Production Scheduler

Vacgen Ltd; Hailsham; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Private medical insurance

Salary sacrifice pension

Life insurance

Career development opportunities

Job summary

VACGEN is seeking an experienced Production Scheduler to coordinate demand with Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Chain. The role focuses on turning customer demand into achievable production plans, monitoring progress and proactively identifying risks to delivery.

You will balance capacity, workload, priorities and delivery commitments to ensure On-Time Delivery while maintaining accurate production data in ERP systems. Holidays and career development opportunities apply.

Qualifications

• Experience in production planning, scheduling or manufacturing planning.
• Strong organisational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent communication and cross-department collaboration.
• Good numerical skills and data analysis capabilities.
• Strong systems knowledge and advanced Excel skills.
• Ability to assess information, make decisions and own them.
• Calm under pressure and adapt when priorities shift.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of production scheduling across Manufacturing Cells.
• Review orders with Sales to agree delivery dates before entry.
• Plan products through manufacturing and monitor progress against schedule.
• Coordinate with Cell Leaders to keep production on track and meet OT delivery targets.
• Link Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Chain to align priorities.
• Use ERP systems to maintain accurate, visible production data.
• Identify bottlenecks and potential delays before they impact delivery.
• Resolve scheduling issues with teams when priorities change.
• Monitor shipping performance and drive On-Time Delivery improvements.
• Publish key production metrics and performance information.
• Support Production and Purchasing during periods of absence.

Skills

Production scheduling

ERP/MRP planning

Excel proficiency

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics AX

ERP systems

Planning software

Job description

Production Scheduler

Location: Hailsham, East Sussex (BN27 4EL)

Salary: Competitive, depending on experience

Contract: Full Time, Permanent

Benefits include: 25 days' holiday, Private medical insurance, Salary sacrifice company pension, Life insurance, State-of-the-art manufacturing environment and Ongoing opportunities to develop your career within a growing engineering business

Great manufacturing needs a great plan. That's where you come in.

What does it take to make sure precision-engineered technology for organisations like NASA, CERN and the European Space Agency gets manufactured and delivered when it should?

A seriously well-organised production schedule.

At VACGEN, we've spent more than 60 years designing and manufacturing ultra-high vacuum technology used in some of the world's most advanced scientific and technological applications.

Behind those products is a busy manufacturing operation, and we're looking for an experienced Production Scheduler to help keep everything moving.

If you're naturally organised, good with numbers and systems, and the kind of person who can see a potential problem coming and do something about it, you could be exactly who we're looking for.

What will you be doing

You'll be right at the centre of our manufacturing operation, turning customer demand into an achievable production plan.

Working closely with Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, you'll make sure everyone has visibility of what's coming, what needs to happen next and where potential challenges might arise.

This is much more than updating a spreadsheet.

You'll need to understand capacity, workload, priorities and delivery commitments, balancing all four to create realistic schedules that help us deliver for our customers.

Day to day, you'll be:

• Taking ownership of production scheduling across our Manufacturing Cells.
• Working with Sales to review orders and agree realistic customer delivery dates before orders are entered.
• Planning products through manufacturing and keeping a close eye on progress against schedule.
• Working with Cell Leaders to keep production on track and achieve On-Time Delivery targets.
• Acting as an important link between Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Chain.
• Using our order management and ERP systems to maintain accurate, visible production information.
• Reviewing available capacity against current and future workload.
• Identifying critical parts, bottlenecks and potential delays before they impact delivery.
• Working with colleagues to resolve scheduling and production issues when priorities change.
• Monitoring shipping performance and helping drive improvements in On-Time Delivery.
• Producing and publishing key production metrics and performance information.
• Supporting colleagues across Production and Purchasing during periods of absence.

Ultimately, you'll be the person helping everyone understand what needs to happen, when it needs to happen and what could prevent us from getting there.

What are we looking for

We're looking for someone who enjoys bringing order to a busy manufacturing environment.

You’ll be comfortable juggling competing priorities without losing sight of the bigger picture, and confident making decisions rather than waiting for somebody else to make them for you.

When plans change, you remain calm, work through the information and find the best way forward.

You’ll need:

• Previous experience in a production planning, scheduling, manufacturing planning or similar role.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong communication skills and the confidence to work with people across different departments.
• Good analytical and numerical skills.
• Strong systems knowledge and good Excel skills.
• The ability to assess information, make decisions within agreed guidelines and take ownership of them.
• The confidence to work under pressure and keep things moving when priorities change.
• A degree-level qualification or equivalent experience.

Even better if you have:

• Previous ERP/MRP planning experience.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics AX.
• Experience working within a manufacturing, engineering or assembly environment.
• Experience with capacity planning and load-versus-capacity analysis.
• A strong understanding of production lead times and On-Time Delivery.
• Experience working across Manufacturing, Sales and Supply Chain teams.

For us, the right person is someone who can look beyond today's production schedule and think ahead. You'll spot potential pressure points early, ask the right questions and help the wider team stay one step ahead.

Why VACGEN

Because you're not planning the production of everyday products.

The schedules you create will ultimately support the manufacture of precision technology used in space exploration, particle physics, semiconductor technology and advanced scientific research.

That makes production planning at VACGEN genuinely interesting.

You’ll be joining a modern manufacturing business where your role has visibility across the operation and where a good Production Scheduler can make a noticeable difference.

You’ll work closely with people across Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, giving you a real understanding of the complete journey from customer order through to finished product.

And as VACGEN continues to grow and invest in its manufacturing capabilities, you'll have the opportunity to help improve how we plan, schedule and deliver, rather than simply maintaining the status quo.

Are you the person who can keep it all moving?

If you're an experienced Production Scheduler or Planner who enjoys solving problems, balancing priorities and making sure the right things happen at the right time, we'd love to hear from you.

Occasional travel to customer or other business locations may be required. Reasonable notice will be provided and authorised travel expenses will be reimbursed.

VACGEN is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace and is an equal opportunities employer.