Director of Forecast & Production Control

Airbus SE; Grand Prairie (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Airbus Helicopters, Inc. in Grand Prairie, TX is seeking an experienced MRO Forecast & Production Control Leader to own the Master Production Schedule (MPS) across five repair shops and steer the S&OP cadence, translating PBH, T&M and military demand into precise part forecasts.

You will lead a small team of 4–5 specialists, partner with Supply Chain and Procurement, and present operational models to ExCom.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field.
• 12 years in production planning, master scheduling or capacity management within aerospace/defense MRO.
• 5+ years in a leadership/supervisory role.
• Strong financial acumen and decision-making under fast-paced constraints.
• Excellent communication and negotiation with commercial and military customers.

Responsibilities

• Own the Master Production Schedule across all MRO shops, ensuring adherence to targets.
• Lead the S&OP cadence and present consolidated volumes to executive leadership.
• Consolidate multi-stream demand into unit forecasts and inventory plans.
• Mentor and lead the Production Planning Manager and Data Analyst across a 4–5 person team.
• Provide periodic performance reporting and capacity models to ExCom.

Skills

Leadership

Forecasting

MPS planning

S&OP

Financial acumen

Stakeholder mgmt

Power BI

MS Excel

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business

Tools

SAP

Oracle/Pentagon 2000

MS Excel

Smartsheet

MS Project

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Airbus is committed to providing reasonable accommodations as an Equal Opportunity Employer to applicants with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation to complete your application, please contact us at [e-mail] Notice: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Notice: Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination (English) Aviso: Transparencia en el Pago No Discriminación (Spanish)

Job Description:

Are you ready to take command of the operational heartbeat behind a $50M+ aerospace MRO facility? We are seeking an experienced MRO Forecast & Production Control Leader to serve as the strategic bridge between executive commitments and shop-floor execution at Airbus Helicopters. Reporting directly to the Senior Director of MRO, you will own the Master Production Schedule (MPS), steer the full S&OP cadence, and translate complex commercial (PBH, T&M) and military demand into precision elementary part models across five specialized repair shops—including Dynamic Components, Blades, Tailbooms, Composites, and Avionics. If you excel at eliminating bottlenecks, leading specialized planning teams, and presenting operational models directly to executive leadership, this high-visibility role offers the platform to drive bottom-line impact across world-class rotary-wing platforms.

Your working environment:

A suburb just outside the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is home to Airbus Helicopters U.S. regional headquarters, where we have more than 1,000 employees. Check out one of the seven professional sports teams that also call Dallas home - you may even see a special, custom Airbus helicopter dedicated to the Dallas Cowboys flying during home games.

How we care for you:

• Financial Rewards: Competitive base salary, incentive compensation which may include profit sharing schemes, retirement savings plan and the ability to participate in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”)
• Work/Life Balance: Paid time off including personal time, holidays and a generous paid parental leave program.
• Health & Welfare: Comprehensive insurance coverage including medical (traditional and high-deductible health plans), prescription, dental, vision, life, disability, Employee Assistance Plan (“EAP”) and other supplemental benefit coverages.
• Individual Development: Upskilling and development opportunities through our global Leadership University, including unlimited access to 10,000+ e-learning courses focusing on ways to develop your employability, certifications, career path as well as the opportunity to participate in accelerated development programmes and both national and international mobility.

Your Challenges:

• Establish and maintain the Master Production Schedule (MPS) across all specialized MRO shops (Dynamic Components, Blades, Tailbooms, Composites, and Avionics), ensuring strict adherence to turnaround time (TAT) targets.
• Act as the core operational owner for the MRO Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) cadence, presenting consolidated volume expectations ($50M+ annual portfolio) to executive leadership.
• Consolidate complex, multi-stream demand inputs—including commercial PBH programs, military obligations, commercial Time & Material (T&M) orders, and internal rotable pool replenishment needs—into unified unit event forecasts (overhauls and repairs).
• Translate unit-level forecasts into detailed elementary part demand models, establishing and continuously refining K-factor accuracy (piece-part replacement factors per overhaul/repair event) to improve material availability and reduce excess inventory holding costs.
• Directly lead and mentor the Production Planning Manager and Data Analyst, providing leadership across a team of 4–5 specialists spanning production planning, shop floor control, and MRO logistics coordination.
• Oversee daily shop floor execution priorities, managing work-in-process (WIP) burndown strategies, stabilizing nominal WIP levels, and removing operational bottlenecks to maximize total shop throughput.
• Convert consolidated unit and part-level MRO forecasts into dynamic capacity and manpower models, determining direct labor headcount, shift coverage, and skill-mix requirements across all shop lines.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Procurement to build accurate elementary part forecasts driven by K-factor analytics, ensuring long-lead materials and piece-parts are ordered to support planned shop inductions.
• Ensure full material and service order readiness (kitting, bill-of-materials integrity, and technical work packages) prior to releasing work orders to the shop floor.
• Provide periodic performance reporting, S&OP metrics, and resource availability models to ExCom and senior leadership to measure operational efficiency and capacity for future demand.

