Manager, Production Planning

MP Materials Corp.•Fort Worth, TX

21h

About The Position

The Production Planning Manager leads the development and execution of production plans that efficiently convert raw materials into finished goods. This role is responsible for meeting customer delivery requirements, optimizing inventory, and maximizing manufacturing asset utilization. Success in this position will be measured through schedule adherence, inventory accuracy, material availability, labor planning effectiveness, WIP levels, and timely communication of production constraints, all to support safe and reliable plant operations. The Manager serves as a key link between Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Procurement, Logistics, and Customer Service teams to ensure operational plans are aligned with customer demand and business objectives. The role leads a team of Production Planners and Planning Specialists and is accountable for delivering production plans that balance service levels, inventory targets, capacity constraints, labor availability, and operational performance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business, Manufacturing, or a related field
7+ years of production planning, supply chain, operations planning, or manufacturing experience in a large-scale industrial or process manufacturing environment.
3+ years of progressive leadership experience managing managers and large planning organizations.
Experience supporting complex manufacturing processes that convert raw materials into finished goods.
Demonstrated success managing production, capacity, material, labor, and inventory planning activities.
Experience coordinating maintenance outages, shutdowns, or turnaround planning in a manufacturing environment.
Experience with ERP, MRP and supply chain planning systems, preferably SAP

Nice To Haves

APICS CPIM, CSCP, or CLTD certification
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain short-, medium-, and long-term production plans that align customer demand with manufacturing capacity
Set team priorities, and establish clear planning standards for Production Planners and Planning Specialists
Create and manage production schedules to meet customer commitments, inventory targets, and operational objectives
Balance production requirements across manufacturing assets to maximize throughput and minimize operational disruptions
Monitor schedule adherence and coordinate adjustments based on changing demand, production performance, or supply constraints
Analyze capacity requirements and identify opportunities to improve asset utilization
Integrate maintenance outages, shutdowns, and labor availability into production plans; communicate capacity, staffing and service impacts to affected stakeholders
Ensure production plans support customer service and on-time delivery objectives
Coordinate with Logistics, Customer Service, and Supply Chain teams to align finished goods availability with customer demand
Manage finished goods inventory levels to support service requirements while minimizing excess inventory
Identify and mitigate risks that could impact customer deliveries
Oversee raw material and component planning activities to support uninterrupted production
Optimize material consumption and inventory levels while minimizing waste and excess inventory
Partner with Procurement and Supply Chain teams to ensure material availability
Monitor inventory performance and implement actions to improve inventory turns and inventory accuracy
Monitor and manage work-in-process inventory throughout the manufacturing process.
Identify bottlenecks and constraints impacting production flow.
Drive initiatives to improve throughput, reduce cycle times, and optimize inventory levels.
Ensure visibility of WIP performance through reporting and key metrics.
Analyze planning performance and implement process improvements
Utilize ERP, MRP, and planning systems to improve schedule effectiveness and planning accuracy
Develop and maintain key performance indicators and performance dashboards that provide timely visibility into schedule adherence, capacity, inventory, service, and planning accuracy.
Support Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives across the planning organization