Planning Leader

Job Description Summary

This role is for a temporary maternity cover for the Planning Leader  the Planning Leader – Dowty Propellers, you will own and lead the planning function to ensure safe, high-quality, on-time delivery of propeller products and services to global customers. You will manage a team of planners, develop robust production and materials plans, and drive data accuracy and process discipline in our planning systems.

Working closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Program teams, you will balance demand and capacity, optimize inventory, and proactively manage risks and constraints to achieve core business objectives in Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost.

Lead the planning function for the site/business, including production planning, materials planning, and capacity planning. Develop and deploy planning strategies that support OEM and aftermarket demand, new program introductions, and site capacity constraints. Manage, mentor, and develop the planning team, setting clear goals, priorities, and development plans. Represent Planning in key forums, including SIOP/IBP, program reviews, customer reviews, and daily/weekly operations reviews.

Translate demand signals (customer orders, forecasts, spares, and repair demand) into feasible master production schedules (MPS). Balance demand and capacity, highlighting constraints, risks, and trade-offs; develop mitigation plans with Operations and Supply Chain. Lead MRP and materials planning to ensure timely availability of components, kits, and raw materials while controlling inventory levels. Coordinate with Procurement and Supplier Management to align supplier capacity and lead times with Dowty’s production requirements.

Support new product introductions and engineering changes, ensuring planning parameters and schedules reflect configuration changes and phase-in/phase-out plans.

Monitor adherence to plan (schedule adherence, on-time start/finish, OTD) and drive corrective actions when deviations occur. Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, and Logistics to resolve material shortages, bottlenecks, and shop floor disruptions. Maintain accurate planning master data in ERP/MRP systems (lead times, lot sizes, safety stocks, routings, BOMs, planning strategies). Support root cause analysis and corrective actions for late deliveries, past-due orders, and material shortages.

Optimize inventory (raw, WIP, finished goods) to meet service levels and working capital targets. Monitor inventory health (excess, obsolete, slow-moving items) and lead recovery and disposition strategies. Drive data integrity and discipline for item masters, BOMs, routings, and planning attributes. Develop and maintain planning KPIs and dashboards, providing clear visibility to leadership and driving accountability.

Analyze and execute on configuration control changes made by the Engineering department and plan effectivity dates to optimize inventory strategies.

Identify and implement process improvements in planning, scheduling, and materials management using lean and standard problem-solving tools. Standardize planning processes and standard work, ensuring consistent execution across the team. Support digital and analytics initiatives to improve forecast accuracy, planning stability, and visibility. Train and coach cross-functional teams on planning processes, roles, and expectations.

• This role requires advanced experience in manufacturing & materials planning and execution.
• Knowledge level comparable to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college, or a high school diploma with relevant experience.
• Strong knowledge of production planning, MRP/ERP systems, materials planning, and capacity planning; strong Excel and data analysis skills; experience with lean/continuous improvement; applies structured problem solving and lean tools to improve planning and business outcomes.

• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to…