MRP & PRODUCTION PLANNING LEADER

Ariston Group; Centurion; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Ariston Group is seeking an experienced MRP & Production Planning Leader to drive end-to-end production planning, ensuring material availability, production continuity and on-time customer fulfilment.

You will translate demand into feasible production plans while balancing inventory, capacity, supplier performance and operational constraints, collaborating with Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Commercial teams to align supply with customer requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline.
• 5–7 years in Production Planning, Materials Planning or Internal Logistics.
• Strong experience with MRP, scheduling, capacity planning and inventory management.
• ERP-based planning systems experience, preferably SAP.
• Understanding of master data, inventory accuracy and warehouse processes.
• Strong Excel and data-analysis capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead production planning and develop schedules based on demand, inventory and priorities.
• Translate forecasts and orders into feasible production plans considering constraints.
• Monitor execution and adjust plans for demand changes and disruptions.
• Ensure raw materials and spare parts availability and optimize inventory levels.
• Coordinate supplier schedules and material replenishment to address shortages.
• Oversee raw material warehouse activities and inventory-control processes.
• Ensure alignment between physical inventory and SAP transactions; maintain master data in SAP.
• Collaborate with Production, Procurement, SQA, Logistics, R&D and commercial teams to align supply with customer requirements.
• Contribute to S&OP processes and support new product introductions from a planning/material perspective.
• Lead Logistics Pillar activities within the World Class Manufacturing framework.

Skills

Production Planning

MRP

Production Scheduling

Capacity Planning

Inventory Management

Data Analysis

Stakeholder Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Production Management or related discipline

Tools

SAP

Excel

Job description

As MRP & Production Planning Leader, you will drive the end-to-end production planning process, ensuring material availability, production continuity and on-time customer fulfilment. You will translate demand into achievable production plans while balancing inventory, capacity, supplier performance and operational constraints. In this role you will play a key role in creating an efficient, responsive and reliable manufacturing operation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

In this role, you will:

• Lead the production planning process and develop production schedules based on customer demand, inventory levels and business priorities.
• Translate forecasts and customer orders into feasible production plans, balancing material availability, capacity, labour and equipment constraints.
• Monitor execution and adjust plans in response to demand changes, capacity constraints and supply disruptions.
• Ensure raw materials and spare parts are available to support production requirements.
  Optimize inventory levels while balancing operational continuity, customer service and working capital.
• Coordinate supplier schedules and material replenishment, addressing shortages and supply constraints proactively.
• Oversee raw material warehouse activities, stock counts and inventory-control processes.
• Ensure alignment between physical inventory and SAP transactions, safeguarding inventory accuracy, material traceability and data integrity.
• Maintain planning parameters and master data in SAP.
• Partner with Production, Procurement, SQA, Logistics, R&D and commercial teams to align supply with customer requirements.
• Contribute to the S&OP process and translate agreed priorities into operational plans.
• Support new product introductions and engineering changes from a planning and material perspective.
• Lead Logistics Pillar activities within the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) framework.
• Drive continuous-improvement initiatives across planning, inventory and logistics, including the reduction of obsolete inventory.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

What you bring

You combine strong production-planning expertise with a hands-on, analytical approach and the ability to bring different stakeholders together.

Education & experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Production Management or a related technical or business discipline.
• 5–7 years of experience in Production Planning, Materials Planning or Manufacturing Internal Logistics.
• Strong practical experience with MRP, production scheduling, capacity planning, inventory management and supplier scheduling.
• Solid experience working with ERP-based planning systems, preferably SAP.
• Good understanding of manufacturing master data, inventory accuracy, material traceability and warehouse processes.
• Strong Excel and data-analysis capabilities.

Your capabilities

• Strong knowledge of production planning, scheduling and MRP and inventory management.
• Solid analytical and problem-solving capabilities with a fact-based approach to decision-making.
• Ability to identify supply risks and translate them into practical mitigation actions.
• Effective communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to collaborate across manufacturing, supply chain and commercial functions.
• Strong ownership and accountability for supply continuity.
• Continuous-improvement mindset with a focus on operational excellence, planning discipline and inventory accuracy.

It would be an advantage if you have

• SAP planning experience or SAP certification.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma Green Belt or WCM certification.

How you will make an impact

Your contribution will directly influence production reliability and customer service. Key areas of performance include production schedule adherence, OTIF, material availability, inventory accuracy, supplier delivery performance, inventory days, working capital, planning accuracy and reduction of obsolete stock.