Planning Manager

Flex is the diversified manufacturing partner of choice that helps market-leading brands design, build and deliver innovative products that improve the world.

A career at Flex offers the opportunity to make a difference and invest in your growth in a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative environment. If you are excited about a role but don't meet every bullet point, we encourage you to apply and join us to create the extraordinary.

Job Summary

The Planning Manager is responsible for driving end-to-end planning governance across multiple manufacturing sites and strategic customer programs. This role serves as the central planning focal point between customers, factory planning teams, program management, procurement, manufacturing, engineering, logistics, and finance organizations.

The position oversees planning activities from New Product Introduction (NPI) through Mass Production (MP), ensuring alignment between customer demand, supply capability, material readiness, production execution, inventory strategy, and shipment commitments.

As the business continues to expand across multiple customers and global manufacturing sites, this role will play a critical role in establishing standardized planning processes, improving operational visibility, driving risk management, and supporting scalable growth.

Key Responsibilities

1. Multi-Site Planning Governance

• Own consolidated supply planning governance across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Review and challenge factory production plans and MPS loading strategies.
• Ensure alignment between customer demand, supply plans, and manufacturing execution.
• Drive planning consistency, process discipline, and execution accuracy across sites.
• Coordinate planning activities among factories supporting the same customer or product family.

2. NPI & Ramp Planning Management

• Lead planning readiness activities for new product introductions.
• Drive supply readiness, material availability, capacity planning, and build schedules.
• Monitor key milestones and identify risks impacting ramp-up timelines.
• Coordinate factory teams to establish executable production plans.
• Develop contingency and recovery plans for critical supply challenges.

3. Inventory Planning & Optimization

• Monitor inventory performance across factories, hubs, and supply chain networks.
• Track inventory health through key metrics including:
  • Inventory Turnover (ITO)
  • Inventory On Hand (IOH)
  • Excess & Obsolete (E&O)
  • Aging Inventory
  • Hub Inventory Coverage
  • Finished Goods Inventory
• Drive inventory optimization initiatives while maintaining customer service levels.
• Support quarterly cash-flow and inventory reduction objectives.

4. Supply Risk Management

• Identify and proactively manage supply chain risks.
• Monitor material shortages, capacity constraints, supplier issues, and schedule risks.
• Develop mitigation strategies and recovery plans.
• Escalate critical risks and provide executive-level visibility.
• Drive cross-functional resolution of supply and planning issues.

5. Planning Analytics & Business Reporting

• Develop and maintain planning dashboards and KPI reporting.
• Analyze:
  • Supply Attainment
  • Forecast Accuracy
  • Build Plan Execution
  • Delivery Performance
  • Capacity Utilization
  • Inventory Performance
• Provide actionable business insights to leadership teams and customers.

6. Process Excellence & Scalability

• Standardize planning processes across manufacturing sites.
• Establish governance mechanisms and best practices.
• Drive automation and operational efficiency improvements.
• Support onboarding of new factories, customers, and business programs.
• Contribute to long-term planning organization development.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree or above in Supply Chain, Operations Management or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in Supply Chain Planning, Production Planning, Materials Planning, Demand Planning, or Operations Planning.
• Experience supporting both NPI and Mass Production environments.
• Strong experience managing planning activities across multiple manufacturing sites.
• EMS, Electronics Manufacturing, Server, Data Center, Networking, or High-Tech industry experience, Power related experience preferred.
• Customer-facing planning experience is highly desirable.

Core Competencies

1. Planning & Supply Chain Expertise

• Supply Planning
• Master Production Scheduling (MPS)
• Capacity Planning
• Demand Planning
• Inventory Management
• Supply Risk Management
• S&OP Processes

2. Systems & Analytics

• SAP / Oracle/BAAN ERP
• Advanced Excel
• Data Analytics
• Planning System Knowledge

3. Leadership & Communication

• Strong stakeholder management
• Executive-level communication
• Cross-functional influence
• Structured problem solving
• Customer relationship management
• Project leadership

4. Success Measurements

• Customer Supply Fulfillment Performance
• Planning Accuracy
• NPI Ramp Readiness
• Inventory Optimization Performance
• Supply Risk Mitigation Effectiveness
• Capacity Utilization Improvement
• Cross-Site Planning Standardization
• Customer Satisfaction

Job Category

Required Skills:

Optional Skills:

Flex is an Equal Opportunity Employer and employment selection decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. We do not discriminate based on: age, race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, pregnancy status, or any other status protected by law. We're happy to provide reasonable accommodations to those with a disability for assistance in the application process. Please email [email protected] and we'll discuss your specific situation and next steps (NOTE: this email does not accept or consider resumes or applications. This is only for disability assistance. To be considered for a position at Flex, you must complete the application process first).