Manager, Production Planning

About the role

The Manager, Production Planning will lead the production planning function and partner closely with Operations to build and maintain a realistic, executable production plan that supports customer delivery, improves throughput, and stabilizes day-to-day operations in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, execution, and maintenance of production schedules to support customer delivery commitments and manufacturing priorities.
• Develop and maintain the Master Production Schedule (MPS), ensuring alignment between demand, manufacturing capacity, and material availability.
• Monitor schedule performance and adjust production priorities to address changing customer requirements or operational constraints.
• Perform rough-cut capacity planning and material requirements planning to support efficient manufacturing execution.
• Identify capacity constraints and work closely with Operations to develop practical solutions.
• Maintain planning parameters and support inventory optimization while minimizing production disruptions.
• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and development for the production planning team.
• Establish priorities, monitor workload, and promote planning best practices across the department.
• Foster collaboration and accountability within the planning function.
• Partner closely with Operations, Procurement, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Customer Service, and Logistics to resolve planning challenges and align production priorities.
• Lead regular planning meetings to communicate schedules, risks, and recovery plans.
• Support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) activities by providing production planning input.
• Monitor key planning metrics including schedule adherence, on-time delivery, throughput, work-in-process, and inventory performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning accuracy, scheduling efficiency, and manufacturing performance.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives and drive adoption of standardized planning processes.
• Respond to production disruptions, material shortages, and changing customer priorities by adjusting production plans and coordinating cross-functional solutions.
• Escalate significant planning risks and recommend corrective actions to Operations leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or a related field.
• 7+ years of production planning, manufacturing planning, or supply chain experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Previous experience leading or supervising a production planning team preferred.
• Experience in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing (optics, aerospace, medical devices, defense, or similar) strongly preferred.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of production scheduling, capacity planning, material planning, and manufacturing operations.

Qualifications

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration.
• Leadership experience with the ability to coach and develop team members.
• Advanced ERP/MRP and Microsoft Excel proficiency.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.

Skills

• Hands-on leader who enjoys working closely with Operations.
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Collaborative and relationship-focused.
• Calm under pressure and adaptable in a dynamic manufacturing environment.
• Results-oriented with a continuous improvement mindset.