Lead Production Scheduler

Description

The Lead Production Scheduler is responsible for strategically planning and maintaining the Shop Floor Schedule (SFS) to optimize production efficiency and ensure on-time completion of operations. Working closely with multiple stakeholders, this role balances plant capacity, prevents bottlenecks, and incorporates material availability into scheduling decisions. Additionally, the Lead Production Scheduler provides leadership and guidance to a team of 1-3 direct reports, fostering efficiency and accuracy.

Through a proactive, data-driven approach, this role plays a key part in driving operational excellence and supporting business growth.

• 5-7+ Preferred years of production scheduling experience in manufacturing or a related industry, with a strong focus on strategic planning and forecasting.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• APICS – CPIM certification preferred or similar academic qualification.
• Proven leadership experience, including mentoring and guiding a team (1-3 direct reports).
• Exceptional organizational skills with a strategic, forward-thinking mindset.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
• Ability to delegate tasks effectively while maintaining oversight of scheduling accuracy and operational efficiency.
• Advanced proficiency in ERP systems used in a manufacturing environment.
• High-level proficiency in MS Excel for data analysis and reporting.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to anticipate and mitigate scheduling risks.
• Demonstrated ability to develop production schedules that optimize resources and align with business objectives.
• Experience supporting shop floor production activities and analyzing forecasting data in an engineer-to-order manufacturing environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a proactive approach to process improvement and team collaboration.

• Lead the development and maintenance of the Shop Floor Schedule (SFS), ensuring alignment with revenue, customer orders, material availability, and capacity planning.
• Provide guidance, mentorship, and performance feedback to a small team of schedulers, fostering a culture of accuracy and efficiency.
• Delegate tasks effectively among team members to maximize efficiency and ensure timely completion of scheduling responsibilities.
• Support strategic scheduling initiatives, balancing workload distribution, and optimizing plant capacity to meet aggressive business growth targets.
• Utilize ERP system (IFS/SAP) to analyze and forecast plant demand, ensuring scheduling decisions are data-driven and aligned with company goals.
• Develop, maintain, and hit target key performance indicators (KPIs) for production scheduling effectiveness, including on-time completion rates and resource utilization.
• Work closely with production managers, materials analysts, and senior leadership to forecast and adjust schedules based on material availability, labor capacity, and shifting priorities.
• Drive process improvements by identifying inefficiencies in scheduling workflows and implementing best practices.
• Proactively address scheduling conflicts and bottlenecks, ensuring minimal disruption to production timelines.
• Maintain a strong communication framework with work center leads and manufacturing engineers to ensure accurate labor routing and scheduling estimates.
• Support scheduling adjustments to accommodate maintenance activities, minimizing downtime while maintaining productivity.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance scheduling methodologies, improve system utilization, and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide regular reports and insights to management on production scheduling performance and opportunities for optimization.
• Assist in the implementation of bill of material revisions impacting manufacturing schedules, ensuring changes are executed efficiently.
• Ensure a proactive problem-solving methodology by facilitating cross-functional discussions to resolve scheduling and production risks before they…