Production Planning Manager

Production Planning ManagerJob Summary:The planning manager is responsible for leading end-to-end production planning, master scheduling, and material coordination processes to ensure on-time delivery, optimized capacity utilization, and accurate inventory levels across machining, assembly, and kitting operations. This role oversees a team of planners, schedulers, and/or buyers to translate the sales forecast and customer demand into executable production plans aligned with operational capabilities and strategic business objectives. The ideal candidate is a hands-on, data-driven leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, demonstrates strong cross-functional communication, and models company values through integrity, teamwork, and continuous improvement. They can balance customer requirements, manufacturing constraints, and inventory strategies to drive predictable, stable, and high-performing operations. Essential Job Functions:Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing planning team responsible for scheduling, capacity, planning, and material readiness. Establish clear expectations, performance metrics, and accountability for planning workflows. Promote a culture of transparency, collaboration, and problem-solving with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Procurement, & Production teams. Translate backlog, sales forecasts, and stocking strategies into weekly and monthly production plans. Balance machine and labor capacity across machining and assembly lines to ensure feasible schedules. Oversee material planning to ensure component availability while maintaining optimal inventory levels. Partner with Supply Chain to establish safety stock, reorder points, and planning parameters. Drive excellence in ERP (e.g., Syteline/CloudSuite) planning parameter accuracy (lead times, batch sizes, safety stock, BOM integrity, etc.).Develop planning dashboards and reports for operations leadership. Lead continuous improvement initiatives within planning tools and ERP processes.Act as the primary liaison between Sales, Operations, Procurement, and Manufacturing Engineering teams regarding demand changes, constraints, and plan execution. Support Lean initiatives such as kitting, material flow optimization, and cycle time reduction. Develop standard work for planning processes and ensure consistent application across team.Qualifications:Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Engineering, or related field is required. 5-8+ years of experience in production planning, scheduling, or supply chain in a manufacturing environment is required. Strong ERP experience is required. Syteline/CloudSuite experience preferred. Demonstrated experience leading and developing teams is required. Exceptional analytical skills, with proficiency in Excel and planning analytics is required. Strong communication, collaboration, and conflict-resolution skills is required. Experience in aerospace, defense, or other high-mix, low-volume manufacturing is preferred. APICS/ASCM certifications (CPIM, CSCP) are preferred.Familiarity with Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement tools is preferred. Understanding of machine shop workflows, assembly operations, and routings is preferred. Management reserves the right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.