Your Boarding Pass:

• Must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Business related field (Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration), or an equivalent combination of education and MRO/aerospace industry experience.
• Must have twelve (12) years of experience in production planning, master scheduling, or capacity management within an aerospace/defense MRO, aircraft maintenance, or production environment.
• Five (5) years in a leadership/supervisory role.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and motivate cross-functional planning and logistics teams.
• Strong financial acumen, critical thinking, and decisive judgment under fast-paced operational constraints.
• Excellent customer-centric communication and negotiation skills across commercial and military customer reps.
• Excellent understanding of contractual obligations.
• Must have a solid background / understanding of finance and financial reporting.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office or Google Workspace.
• ERP/MRP Systems: SAP (or similar enterprise systems like Oracle/Pentagon 2000) for MRO production control, work order management, and bill-of-materials.
• Scheduling & Analytics Tools such as MS Excel (complex financial/capacity modeling), Smartsheet, MS Project, and business intelligence software (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).

Preferred Education/Skills:

• Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, or Business Administration; or technical specialization in Industrial Engineering, Production Management, or Advanced Data Analytics.
• 10+ years of progressive operations management experience within a multi-shop MRO facility ($50M+ annual volume).
• Proven experience managing complex multi-stream demand (PBH, Commercial T&M, Military contracts) and rotable pool allocations.
• APICS/ASCM certification (CPIM or CSCP), Project Management Professional (PMP) Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt.

Travel Required:

Up to 10% Domestic and International.

Citizenship:

Authorized to work in the US.

Physical Requirements:

100% onsite in Grand Prairie, TX when not on travel.

• Vision: able to see and read computer screens and other electronic equipment with screens, able to read documents, reports and engineering drawings. Involves 100% direct involvement and interactions
• Hearing: able to participate in conversations in person and via teleconference or phone and to hear sounds on the production floor including safety warnings or alarms.
• Daily Speaking: able to speak in conversations and meetings, deliver information and participate in communications.
• Daily Equipment Operation (personal computer, telephone, copies, fax machine, and related office equipment and using electronic identification card to enter building floors and internal doors): able to operate most office and personal electronic equipment and some tools including production tools such as hydraulic lifts.
• Daily Carrying: able to carry documents, tools, drawings, electronic equipment up to 30lbs/14kgs.
• Daily Lifting: able to lift documents, tools, drawings, electronic equipment up to 30lbs/14kgs.
• Daily Pushing / Pulling: able to push and pull small office furniture and some equipment and tools.
• Daily Sitting: able to sit for long periods of time in meetings, working on the computer.
• Daily Squatting / Kneeling: able to squat or kneel to retrieve or replace items stored on low shelving.
• Daily Standing: able to stand for discussions in offices or on the production floor.
• Daily Travel: able to travel independently and at short notice. Estimate 10% travel
• Walking (include routine walking such as to a shared printer to retrieve documents): able to walk through office and production areas including uneven surfaces. Requires daily walkthrough of departments and buildings

Personal Protective Equipment required:

Required PPE includes, but is not limited to, Safety Shoes, Safety Glasses, Hearing Protection, Respirators/Masks, and/or Protective Gloves as required by site and/or customer site.

A full job description will be provided to candidates who progress to the interview stage or any candidate upon request. This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Company: Airbus Helicopters, Inc.

Employment Type: US - Direct Hire

Experience Level: Professional

Remote Type: On-site

Job Family: Leadership

Airbus provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. In addition to federal law requirements, Airbus complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.

Airbus expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status.

As a matter of policy, Airbus does not sponsor visas for US positions unless specified. Only applicants with current work authorization will be considered.

Airbus does not offer tenured or guaranteed employment. Employment with Airbus is at will, meaning either the company or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice.

Airbus reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises. This position description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.

By submitting your CV or application you are consenting to Airbus using and storing information about you for monitoring purposes relating to your application or future employment. This information will only be used by Airbus.

Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief. Airbus is, and always has been, committed to equal opportunities for all.

As such, we will never ask for any type of monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process. Any impersonation of Airbus to do so should be reported to [e-mail].

Airbus pioneers sustainable aerospace for a safe and united world. The Company constantly innovates to provide efficient and technologically-advanced solutions in aerospace, defence, and connected services.

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