Director Manufacturing Planning

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE:
Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE:
None

TRAVEL:
Yes, 50% of the Time

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon.

We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

The Director 1
Manufacturing Planning leads the strategic planning, scheduling, and execution of all manufacturing activities to ensure optimal production throughput, cost efficiency, and on‑time delivery. Reporting to the Vice President of Operations (or equivalent), the director sets the vision for integrated planning processes, drives continuous improvement, and partners with supply‑chain, engineering, quality, and finance teams to align production capacity with business demand. This position may be located in Huntsville, AL;
Roy, UT;
Linthicum, MD; or McLean, VA.

• Develop and maintain long‑term (1‑5year) production capacity plans aligned with corporate growth objectives.

• Lead demand‑driven forecasting initiatives, integrating sales outlook, market trends, and product‑lifecycle considerations.

• Evaluate and recommend capital‑investment projects (equipment, facilities, automation) to close capacity gaps.

• Own the Integrated Master Schedule that consolidates demand, supply, capacity, and material availability across all sites and product families.

• Ensure the IMS is refreshed on a regular cadence (daily/weekly) and communicated to all functional stakeholders.

• Direct Production Control activities, including real‑time monitoring of shop‑floor execution, deviation management, and corrective‑action coordination.

• Implement and maintain robust control boards (e.g., KPI dashboards, exception reports) to provide visibility into schedule adherence, bottlenecks, and inventory levels.

• Chair the SIOP process, aligning sales forecasts, inventory policies, and operational capabilities into a single, executable plan.

• Facilitate cross‑functional SIOP meetings, drive consensus on demand‑supply balancing, and secure senior‑leadership approval of the final plan.

• Track SIOP performance metrics (forecast accuracy, plan reliability, inventory turns) and lead continuous‑improvement initiatives to enhance plan quality.

• Oversee the creation of Master Production Schedules (MPS) and detailed shop‑floor schedules, ensuring feasibility across all work centers.

• Deploy Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) tools to balance workload, minimize changeovers, and meet delivery commitments.

• Resolve bottlenecks and priority conflicts through real‑time data analysis and cross‑functional coordination.

• Define optimal inventory targets (raw material, WIP, finished goods) using inventory‑optimization models.

• Collaborate with procurement and logistics to secure timely material supply while minimizing excess stock.

• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints (TOC) methodologies to improve plan reliability and reduce lead times.

• Lead regular performance reviews (e.g., OEE, schedule adherence, forecast accuracy) and drive corrective‑action plans.

• Build, coach, and mentor a high‑performing planning organization (planners, schedulers, analysts).

• Establish clear KPIs, career‑development paths, and succession plans for the team.