Lead Production Planner

EVONA; Littleton (CO); On-site; USD 55,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

EVONA, a space & defense manufacturer in the Denver area, is hiring a Contract Lead Planner to manage a live master production schedule during a critical scale-up. You will own the MPS, lead a planning team, and align demand with capacity on the shop floor in Littleton, CO, on-site five days a week.

You will drive forecasting cadences, coordinate with Operations, Finance, and Procurement, and ensure data integrity across ERP/MRP systems while delivering on KPIs and schedules.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in production planning or related roles in manufacturing.
• 3+ years leading planning or operations teams.
• Ownership of master production schedule with finite-capacity scheduling.
• Strong experience with ERP/MRP systems and data integrity.
• Ability to coordinate cross-functional forecasting cadences.

Responsibilities

• Own the master production schedule and finite-capacity plan across multiple programs.
• Lead and mentor a team of production planners and material planning analysts.
• Convert demand into manufacturing orders and workflows for the floor.
• Run forecasting and SIOP meetings with Operations, Inventory, Finance, Shipping and Purchasing.
• Act as liaison between program management, production, quality, inventory and supply chain.
• Coordinate inventory and procurement to land material when planned.
• Maintain ERP/MRP data integrity and drive process improvements.
• Monitor KPIs and report risks and recovery plans to leadership.

Skills

MPS ownership

Finite-capacity scheduling

Forecasting / SIOP cadence

Analytical skills

Communication

On-site coordination

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Contract Lead Planner — Aerospace Manufacturing

Competitive hourly rate - dependent on experience

Fully on-site, Littleton, CO (5 days per week)

A space & defense manufacturer in the Denver area is hiring a Contract Lead Planner to lead its planning function through a critical production scale-up. Real flight hardware, live programs and an established team of planners and material analysts who need a hands-on manager from day one.

This is a working-manager role, not a strategic director seat. The production floor is busy, the master schedule is live, and the team needs someone who can drop in without a long runway - someone who has owned a master production schedule before, run the forecasting cadence, and been the person the floor turns to when demand and capacity don't line up.

What you'll be doing

• Owning the master production schedule and finite-capacity plan across multiple concurrent programs
• Leading and mentoring a team of production planners and material planning analysts - priorities, performance and development
• Converting demand into manufacturing orders and clear workflows for the production floor
• Running forecasting and SIOP meetings with Operations, Inventory, Finance, Shipping and Purchasing
• Acting as the liaison between program management, production, quality, inventory and supply chain - resolving scheduling conflicts and setting floor priorities
• Coordinating inventory and procurement so material lands when the plan needs it
• Maintaining ERP/MRP data integrity and driving planning process improvements
• Monitoring KPIs across Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost, and communicating status, risks and recovery plans to leadership

What you'll need

• 7+ years in production planning, manufacturing operations or supply chain within a manufacturing environment
• 3+ years managing planning or operations teams - you've led planners, not just plans
• Demonstrated ownership of a master production schedule, ideally with finite-capacity scheduling
• Strong hands-on experience with major ERP/MRP systems, including planning data integrity
• Experience running cross-functional forecasting/SIOP cadences with operations, finance and procurement stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills and high attention to detail - the schedule is only as good as the data behind it
• Clear written and verbal communication, and the ability to hold priorities steady in a fast-moving production environment
• Able to work fully on-site in Littleton, CO, 5 days per week

Nice to have

• Aerospace, defense, spacecraft or propulsion manufacturing experience
• APICS CPIM or CSCP certification
• Experience implementing or optimizing ERP/MRP systems
• Lean manufacturing or Six Sigma background
• Familiarity with finite-capacity scheduling tools
• Prior contract experience - you land and add value fast