Manager, Planning

About the role

As the Planning Manager at Marki Microwave, you will lead the Planning and Scheduling team in a complex, low-volume, high-mix RF and microwave electronics manufacturing environment. You will create, coordinate, and own all plans that ensure on-time delivery of Marki Microwave products, setting the master schedule and priorities that direct the daily work of the entire production organization. You will work closely with the Sales Operations team to understand and rationalize customer demand, and partner with Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, and Manufacturing to secure the materials, resources, and capacity needed to deliver to committed lead times. You will analyze medium- and long-term demand signals, identify supply bottlenecks, and justify capacity investments that support the Company's long-term growth objectives, while developing your Planners and Schedulers into a strong, self-sufficient planning bench.

This role requires a seasoned planning leader who can balance strategic capacity thinking with disciplined daily execution, resolve systemic supply issues that span multiple functions, and represent Planning in cross-functional and leadership forums.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Planners and Schedulers.
• Set clear vision, performance goals, and expectations for the team and each individual; proactively manage performance through engaging one-on-ones, team meetings, and metrics.
• Own all performance assessments, training, and development for Planning team members; build succession depth and cross-training across planning and scheduling functions.
• Foster a culture of empowerment, collaboration, trust, and respect for all.
• Balance hands-on planning execution with team leadership responsibilities, stepping into any planning or scheduling role as needed to cover absences, surges, or critical builds.
• Use data analysis techniques (queries, trending, statistics) to identify systemic scheduling and supply issues and drive root-cause corrective actions.
• Represent Planning in cross-functional and leadership forums such as S&OP, drive alignment with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, & Quality.
• Collaborate with the Supply Chain team to secure materials and with the Manufacturing team(s) to confirm production plans, including resource availability and equipment capacity.
• Set realistic and aggressive product lead times for Marki product families.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously refine ERP planning system parameters, including lead times, lot sizes, safety stock levels, Kanban, finished goods, spares, and raw material inventory targets.
• Oversee Space, HiREL, and NPI planning activities through a dedicated planner; ensure flow-down of program-specific requirements (screening, traceability, lot control, and extended cycle times) into build schedules, and ensure these builds are appropriately prioritized and integrated with the overall production plan.
• Actively manage WIP: monitor work-order aging, identify stalled jobs and bottleneck operations, and drive daily recovery actions with Manufacturing Supervisors and Team Leads.
• Highlight and drive solutions for potential issues such as excess material/inventory and supply shortages.
• Use data analysis techniques to identify short-, medium-, and long-term supply constraints. Take the initiative to form and lead cross-functional teams to resolve issues to achieve on-time delivery targets and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Create processes that highlight changes in the supply plan, such as customer demand shifts, new product ramps, product excursions, material shortages, and customer pull-in requests. Use this data to revise forecasts and recommend changes to the plan.
• Own Supply Planning Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Focus on critical priorities and measure progress to team goals. Provide regular reports and updates to the Executive Team.
• Develop and maintain capacity models for key work centers and equipment; use demand forecasts and routings to project labor and equipment loading, identify future capacity gaps, and provide data-driven recommendations for headcount, equipment, and outsourcing decisions.
• Keep up to date with benchmarking studies and industry best practices for Supply Planning and bring the best to benefit Marki Microwave.
• Lead talent acquisition and organizational design as the team scales. Partner with HR to identify staffing needs, source and interview candidates, and make hiring recommendations that build a qualified, high-performing team.
• Set clear goals and priorities for the team, delegate effectively, and hold direct reports accountable for quality, productivity, and deadlines.
• Conduct regular check-ins and formal reviews. Manage performance and workplace issues promptly and fairly in accordance with company policy.
• Build capability through training and mentoring. Coach and mentor direct reports, identify growth opportunities and training needs, and support career development to build bench strength and retain talent.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management or equivalent.
• At least 8 years’ experience in an IC manufacturing environment with 3+ years in a production planning management role.

Skills

• Thorough understanding of IC production and assembly operations with demonstrated capability in production planning, material planning, and scheduling.
• Proven experience using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and other resources to effectively prioritize production, optimize material purchases, and inventory for production. Experience with Sage ERP is a plus.
• Highly proficient in a Windows environment and with a recent version of MS Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.
• Highly motivated, results-oriented leader, capable of driving progress, solving problems, and achieving objectives in a demanding environment.
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible with changing priorities, deadlines, demands, and assignments as needed.
• Highly skilled at data analysis (queries, data manipulation, statistics, trending).
• Detail-oriented while maintaining and conveying a clear overarching understanding of “the bigger picture.”
• Strong oral and written communication skills. Able to effectively present information and respond to questions from management, peers, and customers.
• Complex Escalation Resolution: resolves multi-line scheduling and materials conflicts requiring cross-functional trade-off decisions.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: partners with Sales, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Finance to resolve conflicts and align plans to business goals.
• Team Leadership & Development: manages, coaches, and develops a team of planners and schedulers, building bench strength and planning judgment.

Core Competencies

• Business Acumen
• Change
• Communication
• Strategic Thinking
• Problem-Solving / Critical Thinking
• Integrity / Work Ethic
• Interpersonal Skills
• Coaching and Mentoring
• Managing Up
• Conflict Management
• Delegation
• Emotional Intelligence

About Marki Microwave

Shattering Performance Barriers Since 1991. At Marki Microwave our goal is to invent technologies to empower the RF and microwave industry to design faster, simplify production, eliminate complexity, and shatter performance barriers.

Marki Microwave is a privately-owned company based in Morgan Hill, California, 30 minutes from downtown San Jose in Southern Silicon Valley.

Benefits

• Holiday pay
• Paid Time Off (4 weeks)
• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• 401(k) ER matching
• College Loan Subsidy Program