Production Planner

Pace XL Ltd.; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Private medical & dental

Cycle to work scheme

Lunchtime catering on site

Job summary

Cambridge Aerospace is seeking a Production Planner to own and drive the production schedule across development and serial manufacture, ensuring alignment with programme priorities and delivery commitments.

You will coordinate with Engineering, Supply Chain and Manufacturing, balance capacity and material availability, and implement data-driven improvements while operating in a security-conscious defence environment. On-site role in Cambridge with growth prospects.

Qualifications

• Experience in Production Planning, Scheduling, or Supply Chain Planning within manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of production scheduling, workflows, and capacity planning.
• Ability to interpret Bills of Materials and engineering changes.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain production schedules across manufacturing and development activities.
• Coordinate production priorities across multiple work centres, balancing capacity and constraints.
• Develop and maintain capacity plans, identifying bottlenecks and delivery risks.
• Monitor progress against plan and drive recovery actions.
• Collaborate with Engineering to manage changes and BOM accuracy.

Skills

Production Planning

Scheduling

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Education

Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or related discipline

Tools

ERP/MRP software

Job description

Overview

As a Production Planner, you will play a critical role in ensuring manufacturing activities are planned, coordinated, and executed in line with programme priorities and delivery commitments. Working within a fast-growing, highly regulated defence environment, you will take ownership of production schedules, material readiness, capacity planning, and manufacturing delivery performance.

You will work closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing, Quality, and Programme teams, balancing development activity and serial production requirements to maintain operational flow and support ambitious growth plans. This role requires someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, can manage competing priorities, and is comfortable making data-driven decisions in support of business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain production schedules across manufacturing and development activities, ensuring alignment to programme and delivery requirements.
• Coordinate production priorities across multiple work centres, balancing capacity, materials, engineering changes, and operational constraints.
• Develop and maintain capacity plans, identifying bottlenecks, resource constraints, and delivery risks before they impact programme milestones.
• Monitor manufacturing progress against plan, proactively escalating issues and driving recovery actions where required.
• Work closely with Engineering teams to manage engineering changes, ensuring Bills of Materials and production requirements remain accurate and up to date.
• Collaborate with Procurement and Supply Chain teams to ensure material availability supports production schedules and delivery commitments.
• Support the implementation and optimisation of MRP/ERP planning processes, maintaining high levels of planning data accuracy and integrity.
• Track and communicate key production KPIs, providing clear reporting and recommendations to operational stakeholders.
• Facilitate effective communication between Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, and Programme teams to ensure alignment on production priorities.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement through analysis of planning performance, delivery metrics, and manufacturing data.
• Support NPI, development builds, and engineering programmes while maintaining stability of ongoing production operations.
• Operate effectively within a security-conscious environment, ensuring appropriate handling of sensitive programmes, products, and information.

Requirements

• Experience in Production Planning, Production Control, Manufacturing Operations, Scheduling, or Supply Chain Planning within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of production scheduling, manufacturing workflows, and capacity planning principles.
• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems to manage production requirements, material planning, and operational delivery.
• Ability to interpret engineering and manufacturing data, including Bills of Materials and engineering changes.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across multiple functions.
• Proven ability to identify risks, prioritise workload, and maintain delivery performance within fast-paced operational environments.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to utilise data to support decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Excellent organisational skills with a structured and detail-oriented approach to planning activities.

Preferred Qualifications / Experience

• Experience within aerospace, defence, motorsport, automotive, or other high-precision manufacturing environments.
• Experience supporting NPI, development programmes, or engineering-led manufacturing operations.
• Knowledge of capacity modelling, production forecasting, and manufacturing performance analysis.
• Degree qualified in Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or a related discipline.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation and stock options
• Private Medical & Dental
• Cycle to work scheme
• Lunchtime catering on site

About Us

The mission of Cambridge Aerospace is to eliminate the risk of existential war in Europe. That risk comes from the air – low-cost drones and cruise missiles now manufactured in colossal volumes by our adversaries, ballistic missiles capable of ending the world as we know it, and a new generation of hypersonic weapons that evade every existing defence.

We’re building low-cost interceptors that defeat these threats, and the surveillance systems to detect and target them – at a cost taxpayers can afford, at the pace the threat demands, and with sovereign supply chains that assure delivery.

We have immense backing from the world's best venture funds. We're one of the fastest growing defence technology companies in history. And we're hiring the best people to prosecute the mission.

If you are in the top 1%, willing to work harder than you ever have, build technology better than anyone else, and contribute to the defining challenge of our time, now is the time to join us.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We're committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you're excited about this role but don't meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.