Production Planner

The Opportunity

We are recruiting for an experienced Production Planner to join a global engineering and manufacturing company based in Trafford Park.

This is an excellent opportunity for an organised and proactive individual with experience in a manufacturing environment to play a key role in coordinating production schedules, managing workflow and ensuring customer orders are delivered on time.

Working closely with production, engineering, technical, purchasing, stores and other internal departments, you will help ensure that manufacturing resources are effectively utilised, materials are available when required and production targets are achieved.

Experience within a machine shop or engineering manufacturing environment would be particularly beneficial.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain and monitor production plans and schedules to meet customer demand and delivery deadlines.
• Coordinate manufacturing activities to ensure efficient workflow and optimum use of production capacity.
• Liaise with production supervisors, machine shop personnel, purchasing and stores to ensure materials and components are available when required.
• Monitor work-in-progress, identify potential delays and implement corrective actions to minimise disruption.
• Review production priorities and adjust schedules in response to changing customer requirements or operational issues.
• Work closely with supply chain and procurement teams to identify and resolve material shortages.
• Maintain accurate production planning records and update relevant systems with scheduling and progress information.
• Monitor production performance against planned targets and delivery schedules.
• Identify opportunities to improve production efficiency, reduce lead times and minimise downtime.
• Communicate effectively with internal departments to ensure clear visibility of production priorities and deadlines.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives across the manufacturing operation.

Skills and Experience Required

• Previous experience in a Production Planner, Production Scheduler or similar role within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong organisational and planning skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Good understanding of manufacturing processes, production workflows and capacity planning.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships across departments.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Excel and experience using an ERP or MRP system.
• A proactive approach to problem-solving, with the ability to identify potential production issues before they impact delivery.
• High levels of accuracy and attention to detail.

Desirable Experience

• Experience working within a machine shop, precision engineering or mechanical engineering environment.
• Familiarity with CNC machining and associated manufacturing processes.
• Experience planning work orders, managing work-in-progress and coordinating material requirements.
• Experience within a medium-to-large manufacturing business or a global engineering organisation.

Working Hours and Location

• 37 hours per week.
• Monday to Friday.
• Four days office-based, with the remaining working arrangement to be agreed.
• Based in Trafford Park, Manchester.

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be a well-organised, commercially aware and solutions-focused individual who understands the importance of keeping production running efficiently. You will be comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, managing changing priorities and communicating with colleagues at all levels.

Machine shop production planning experience would be a distinct advantage, although candidates with strong production planning experience in other manufacturing environments will also be considered

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