The Operations Planner creates and maintains the manufacturing schedule based upon demand planning, internal capacity constraints and factors affecting schedule compliance. They track manufacturing progress, execute ERP processes and report functions, and provide timely data and information used to drive the business’ decision making process.

The Operations Planner is the primary liaison to other functional groups (e.g., supply chain, inspection, quality assurance, production engineering, contracts, programmes, transportation). Workflow management includes the issuing of job order paperwork to work centres on a daily basis to initiate manufacturing, and controlling any amendments in line with our traceable manufacturing processes.

The post holder will be fully aware of all current work and both near and long term forecasts on all manufacturing work centres. This includes responsibility for monitoring material inventories, tracking manufacturing progress and reviewing production schedule utilisation, monitoring and maintaining the planning system parameters including lead times, lot sizes, resource allocation, cycle times and other factors contributing to the effective execution of the schedule.

In support of the planning function the post holder ensures that best practice policy, processes, procedures are developed, maintained and run effectively across the short, medium and long term horizon plans. The metrics the Operations Planner will be measured against include on time delivery, capacity utilisation, sales output, and timely status reporting. Annual goals will be derived in concert with the Operations Manager.

•  Management of all manufacturing workflow to ensure on time delivery performance and optimised work centre loading.
• Forecasting of sales, manufacturing capacity and capability to promise; recommending corrective actions to senior management to deliver the current and anticipated customer order book
• Monitors and maintains planning/scheduling systems and executes ERP data flow processes to maintain integrity of data.
• Work flow management, issuing job orders and associated paperwork on a daily basis
• Validation of shop floor data capture to ensure that plans are firmly grounded in actual status of work, and available capacity.
• Capacity planning of all manufacturing work centres (includes stores, machining, processing, inspection, test, assembly, despatch) based on actual and/or modelled capacity versus planned work.
• Supports management of the business by collating timely status updates, identifying issues and problems for escalation to senior management and supporting planning of business resource levels.
• Provision of accurate and timely data to management and other key stakeholders, including shop-floor visual display of key metrics, monthly management reports, input to annual budgeting cycles and generation of ad-hoc forecasts.
• Creation of forward-load demand models based on the current released order book (Master Production Schedule).
• Creation and analysis of forward-load estimates or models based on the MPS plus likely order scenarios (both “what if” studies and “capacity to promise” forecasts).
• Actively support continuous improvement activities throughout the business
• Undertake other additional duties that may be required from time to time as determined by the company.