Production Value Stream Planner

What is the job?

You will play a key role in ensuring the continuous, on-time supply of products to customers and warehouses by developing and maintaining effective production schedules across Assembly and the In-house Machine Shop. Working closely with Production, Engineering, and Machine Shop teams, you will balance customer demand with manufacturing capacity, manage MRP planning parameters, and support product lifecycle activities such as new product introductions, obsolescence management, and the transfer of products into in-house manufacturing.

You will help maintain customer delivery performance, optimise inventory levels, and ensure the smooth transition of new products into full-scale production.

Working Hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 5:30pm

Department: Motion Control

Interview process: 2 stage process following shortlisting – First stage: 1 Hour Teams interview;
Second stage:
Onsite 3 hour interview

Who we are?

Thorlabs is a global, industry leading optical technologies company. We are experts in the design and manufacture or a range of innovative photonics products. We use these products in manufacturing and research, from fibre optics to piezo motors. We are the gold standard with optics laboratories worldwide. There are now 22 facilities across the world in 9 countries. Here in Ely, we are responsible for the Motion Control and Optical Tables product line.

Where you will be working?

Our purpose-built facility isjust 12 miles from Cambridge, within the beautiful mediaeval city of Ely. There are train and bus links to Ely from Kings Cross and Liverpool Street London, and our site is within distance of Ely train station and Ely Bus station.

What is essential to us…

• Previous Planning, Inventory Controller, or other Supply Chain related experience required
• Experience with in a manufacturing environment preferred
• Project management experience preferred
• Demonstrated application of lean/continuous improvement tools/methodologies
• Scheduling techniques including bottleneck management and capacity scheduling (production and machine shop)
• Kanban calculations and monitoring of material flow
• Strong analytical skills and ability to draw actionable insights from data
• Ability to use lean tools to identify root cause and work with relevant teams on corrective actions
• Detail oriented and able to work in a structured and organised manner
• Advanced user of Microsoft Excel, with the ability to manipulate large datasets, analyze production and inventory data, and develop efficient planning tools and reports.
• Effective communicator with excellent written and verbal skills
• A positive approach to continuous improvement activities
• Able to work collaboratively with Stores, Production, Machine Shop, Engineering, Inspection, and Packing teams to ensure uninterrupted flow of goods to meet requested delivery dates
• A flexible approach to work requests – prepared to go the extra mile to get the job done

What we would like you to do/to see…

Production Flow Support (Assembly and In-House Manufacturing):

• Develop and maintain an achievable business unit production plan that aligns MRP demand, inventory availability, and manufacturing and production capacity to meet committed customer delivery dates.
• Participate in regular production review meetings and oversee the allocation of work when Team Leaders are unavailable.
• Monitor production capacity utilisation throughout the day, identifying risks and constraints, escalating production flow interruptions, and initiating appropriate supply chain corrective actions.
• Maintain and manage planning-related ERP/MRP parameters to ensure data accuracy and effective production scheduling.
• Respond promptly to lead time and delivery update requests from global sales teams
• Analyse production KPIs, including late orders, open works orders, and stock shortages, to identify trends and implement continuous improvement opportunities.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of new planning methods, processes, and strategies that improve operational efficiency and productivity.
• Apply structured problem‐solving techniques, including root cause analysis and PDCA/Lean methodologies, to resolve planning and supply…