Production Planning Lead

Aston Carter•Carlsbad, CA

8h•$100,000 - $120,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Production Planning Lead will design and own the production planning and scheduling system for a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment with variable demand, customer-supplied materials, and shared critical resources. Rather than simply maintaining dates in an ERP, this role focuses on building the planning logic, tools, and decision-making framework that determine how the business plans, prioritizes, and executes work under uncertainty. The position is based on-site in Carlsbad, CA and sits within Operations / Manufacturing with direct visibility to leadership and real influence on capacity, delivery, and growth decisions.

Requirements

Proven experience in high-mix, low-volume or job shop manufacturing environments such as semiconductor, photonics, aerospace, medical devices, or similar industries.
Demonstrated ability to plan and prioritize effectively in uncertain, fast-changing environments with incomplete or imperfect data.
Strong understanding of capacity planning and bottleneck management in constrained manufacturing systems.
Deep knowledge of routing structures and the development and use of standard times for planning and scheduling.
Clear grasp of the trade-offs between utilization, lead time, and work-in-process (WIP) and how these affect delivery performance.
Hands-on, advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel for modeling, scenario analysis, and custom planning tools.
Experience using data analysis tools such as Power BI, SQL, or equivalent platforms to build dashboards and analyze performance.
Practical experience working with ERP systems such as Epicor, SAP, NetSuite, or similar, with the ability to challenge and improve system logic.
Comfort operating without fully defined processes and a track record of building effective planning processes and tools from the ground up.
Experience working in environments where ERP data is imperfect or immature and where planning logic needed to be built outside the system.

Nice To Haves

APICS or ASCM CPIM certification is preferred but not required.
Familiarity with Theory of Constraints (TOC) or similar constraint-based planning methodologies is a strong differentiator.
Experience in HMLV, job shop, NPI, aerospace, semiconductor, or medical manufacturing environments is highly relevant.
Epicor ERP experience is a strong plus and will be viewed favorably.
Ability to communicate clearly with cross-functional stakeholders and serve as the authoritative voice on production commitments.
Strong analytical mindset with the ability to turn complex operational data into clear, actionable recommendations.

Responsibilities

Build and own a constraint-driven planning model that spans all production activities and aligns engineering, operations, and customer priorities.
Translate incoming demand, engineering readiness, and material availability into realistic, capacity-based production schedules.
Develop scenario-based planning tools to answer key questions such as delivery dates, true system capacity, and when to hire or invest in equipment.
Identify, prioritize, and manage bottlenecks across shared equipment and specialized processes to ensure optimal utilization without overloading the system.
Define and implement routing structures, standard times, and capacity assumptions within the ERP system (Epicor or similar), especially where limited structure exists today.
Create and maintain visibility tools, including Excel models, Power BI dashboards, or similar reports, to track on-time delivery, capacity utilization by constraint, WIP levels, queue times, throughput, and cycle time.
Partner closely with engineering and operations teams to improve release readiness, enhance planning accuracy, and reduce variability and scheduling noise.
Enable repeatable execution for new product introduction (NPI) and low-volume production through robust planning frameworks and disciplined scheduling practices.
Act as the single source of truth for production commitments, balancing customer urgency with operational realities and capacity constraints.
Challenge existing ERP logic and processes where necessary, and design practical, data-driven solutions outside the system when ERP data is imperfect or immature.
Establish and enforce clear rules for schedule stability, including frozen windows and exception-based changes, to reduce firefighting and schedule volatility.
Provide clear, data-driven recommendations for headcount additions and capital investments based on true system capacity and constraint analysis.
Implement a scalable, repeatable planning framework that supports company growth and reduces reliance on ad hoc decision-making.
Continuously refine capacity planning, routing assumptions, and standard times based on real-world feedback from the shop floor and performance metrics.