Production Planning Manager

Job Summary

The Planning Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end production planning, master scheduling, and material coordination processes to ensure on-time delivery, optimized capacity utilization, and accurate inventory levels across machining, assembly, and kitting operations. This role oversees a team of planners, schedulers, and/or buyers to translate the sales forecast and customer demand into executable production plans aligned with operational capabilities and strategic business objectives.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on, data-driven leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, demonstrates strong cross-functional communication, and models company values through integrity, teamwork, and continuous improvement. They can balance customer requirements, manufacturing constraints, and inventory strategies to drive predictable, stable, and high-performing operations.

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing planning team responsible for scheduling, capacity planning, and material readiness.
• Establish clear expectations, performance metrics, and accountability for planning workflows.
• Promote a culture of transparency, collaboration, and problem-solving with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Procurement, and Production.
• Translate backlog, sales forecasts, and stocking strategies into weekly and monthly production plans.
• Balance machine and labor capacity across machining and assembly lines to ensure feasible schedules.
• Oversee material planning to ensure component availability while maintaining optimal inventory levels.
• Partner with Supply Chain to establish safety stock, reorder points, and planning parameters.
• Drive excellence in ERP (e.g., Syteline/Cloud Suite) planning parameter accuracy—lead times, batch sizes, safety stock, BOM integrity, etc.
• Develop planning dashboards and reports for operations leadership.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives within planning tools and ERP processes.
• Act as the primary liaison between Sales, Operations, Procurement, and Manufacturing Engineering regarding demand changes, constraints, and plan execution.
• Support Lean initiatives such as kitting, material flow optimization, and cycle time reduction.
• Develop standard work for planning processes and ensure consistent application across the team.

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Engineering, or related field.
• 5–8+ years of experience in production planning, scheduling, or supply chain in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong ERP experience (Syteline/Cloud Suite preferred but not required).
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing teams.
• Exceptional analytical skills, with proficiency in Excel and planning analytics.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and conflict-resolution skills.

• Experience in aerospace, defense, or other high-mix, low-volume manufacturing
• APICS/ASCM certifications (CPIM, CSCP).
• Familiarity with Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement tools.
• Understanding of machine shop workflows, assembly operations, and routings.

Management reserves the right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

EOE, including disability/vets