planning meetings to align production priorities with business objectives.

Operations & Performance

• Monitor key manufacturing metrics including:
• • On-Time Delivery (OTD)
  • Schedule Adherence
  • Capacity Utilization
  • Throughput
  • Labor Efficiency
  • Inventory Performance
  • Work-in-Process (WIP)
• Lead root cause analysis for scheduling issues, material shortages, and production constraints.
• Proactively identify operational risks and implement mitigation strategies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Supply Chain and Purchasing to ensure material readiness.
• Participate in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and demand planning activities.
• Support inventory optimization initiatives while maintaining customer service levels.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Project Management to integrate new products and engineering changes into production schedules.
• Build strong relationships across Operations, Engineering, Sales, Finance, and Supply Chain.

Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop the Production Planning & Scheduling team.
• Establish performance expectations and promote accountability.
• Standardize planning processes and develop team capabilities.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

Continuous Improvement

• Improve planning accuracy, scheduling effectiveness, and operational visibility.
• Optimize ERP/MRP planning processes and data integrity.
• Develop dashboards and reporting tools to support business decisions.
• Support Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement initiatives.
• Utilize data analytics to improve forecasting and operational performance.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in production planning, manufacturing operations, or supply chain.
• 3+ years of leadership experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong expertise in:
• • Master Production Scheduling (MPS)
  • Capacity Planning
  • MRP
  • Production Control
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven ability to balance customer demand, manufacturing capacity, labor, and material availability.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Preferred

• APICS/ASCM certification (CPIM or CSCP).
• Lean Manufacturing and/or Six Sigma certification.
• Experience in high-mix, low-volume or engineered-to-order manufacturing.
• Experience supporting S&OP, inventory planning, procurement, or broader supply chain operations.
• ISO 9001 experience.