Production Planner - Subject Matter Expert

Strategic Aerospace Services WLL; Doha; On-site; QAR 300,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace services company in Qatar is seeking a Production Planner - SME to oversee production planning and scheduling across its subsidiaries. The ideal candidate will have 10–15 years of experience in production planning within the defense or aerospace sectors, with strong expertise in ERP systems and production methodologies. This role involves developing policies, optimizing processes, and ensuring regulatory compliance to drive operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10–15 years of experience in production planning or supply chain management.
• Experience within defense, aerospace, or heavy manufacturing sectors preferred.
• Track record in multi-site or group-level planning oversight.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement production planning policies and KPIs.
• Evaluate factory planning performance for optimal capacity utilization.
• Lead initiatives for production optimization and bottleneck analysis.

Skills

Production planning methodologies

Capacity management

Scheduling logic

Data analysis

Excel/Power BI

Planning software tools

Stakeholder management

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Production Management

Master’s degree or MBA

Certification in APICS (CPIM/CSCP)

Tools

ERP/MES systems (SAP, Oracle, IFS)

Job description

The Production Planner - SME serves as the central authority on production planning, scheduling, and control methodologies across all defense manufacturing subsidiaries and JVs. The role ensures alignment of factory-level production practices with corporate strategy, operational excellence frameworks, and defense industry compliance standards. The SME provides expert guidance, develops standardized planning tools and procedures, and supports the digital transformation of production management systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement group-wide production planning policies, procedures, and KPIs to standardize operations across all defense manufacturing units.
• Evaluate and benchmark factory planning performance to ensure optimal capacity utilization, resource allocation, and schedule adherence.
• Act as the corporate advisor for production planning, material control, and master scheduling functions.
• Serve as the subject matter expert on advanced production planning techniques (MRP, ERP/MES integration, finite capacity scheduling, lean production, etc.).
• Lead initiatives for production optimization, bottleneck analysis, and throughput improvement across subsidiaries.
• Design and implement best practices for forecasting, demand planning, and production sequencing tailored to defense manufacturing environments.
• Partner with IT and digital transformation teams to implement or enhance ERP/MES systems and ensure accurate data flow between planning, procurement, and manufacturing.
• Define system parameters and data governance rules to ensure consistency and reliability of production information across factories.
• Coordinate with procurement, engineering, quality assurance, and logistics to ensure end-to-end production readiness and delivery performance.
• Provide expert training, mentoring, and capability development to factory production planners and schedulers.
• Act as the liaison between the holding company and subsidiary/JV planning teams, ensuring strategic objectives are met.
• Monitor and report on group-level production KPIs (OTD, capacity utilization, WIP, inventory turns, etc.).
• Support internal audits and compliance with defense production regulations, export controls, and quality standards (ISO, AS9100, MIL‑SPEC, etc.).
• Develop dashboards and executive summaries for leadership review and decision-making.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Production Management, or a related field.
• Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
• Certification in APICS (CPIM/CSCP) or equivalent is highly desirable.

Experience

• Minimum 10–15 years of experience in production planning, manufacturing operations, or supply chain management, preferably within defense, aerospace, or heavy manufacturing sectors.
• Proven track record in multi‑site or group‑level planning oversight.
• Hands‑on experience with ERP/MES systems (SAP, Oracle, IFS, or equivalent).
• Demonstrated success in process improvement, planning automation, and cross‑functional leadership.

Skills and Competencies

• Deep knowledge of production planning methodologies, capacity management, and scheduling logic.
• Strong understanding of defense manufacturing standards, compliance, and traceability requirements.
• Advanced proficiency in data analysis, Excel/Power BI, and planning software tools.
• Excellent analytical, problem‑solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence and drive change across multiple subsidiaries and organizational levels.
• Strong communication, leadership, and training capabilities.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Improvement in group‑level schedule adherence and on‑time delivery rates.
• Reduction in production lead times and work‑in‑progress (WIP).
• Increase in capacity utilization and planning accuracy.
• Implementation success of standardized planning procedures and digital tools.