Planning Manager

Michael Page (UK); Twickenham; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global industrial manufacturing company seeks a Planning Manager with a strong background in Production Planning. The role involves developing production plans, ensuring material availability, and aligning demand signals. Candidates should have 5-7 years of experience in complex manufacturing environments and be proficient in data analytics and continuous improvement techniques.

Benefits

Competitive Salary Package

Career Progression

Qualifications

• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in Production Planning.
• Strong experience in Supply and Demand Planning.
• Demonstrated ability to manage planning for multiple production lines.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage detailed production plans across multiple production lines.
• Collaborate with teams to minimise downtime and resolve bottlenecks.
• Lead capacity planning and production sequencing.

Skills

Production Planning

Supply Planning

Demand Planning

Data Analytics

Continuous Improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management

Tools

Excel

SQL

Power BI

Tableau

ERP/MRP systems (M3, SAP, Oracle, NetSuite)

Job description

The Planning Manager has strong background in Production Planning, and leads the planning function across multiple complex production lines. This role is critical in ensuring efficient production scheduling, material availability, and alignment with demand signals.

Client Details

Global Indutrial Manufacturing Company with +100 years in the market.

Description

Production Planning:

• Develop and manage detailed production plans across multiple production lines, ensuring optimal resource utilisation and output efficiency.
• Monitor daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules, adjusting for demand shifts, resource constraints, and line capacity.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Maintenance, and Quality to minimise downtime and proactively resolve bottlenecks.
• Lead capacity planning and production sequencing to support cost-effective operations and meet service level agreements.

Supply Planning:

• Convert production plans into raw and packaging material requirements.
• Coordinate with Procurement and Warehousing to ensure timely availability of materials.
• Maintain optimal inventory levels aligned with production forecasts and lead times.

Demand Planning & S&OP:

• Collaborate with Commercial, Sales, and Finance to build reliable demand forecasts.
• Lead the S&OP process, ensuring supply capabilities are balanced with market requirements.
• Translate demand plans into actionable production and supply strategies.

Continuous Improvement & Compliance:

• Identify and drive continuous improvement initiatives across the production planning process to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• Apply Lean Manufacturing principles and methodologies to optimise planning and production workflows.
• Ensure full audit compliance in planning and scheduling processes with robust documentation and traceability.

Data Analytics & Systems:

• Build and maintain planning models, reports, and dashboards using Excel, SQL, and BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
• Analyse large production and inventory data sets to identify trends, risks, and opportunities

Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related field.
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in Production Planning, with proven success in multi-line, high-complexity manufacturing environments.
• Strong experience in Supply and Demand Planning, with participation in S&OP cycles.
• Demonstrated ability to manage planning for multiple concurrent production lines with differing capacities, product mixes, and changeover requirements.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel (Power Query, Pivot Tables, VBA).
• Strong SQL skills for working with production and inventory data.
• Experience with large databases and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau).
• Proficient in ERP/MRP systems (e.g., M3, SAP, Oracle, NetSuite).
• Experience with production scheduling software or planning modules is a plus.

Job Offer

• Competitive Salary Package.
• Career Progression.