Senior Planner

Azenta UK, Ltd.; Manchester; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Azenta UK, Ltd. is seeking a Senior Planner in Manchester to lead a small planning team and coordinate production scheduling with Manufacturing, Engineering and Supply Chain. The role focuses on material availability, inventory strategies and on-time delivery to customers.

You will develop loading forecasts, manage orders and oversee ECO/NPI impacts on production. Strong ERP/MRP knowledge and ability to collaborate cross-functionally are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in Production Planning within a manufacturing/engineering environment.
• Experience leading or supervising a planning team.
• Strong knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and production scheduling.
• Experience in inventory management including safety stock and min/max planning.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a small team of Planners with day-to-day direction and workload management.
• Develop and maintain production loading forecasts balancing demand, capacity and resources.
• Manage sales orders, delivery performance and outbound logistics to meet OTIF commitments.
• Manage inventory planning and material availability including forecasting and safety stock.
• Maintain planning data in ERP/MRP and manage ECO/NPI impacts on schedules.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance and Project Management to ensure objectives are met.

Skills

Production planning

People management

ERP / MRP

Inventory management

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Azenta UK, Ltd. At Azenta, new ideas, new technologies and new ways of thinking are driving our future. Our customer focused culture encourages employees to embrace innovation and challenge the status quo with novel thinking and collaborative work relationships. All we accomplish is grounded in our core values of Customer Focus, Achievement, Accountability, Teamwork, Employee Value and Integrity

Job TitleSenior Planner Job Description The Production Planning Team Leader is responsible for planning and scheduling manufacturing activities to support the delivery of automated stores and associated projects. The role leads a small team of planners, and works closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, Project Management and Manufacturing Engineering to ensure production schedules, material availability and inventory strategies support customer requirements and business objectives.

What You'll Be Doing

Lead and develop a small team of Planners, providing day-to-day direction, coaching, workload management and performance support. Develop and maintain production loading forecasts, balancing customer demand, manufacturing capacity and resource requirements. Manage sales orders, delivery performance and outbound logistics, ensuring production plans support OTIF delivery commitments while working closely with Warehouse, Manufacturing and Logistics teams to ensure materials and products are picked, packed and shipped on time. Manage inventory planning and material availability, including forecasting, safety stock, min/max levels. Work closely with Supply Chain, to manage material risks, backorders, lead times and capacity constraints, ensuring material availability while balancing inventory levels and supporting customer and business objectives. Work closely with Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Engineering to manage material risks, backorders, lead times and capacity constraints, ensuring customer and business objectives are achieved. Maintain planning and material master data within ERP/MRP systems, ensuring planning parameters, lead times and inventory settings remain accurate. Implement Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and New Product Introductions (NPIs), managing the impact on production schedules, materials and inventory, and execution of engineering changes to inventory items or WIP. Support Project Management and cross-functional teams by developing achievable production plans, managing planning risks and helping ensure schedule adherence and on-time shipment. Support continuous improvement activities, including root cause analysis, inventory optimisation, lean initiatives and planning process improvements.

What You'll Bring

• Experience in Production Planning within a manufacturing and engineering environment.
• Experience in an Engineering or Technical environment would be beneficial.
• Previous experience leading or supervising a planning team.
• Strong knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and production scheduling.
• Experience in inventory management, including safety stock, min/max planning and inventory optimization and developing production and capacity forecasts.
• Experience developing production and capacity forecasts.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Intermediate to Advanced Excel skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work effectively across Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance and Project Management teams.
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail.

Azenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This company considers candidates regardless of race, color, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

Azenta is a market leader in automated bio sample management solutions and multiomics services across areas such as drug development, clinical and advanced cell therapies for the industry's top pharmaceutical, biotech, academic and healthcare institutions globally. We provide unparalleled capabilities with our lab analysis, sample management and storage services, informatics software, and consumables, with the largest installed base managing over 1 billion samples globally. As a global leader in R&D multiomics services, Azenta Life Sciences, leads the way in providing superior data quality with unparalleled technical support to enable researchers around the world to advance their scientific discoveries faster than ever before.