Production Planning Manager

Position

We are looking for an experienced and hands on Production Planning Manager to lead our team of Production Planners and ensure an efficient and reliable production planning process.

In this role, you will be responsible for the day to day leadership of the Production Planning team while maintaining a strong understanding of the operation and the planning process. You will provide direction and support to the team and be ready to step in and support the daily planning when needed. Your strong understanding of production planning, capacity management, prioritisation, MRP, inventory management and data analysis will enable you to ensure that customer demand is translated into realistic and efficient production plans.

As a key part of the Supply Chain organisation, you will work closely with Production, Order Management, Customer Care and Logistics to identify constraints, manage priorities and resolve issues before they impact customers.

Your responsibilities

Leadership & Team Coordination

• Lead and develop the Production Planning team, ensuring clear priorities, responsibilities and ways of working.
• Support and coach planners in their daily work and ensure consistent execution of planning processes.
• Manage workload and priorities within the team according to business needs.
• Build strong collaboration between Production Planning and Production, Supply Chain, Logistics, Order Management and Customer Care.

Production Planning & Execution

• Ensure effective production planning based on demand, capacity and material availability.
• Review and challenge production plans to ensure they are realistic and aligned with customer requirements.
• Manage production priorities, customer orders and backlogs.
• Lead and support allocation decisions when required, ensuring available capacity and materials are prioritised effectively.
• Monitor capacity and identify constraints, bottlenecks and potential delivery risks.
• Analyse MRP messages and material shortages and ensure appropriate actions are taken.
• Manage planning issues and escalations, supporting the team in finding practical solutions and workarounds when required.

Data, Systems & Performance

• Ensure accurate and timely master data and planning parameters.
• Use data and KPIs to monitor planning performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Analyse production and delivery performance and take action where targets are not met.
• Use Excel extensively to analyse data, identify trends and support planning decisions.
• Use SAP S/4HANA to manage and follow up on production planning activities and planning data.

Inventory & Supply Chain

• Ensure production plans are aligned with inventory targets and customer service requirements.
• Identify and address risks related to excess inventory, material shortages and obsolete stock.
• Work closely with the SIOP team to align demand, supply, capacity and inventory.
• Identify and help mitigate supply and capacity gaps.

Continuous Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement within production planning processes, systems and ways of working.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning accuracy, standardisation, efficiency and data quality.
• Challenge existing processes and implement practical improvements that create value for the business.
• Support the development of a more structured, data-driven and proactive planning function.

Your profile

We are looking for a strong leader with solid production planning experience who enjoys staying close to the operation and supporting the team when needed.

You have:

• Proven experience in production planning, master production scheduling or a similar planning role.
• Experience leading and developing a team, preferably in a production environment.
• A strong understanding of production capacity, material availability, MRP and order fulfilment.
• Good working knowledge of SAP S/4HANA or a similar ERP system.
• Strong Excel and data analysis skills.
• A structured and analytical approach with strong attention to detail.
• The ability to work under pressure and prioritise in a changing environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive, solution-oriented mindset.
• Good communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A collaborative approach and the ability to build strong relationships across functions.
• An interest in continuous improvement, standardisation and improving ways of working.

What we offer

You will join a team where you can make a direct impact on how production planning is managed and developed. This is a leadership role with close interaction with Production, Supply Chain and other key functions across the organisation.

You will have the opportunity to strengthen planning processes, develop the team and help create a more proactive and data-driven approach to production planning. You will also use your planning expertise to contribute to solving operational challenges and improving ways of working.

One company – HBK      

HBK (Hottinger, Brüel & Kjær) is a global leader in test and measurement, formed in 2019 through the merger of Brüel & Kjær and HBM. With over 3,000 employees across 80 countries, we deliver advanced solutions that help customers improve product performance and reliability. HBK operates within the Test and Measurement segment of Spectris. For further info please visit www.hbkworld.com.