Planning Manager

Role Summary

Planning is the control tower of our supply chain: connecting demand, supply, manufacturing, quality, and customer commitments to keep the business running and customers supported. This role is ideal for a seasoned planning leader who thrives in change environments: someone who can engage and motivate a team, enable performance, and raise capability. You will lead the planning team through a transformation toward stronger execution discipline, data-driven decision making, and consistent cross-functional partnership.

Responsibilities

• Lead the evolution of the planning organization by establishing an operating model aligned to business growth and customer needs.
• Reset expectations and standard work across planning to improve predictability, accountability, and execution.
• Drive adoption of best practices across forecasting, MRP execution, and inventory.
• Identify systemic gaps and translate them into practical, measurable improvement plans with clear owners and timelines.
• Build a high-performing team culture grounded in ownership, transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Coach and develop planners through structured 1:1s, clear performance expectations, and individualized growth plans.
• Strengthen team capability by setting standards for planning excellence and accountability.
• Provide timely, direct feedback and recognize great work.
• Establish and run a planning operating rhythm (weekly/monthly cadence) that drives action, decision-making, and follow-through across the team.
• Monitor and improve key planning performance indicators.
• Lead the team through high-pressure execution windows (EOQ, constrained supply) with structured prioritization and disciplined closure.
• Partner closely with Manufacturing, QC, Customer Service, Commercial, Procurement, and Finance to align priorities and manage constraints.
• Build strong working relationships across teams and ensure commitments are realistic and achievable.
• Lead cross-functional alignment on demand prioritization, capacity constraints, and customer commitments; ensuring clarity of trade-offs and decision rights.
• Provide functional leadership in forecasting, scheduling, MRP execution, and replenishment strategy; ensuring decisions reflect operational constraints, risk, and customer need.
• Partner with IT and stakeholders to optimize ERP planning functionality, improve data quality, and increase system-driven planning maturity.
• Ensure planning processes are scalable and resilient as the business grows.

Qualifications

• Required: Masters degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Required: 7–10+ years of progressive production planning or demand management experience in a manufacturing environment (regulated / life sciences preferred).
• Required: Previous supervisory experience, including coaching, management, and change leadership.
• Required: Strong understanding of MRP/ERP planning principles and experience leading teams in system-driven execution.
• Required: Proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and lead through complexity and competing priorities.
• Required: Strong analytical capability; comfortable using data to drive decisions and accountability.
• Preferred: Experience with Microsoft Dynamics AX (or similar ERP).
• Preferred: Lean / Six Sigma exposure (or strong continuous improvement toolkit).
• Preferred: APICS / ASCM certification (CPIM/CSCP) or equivalent.