Planning Assistant

Harwin; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus scheme

Company pension scheme

Life assurance

Cycle to Work

25 days annual leave + bank holidays

Ongoing training and development

Job summary

Harwin is seeking a Planning Assistant to join our Portsmouth-based production planning team. This role suits either an experienced planner or someone starting a planning career in a growing manufacturing business.

You will work closely with Production, Procurement, Warehousing and Logistics, maintaining production plans and monitoring performance to meet customer demand. A great step into planning with real impact and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• Experience in production planning, materials planning, or supply chain preferred.
• Strong IT skills, especially Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication skills across multiple departments.
• Proactive and problem-solving mindset.

Responsibilities

• Support creation and maintenance of daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules.
• Update planning systems with demand forecasts, outputs, and capacity changes.
• Monitor adherence to production plans and flag risks or delays.
• Liaise with Production, Procurement, Warehousing and Logistics teams.
• Support material availability checks and escalate shortages as needed.
• Communicate schedule changes to stakeholders.
• Help ensure customer demand is met effectively.

Skills

Planning

Excel

Organisational skills

Communication

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Job description

Location: Onsite, Portsmouth, Hampshire Competitive Salary + Excellent Benefits

Job Title: Planning Assistant

Join Harwin's Growing Manufacturing Team

Harwin is a Portsmouth-based, family-owned precision engineering company with a global reputation for quality, innovation, and reliability. As we continue our ambitious growth journey, we’re investing heavily in new technologies, digital transformation, and the development of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Portsmouth.

We are now looking for a Planning Assistant to join our Production Planning team. This is an exciting opportunity for either an experienced planning professional or someone looking to take their first step into a planning career within a successful manufacturing business.

The Opportunity

As a Planning Assistant, you’ll play a key role in helping ensure our production operations run smoothly and efficiently. Working closely with Production, Procurement, Warehousing, and Logistics teams, you’ll help maintain accurate production plans, monitor performance, and support the delivery of customer requirements.

This role offers excellent exposure across the supply chain and manufacturing operation, making it an ideal position for someone looking to build a long-term career in planning.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Supporting the creation and maintenance of daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules
• Updating planning systems with demand forecasts, production outputs, and capacity changes
• Monitoring adherence to production plans and identifying potential risks, constraints, or delays
• Liaising with Production, Procurement, Warehousing, and Logistics teams
• Supporting material availability checks and escalating shortages where required
• Communicating schedule changes to relevant stakeholders
• Helping to ensure customer demand is met effectively and efficiently

What We’re Looking For

We’re open to applications from candidates at different stages of their career.

You may already have experience in Production Planning, Materials Planning, Purchasing, Supply Chain, or Inventory Control and be looking for your next opportunity.

Equally, this could be the perfect role for someone looking to move into planning for the first time. If you have experience working in a manufacturing, production, warehouse, logistics, or other demand-led operational environment, we’d love to hear from you.

Whether your background is in engineering, food production, chemicals, FMCG, packaging, pharmaceuticals, or another manufacturing sector, the key requirement is experience within an environment where production, stock, materials, or customer demand must be carefully managed.

Essential:

• Experience working within a manufacturing, production, warehouse, logistics, supply chain, or other fast-paced operational environment
• Strong IT skills, particularly Microsoft Excel
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively across multiple departments
• A proactive and problem-solving mindset

Desirable:

• Previous experience in Production Planning, Materials Planning, Purchasing, Inventory Control, or Supply Chain
• A qualification in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, Engineering, or a related discipline
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes, production scheduling, or capacity planning

This Role Could Be Ideal For:

• An experienced Planner, Materials Planner, Buyer, or Supply Chain professional looking for a new challenge
• Someone working in manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, production, or operations who wants to build a career in planning
• A candidate looking to develop analytical, commercial, and operational planning skills within a growing global manufacturer

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Additional 3 days' leave during the festive period
• Company bonus scheme
• Company pension scheme
• Life assurance (3x annual salary)
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• The opportunity to be part of an exciting period of growth and investment

Why Harwin?

At Harwin, you’ll join a business that combines the stability and values of a family-owned company with the ambition and innovation of a global manufacturer. We believe in collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and providing our people with opportunities to grow their careers.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a busy planning function where you can either bring your existing experience or develop new skills and build a rewarding career in planning and supply chain operations.

Harwin is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy, or maternity status.