Production Planner

About the Company

Our client is a rapidly growing advanced manufacturing organisation that is transforming the delivery of high-precision components into highly regulated industries. Through a combination of cutting-edge technology, modern production methods, and significant growth plans, they are building a scalable manufacturing network focused on quality, reliability, and operational excellence.

As the business continues to expand, they are seeking a talented Production Planner to play a key role in ensuring manufacturing operations run efficiently and customer commitments are consistently achieved.

The Opportunity

This is a fantastic opportunity for a proactive and analytical Production Planner to take ownership of production scheduling, capacity planning, and manufacturing coordination within a fast-paced engineering environment.

Working closely with Production, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, and Customer Operations teams, you will translate customer demand into realistic and achievable manufacturing schedules while balancing capacity, materials, resources, and delivery requirements.

This role suits someone who enjoys problem-solving, thrives in a factory environment, and can confidently manage changing priorities while maintaining a clear focus on delivery performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and maintain detailed production schedules across multiple work centres and manufacturing operations.
• Sequence manufacturing orders based on capacity, material availability, routing requirements, and customer due dates.
• Monitor work-in-progress and adjust schedules as operational priorities change.
• Assess manufacturing capacity, identifying constraints in machines, labour, tooling, inspection, and subcontract services.
• Support customer delivery commitments by providing realistic lead times and production forecasts.
• Ensure production readiness by coordinating materials, drawings, tooling, programming, inspection requirements, and external services.
• Identify bottlenecks and production risks early, providing practical solutions and recovery plans.
• Work closely with Procurement to align material deliveries with production requirements.
• Maintain accurate scheduling and planning data within ERP/MRP and production management systems.
• Track and report on key planning metrics including schedule adherence, on-time delivery, utilisation, and work-in-progress.
• Develop longer-term capacity plans to support business growth and future customer demand.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to improve planning accuracy, efficiency, and production performance.

Experience Required

• Minimum 3 years' experience in Production Planning, Scheduling, Capacity Planning, Manufacturing Coordination, or a similar role.
• Experience operating within a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Ability to manage multiple work orders, priorities, and production schedules simultaneously.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, routings, lead times, work-in-progress, and production flow.
• Experience identifying and managing capacity constraints and delivery risks.
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems, production planning software, and Excel.
• Strong analytical, organisational, and communication skills.

Desirable Experience

• Experience within aerospace, defence, automotive, precision engineering, advanced manufacturing, electronics, or other highly regulated industries.
• Understanding of CNC machining environments or multi-stage manufacturing operations.
• Knowledge of production scheduling methodologies, capacity modelling, and demand planning.
• Exposure to quality-controlled manufacturing environments.
• Experience supporting manufacturing growth or operational improvement initiatives.
• APICS, CPIM, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or similar operational qualifications.

What We're Looking For

• A planner who takes ownership and keeps schedules accurate, realistic, and achievable.
• Someone who can anticipate problems before they impact production or delivery.
• A strong communicator able to work effectively across Production, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Commercial teams.
• An analytical thinker who enjoys using data to improve decision-making.
• A practical problem-solver who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Someone who enjoys improving processes and helping build operational capability as a business grows.

What's on Offer

• Opportunity to join a growing advanced manufacturing business at an exciting stage of its growth.
• Significant visibility and influence across operations.
• Collaborative and ambitious culture.
• Opportunity to help shape planning processes and operational best practice.
• Long-term career development and progression opportunities.