Manager, Production Planning

PMX Industries•Cedar Rapids, IA

19h•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager of Production Control Planning is responsible for developing and executing the production planning strategy that aligns customer demand with manufacturing capabilities across the organization. This role provides leadership for production control personnel while coordinating with Sales, Procurement, Operations, Shipping, and executive leadership to ensure customer commitments are met safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively. This position plays a critical role in driving the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process, optimizing capacity utilization, improving inventory performance, and translating long-term business objectives into executable production strategies. The successful candidate will understand the complexities of heavy industrial manufacturing, including extended production cycles, substantial work-in-process inventory, and balancing competing priorities across the business.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field required.
Minimum of 8–10 years of progressive experience in production planning, production control, supply chain, or operations leadership within a manufacturing environment.
Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience managing planners, schedulers, or supply chain teams.
Demonstrated experience leading and facilitating Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) processes required.
Proven success in capacity planning, inventory optimization, and improving inventory turns required.
Experience managing complex production schedules involving multiple constraints and competing priorities required.
Strong ERP/MRP experience required; SAP experience preferred.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and reporting tools.
Experience utilizing production planning systems and data analytics to support decision-making.
Strong understanding of forecasting, inventory management, finite scheduling, capacity analysis, and production control principles.
Exceptional organizational and problem-solving abilities.
Strong analytical and strategic decision-making skills.
Ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to lead effectively in a fast-paced heavy industrial manufacturing environment.
Must be able to pass a pre-employment drug and background screening.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.
Heavy industrial manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
Metals manufacturing experience, including copper, copper alloys, steel, aluminum, foundry operations, rolling mills, or other continuous process manufacturing environments, strongly preferred.
Experience supporting operations with significant work-in-process inventory and extended manufacturing lead times preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the organization's Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process to align customer demand, production capabilities, inventory strategies, and business objectives.
Facilitate cross-functional S&OP meetings with Sales, Operations, Procurement, Shipping, and executive leadership.
Develop consensus plans that support revenue objectives while maintaining operational efficiency.
Provide executive leadership with visibility into demand trends, capacity constraints, inventory risks, and mitigation strategies.
Develop short-term and long-range production plans that support company growth initiatives and customer requirements.
Establish and maintain capacity models to optimize utilization of equipment, labor, and manufacturing resources.
Identify production constraints and proactively develop solutions to maximize throughput and improve responsiveness.
Partner with Operations and Maintenance teams to incorporate outages, planned downtime, and resource limitations into production strategies.
Support annual operating plans, forecasting activities, and long-term capital planning initiatives.
Provide oversight and direction for the Master Production Schedule (MPS) to ensure alignment between customer demand and manufacturing capabilities.
Monitor schedule adherence and adjust priorities as necessary to address changing customer requirements, equipment constraints, and material availability.
Ensure timely release and sequencing of production orders to support efficient workflow throughout the manufacturing process.
Coordinate production priorities to minimize bottlenecks and maximize plant performance.
Develop inventory strategies that balance customer service expectations with working capital objectives.
Drive improvements in inventory turns, inventory accuracy, and overall inventory health.
Monitor and manage raw material, work-in-process, and finished goods inventory levels to support production continuity and customer commitments.
Collaborate closely with Procurement to anticipate material requirements, reduce shortages, and mitigate supply chain disruptions.
Analyze inventory trends and identify opportunities to reduce excess inventory while maintaining service levels.
Lead, mentor, and develop the Production Control and Planning team, including planners, schedulers, and support personnel.
Establish clear expectations, accountability measures, and performance objectives.
Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer focus.
Support employee development and succession planning initiatives.
Serve as the primary liaison between Production, Sales, Procurement, Customer Service, Shipping, and executive leadership regarding production priorities and delivery commitments.
Communicate risks associated with capacity limitations, inventory concerns, and material shortages while developing mitigation plans.
Participate in customer and internal meetings related to delivery performance and scheduling commitments.
Develop, monitor, and report key performance indicators including: o Sales and Operations Planning effectiveness o On-time delivery performance o Schedule adherence o Capacity utilization o Inventory turns o Inventory accuracy o Forecast accuracy o Order backlog management
Utilize operational data and analytics to identify trends, constraints, and improvement opportunities.
Lead initiatives focused on reducing lead times, improving planning processes, enhancing inventory performance, and increasing operational efficiency.