Project Planner / Scheduler -Manufacturing

Riggins Company; Hampton (VA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Riggins Company is seeking a Project Planner / Scheduler to develop manufacturing plans, material requirements, and project schedules for industrial fabrication projects. You will collaborate with Estimating, Design, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Quality, and Project Management to align material availability with production needs and ensure on-time execution.

The role requires the ability to interpret engineering drawings and specifications, translate requirements into executable manufacturing

Qualifications

• Five+ years of experience in manufacturing planning or scheduling.
• Ability to build and update integrated schedules with dependencies and milestones.
• Ability to read manufacturing-level drawings and technical specifications.
• Interpret welding symbols and understand fabrication/machining/assembly processes.
• Strong organizational and communication skills for multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Develop project manufacturing plans, work breakdown structures, milestones, and formal schedules.
• Create and maintain schedules using Microsoft Project with dependencies and critical paths.
• Identify bottlenecks and long-lead items; communicate priorities to Purchasing.
• Read drawings/specifications to plan fabrication, welding, machining, and assembly steps.
• Prepare material takeoffs, BOMs, and subcontracts for procurement and PO placement.

Skills

Production scheduling

Material planning

Technical drawing interpretation

Welding symbol interpretation

Cross-functional coordination

Communication

Organization

Tools

Microsoft Project

ERP / MRP systems

Job description

Position Summary

The Project Planner / Scheduler is responsible for developing and coordinating manufacturing plans, material requirements, and project schedules for industrial fabrication and manufacturing projects. This position works closely with Estimating, Design / Engineering, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Quality, and Project Management to establish priorities, plan the work, align material availability with production needs, and keep projects moving safely, efficiently, and on schedule.

Position Summary

The Project Planner / Scheduler is responsible for developing and coordinating manufacturing plans, material requirements, and project schedules for industrial fabrication and manufacturing projects. This position works closely with Estimating, Design / Engineering, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Quality, and Project Management to establish priorities, plan the work, align material availability with production needs, and keep projects moving safely, efficiently, and on schedule.

The Planner / Scheduler takes ownership of the planning process from the initial contract handoff through the transition to Project Management. The role requires a strong understanding of how products are built, the ability to interpret manufacturing-level drawings and technical specifications, and the ability to translate project requirements into executable manufacturing plans and formal schedules.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Project Planning & Scheduling

• Participate in the contract-award handoff with Estimating to understand project scope, bid assumptions, and the intended execution approach.
• Develop the project manufacturing plan, work breakdown structure, task sequence, milestones, and formal project schedule.
• Develop and maintain detailed schedules using Microsoft Project, including dependencies, milestones, critical-path activities, and target dates.
• Identify manufacturing bottlenecks, critical-path materials, long-lead items, and subcontracted work; develop execution plans that account for these requirements.
• Develop individual task labor estimates and support resource, capacity, and workforce planning as needed.

Drawing, Specification & Manufacturing Review

• Read and fully interpret manufacturing-level engineering and assembly drawings, technical specifications, and contract requirements.
• Understand welding symbols, welding requirements, fabrication methods, machining operations, assembly procedures, and material handling needs.
• Review drawings and specifications to understand how components and assemblies are manufactured, fabricated, welded, machined, and assembled.
• Identify missing, conflicting, or unclear technical information and coordinate resolution with Engineering and the appropriate departments.
• Evaluate project requirements and technical documentation to develop practical, executable manufacturing strategies.

Material Planning & Requisitions

• Develop material takeoffs, Master Material Lists, and Bills of Materials as required by the project.
• Identify material grades, alloys, dimensions, quantities, specifications, and other requirements from drawings and project documentation.
• Determine material priorities and purchasing timelines based on the project schedule, critical path, and supplier lead times.
• Separate critical-path materials from materials that can be purchased later, and communicate priorities to Purchasing.
• Prepare complete, accurate material requisitions with the drawings, specifications, and supporting documentation needed for Purchasing to obtain quotes and place orders.
• Develop and issue subcontract requisitions with the scope and supporting information required for purchase order placement.

Required Qualifications

• Five or more years of experience in manufacturing planning, production scheduling, industrial manufacturing, heavy fabrication, shipbuilding, or a related environment.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining formal project or manufacturing schedules using Microsoft Project.
• Ability to independently build, manage, and update integrated schedules, including task relationships, dependencies, milestones, and critical-path activities.
• Strong ability to read and fully understand manufacturing-level engineering and assembly drawings and technical specifications.
• Ability to interpret welding symbols and a working understanding of welding, fabrication, machining, and assembly processes.
• Working knowledge of industrial materials, including metals, alloys, piping systems, structural materials, and manufactured components.
• Experience developing material takeoffs, material requirements, or Bills of Materials.
• Strong understanding of how fabricated and assembled products are built and the ability to identify manufacturing sequences and potential bottlenecks.
• Strong organizational, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in naval, defense, maritime, shipbuilding, nuclear, aerospace, or heavy industrial manufacturing.
• Experience supporting complex build-to-print or engineered-to-order projects.
• Familiarity with government contracting requirements and military specifications.
• Experience with production control, material planning, subcontract coordination, and supplier lead-time analysis.
• Experience with ERP / MRP systems
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

Key Competencies

• Production scheduling
• Material planning
• Technical drawing interpretation
• Welding symbol interpretation
• Critical-path analysis
• Resource and labor planning
• BOM and material takeoff development
• Risk assessment
• Problem solving
• Cross-functional coordination
• Communication
• Attention to detail
• Organization

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

• Ability to perform periodic shop-floor walkthroughs and review manufacturing operations in an industrial environment.
• Ability to work in both office and manufacturing environments.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds occasionally.