Sr Mgr, Operational Planning & Control

Senior Manager, Operational Planning & Control

The Operational Planning & Control (OPC) Manager is responsible for leading the integrated planning, scheduling, production control, and order-to-execution functions to ensure safe, predictable, and efficient flow of materials and work through the factory.

This role owns the Master Production Schedule (MPS), production readiness processes, WIP flow, job release, and daily/weekly execution alignment across Planning, Production, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Quality. The OPC Manager ensures that operational plans are realistic, resource-aligned, and proactively managed to support on-time delivery (OTD), cost control, and quality performance in a complex, low-volume/high-mix manufacturing environment supporting defense customers.

The ideal candidate is data-driven, deeply collaborative, disciplined, and highly proactive, with exceptional communication and problem-solving skills.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the MPS and ensure weekly updates reflect true capacity, constraints, and material readiness.
• Perform disciplined SIOP process using capacity vs. load analysis and facilitate constraint-based planning across work centers.
• Maintain frozen horizons, scheduling rules, and disciplined schedule integrity.
• Manages yearly improvements in monthly Line Item Schedule Accuracy via leading improvements to the SIOP process.

• Ensure complete BOM, documentation, tooling, router accuracy, and material readiness prior to job release and the on-going improvement of performance via Problem Solving Leadership.
• Establish and enforce job release gates aligned with capacity and flow priorities.
• Partner with Engineering, Supply Chain, and Quality to resolve readiness gaps.

• Lead a team of Production Controllers to ensure smooth flow and correct job routing.
• Monitor WIP health, queue times, bottlenecks, and work center utilization.
• Drive daily execution priorities based on constraints, customer demand, and material availability.
• Key leader in the achievement of both yearly Inventory Turns & OTD goals through detailed action planning and execution leadership.

• Oversee OTE Specialists creating full execution packages for complex builds.
• Direct production experts to manage risk in the areas of tooling, programming, machining, weld, assembly and testing risks – balancing daily and longer-term problem-solving efforts.
• Ensure work centers receive complete and accurate job kits, drawings, and QC requirements in support of Quality, OTD, and Productivity goals.
• Partner with Program Management to clarify demand changes or special customer requirements.

• Lead daily production readiness and execution huddles.
• Publish daily factory priority list and weekly production plan as inputs to Production MWE system
• Own communication channels between Planning, Production, Supply Chain, and Quality.

• Identify risks early and lead coordinated recovery plans (material, capacity, quality, engineering)
• Hold clear escalation paths for shortages, documentation gaps, and bottleneck issues.
• Partner with Supply Chain on supplier expedites and alternative sourcing when necessary.

• Own performance metrics including:
• Schedule accuracy / SIOP Adherence
• Plan of Day/Week Adherence
• OTD for internal production milestones
• Queue time reduction
• Support CI/OpEx events (Kaizen, VSM, 5S, WIP reduction, SMED, etc.).

• Drive yearly improvements in Employee Engagement Survey Results via problem solving, listening, and communication skills.
• Lead, coach, and develop Planners, Production Controllers, and OTE specialists.
• Build a culture of proactive thinking, problem-solving, and disciplined adherence to processes.
• Provide structured 1:1s, performance feedback, and development plans.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Analyzes and evaluates factory throughput problems and leads the implementation of sustainable solutions.
• Maintains metric-driven performance management…