Production Planning Lead – Master Production Schedule (MPS)

Job title: Production Planning Lead – Master Production Schedule (MPS)

About the Role Lead short- and long-term production planning and scheduling to ensure on-time delivery, optimal inventory levels, and efficient use of capacity. Own the master production schedule (MPS), coordinate demand and supply across functions (sales, customer service, procurement, production, and logistics), and supervise two function roles (CRS and Production Planner) to meet customer service and operational objectives.

What You'll Do

• Develop, maintain, and optimize the Master Production Schedule (MPS) balancing demand, capacity, inventory, and lead times.
• Translate sales forecasts and firm orders into actionable production plans and release priorities.
• Consolidate and validate demand signals with CRS/PJM/PM teams; conduct outsourcing supply validation (capacity constraints, material availability, supplier lead times).
• Run constrained and unconstrained scenarios based on forecasts and recommend the best trade-offs to stakeholders.
• Monitor the execution of daily and weekly production schedules; collaborate with the production team to resolve bottlenecks and expedite critical orders.
• Target and monitor safety stock levels (including HUB inventory) to achieve service targets while minimizing excess inventory.
• Coordinate material release and procurement actions with Procurement and planners to prevent shortages.
• Supervise, coach, and develop CRS and Production Planner; set objectives, review performance, and develop plans.
• Facilitate regular SOPs for CRS & Planner, schedule weekly/monthly production & capacity meetings; communicate schedule changes and impacts broadly.
• Act as escalation point for customer delivery risks and production issues.
• Drive improvements in planning processes (cycle time, forecast accuracy, schedule stability).
• Own APS data quality (BOM, lead times, routings, inventory records) and collaborate with BA/MES teams for system enhancements or automation.
• Implement best practices in capacity planning, rough-cut capacity planning, and finite scheduling.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business, or related field.
• 5+ years of planning/scheduling experience in a manufacturing or process environment; at least 2 years in a lead or supervisory role.
• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Infor) and APS or scheduling tools preferred.
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrated experience with demand-supply balancing and scenario planning.
• Excellent coordination abilities, high resilience under pressure, and strong sense of responsibility.
• Ability to make tradeoffs under competing constraints.
• Communication & influence include clear, timely updates to stakeholders and ability to negotiate realistic commitments.
• Problem solving & root-cause analysis and pragmatic resolution of operational disruptions.
• Leadership includes coaching, performance management, and fostering cross-functional teamwork.
• Attention to detail / data integrity and disciplined execution.
• Proficient in MS Office; familiar with data analysis tools (Excel/Power BI/Word/PPT).