Scheduling & Planning Manager

Confidential Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Company in the Chicago area seeks a Scheduling & Planning Manager for a 6–12 month contract in a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment undergoing transformation. This role is a hands-on change-agent leader responsible for improving scheduling discipline, driving cross-functional alignment, and delivering measurable efficiency gains.

The ideal candidate will own end-to-end scheduling and production planning, strengthen ERP/MRP usage, establish KPIs, and partner with

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive experience in production planning, scheduling, or supply chain operations within a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated success leading scheduling improvements, operational transformations, or process optimization initiatives.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing capacity planning, production sequencing, material requirements planning (MRP), and inventory management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and optimize production scheduling and planning activities across a high-volume manufacturing operation.
• Evaluate existing scheduling processes and immediately identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and execution.
• Develop and implement production schedules that balance customer demand, manufacturing capacity, labor availability, material requirements, and operational constraints.
• Improve scheduling visibility, production readiness, and communication across departments.
• Proactively identify and resolve scheduling conflicts, capacity constraints, material shortages, and production disruptions.
• Establish clear scheduling priorities and accountability to support operational performance.
• Rapidly assess current planning and scheduling processes, identifying critical gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for immediate improvement.
• Develop and execute a prioritized action plan focused on quick wins and sustainable operational improvements.
• Challenge existing processes and implement practical, data-driven solutions.
• Standardize scheduling and planning practices to improve consistency, reliability, and scalability.
• Strengthen the use of ERP/MRP systems, reporting tools, and planning data to support decision-making.
• Establish measurable KPIs and reporting processes to monitor progress and drive accountability.
• Create sustainable processes, documentation, and tools that remain effective beyond the contract assignment.

Skills

7+ years experience

ERP/MRP proficiency

Strong analytical skills

Cross-functional leadership

On-site work

Tools

ERP/MRP software

Excel

Job description

Location: On-Site (Northern Suburbs)

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced, results-driven Scheduling & Planning Manager for a 6–12 month contract assignment within a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment undergoing significant transformation.

This is not a business-as-usual opportunity.

We need a change agent who can make an immediate impact.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who thrives in complex, rapidly changing environments, quickly identifies operational inefficiencies, challenges existing processes, and implements sustainable improvements.

This individual must be capable of assessing current scheduling and production planning practices, establishing structure and accountability, and driving measurable improvements in production efficiency, schedule attainment, material availability, and cross-functional alignment.

We are looking for someone who can hit the ground running, take ownership, make decisions, and deliver results quickly.

Primary Responsibilities

Scheduling & Production Planning

• Lead and optimize production scheduling and planning activities across a high-volume manufacturing operation.
• Evaluate existing scheduling processes and immediately identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and execution.
• Develop and implement production schedules that balance customer demand, manufacturing capacity, labor availability, material requirements, and operational constraints.
• Improve scheduling visibility, production readiness, and communication across departments.
• Proactively identify and resolve scheduling conflicts, capacity constraints, material shortages, and production disruptions.
• Establish clear scheduling priorities and accountability to support operational performance.
• Rapidly assess current planning and scheduling processes, identifying critical gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for immediate improvement.
• Develop and execute a prioritized action plan focused on quick wins and sustainable operational improvements.
• Challenge existing processes and implement practical, data-driven solutions.
• Standardize scheduling and planning practices to improve consistency, reliability, and scalability.
• Strengthen the use of ERP/MRP systems, reporting tools, and planning data to support decision-making.
• Establish measurable KPIs and reporting processes to monitor progress and drive accountability.
• Create sustainable processes, documentation, and tools that remain effective beyond the contract assignment.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Execution

• Partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Inventory Control, Warehouse, and other key stakeholders.
• Drive alignment between production schedules, material availability, inventory levels, and business priorities.
• Establish clear communication and escalation processes to quickly resolve operational challenges.
• Influence stakeholders, challenge ineffective practices, and drive accountability across departments.
• Provide hands-on leadership, coaching, and direction to planning and scheduling personnel, as applicable.
• Translate operational challenges into actionable solutions with clear ownership and measurable outcomes.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive experience in production planning, scheduling, or supply chain operations within a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated success leading scheduling improvements, operational transformations, or process optimization initiatives.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing capacity planning, production sequencing, material requirements planning (MRP), and inventory management.
• Advanced experience utilizing ERP/MRP systems and Excel-based planning and analytical tools.
• Proven ability to quickly assess complex operations, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive change without relying solely on positional authority.
• Exceptional sense of urgency, accountability, and execution.
• Comfortable working on-site in a demanding, rapidly changing manufacturing environment.

The Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a leader who:

• Moves quickly and understands that immediate execution is essential.
• Thrives in transformation, ambiguity, and operational complexity.
• Takes ownership rather than waiting for direction.
• Challenges the status quo and is comfortable having difficult conversations.
• Balances strategy with hands-on execution.
• Delivers measurable results, not simply recommendations.
• Builds sustainable solutions while driving immediate operational improvements.

This opportunity is best suited for an experienced manufacturing planning professional who has successfully stepped into challenging environments, created structure from complexity, and delivered meaningful results in a compressed timeframe.