Product Planning Manager

As a Product Planning Manager your role is pivotal in facilitating the smooth progression of products throughout the production cycle. Your main task involves meticulously planning, creating, scheduling, coordinating, and monitoring the production process to meet financial turnover targets and customer delivery deadlines. This requires proactive management of material availability, collaboration with various teams, and utilizing SAP systems to streamline operations.

Your responsibilities include:

• Planning and managing material availability to ensure timely delivery of customer orders, collaborating with production/operations supervisors to plan operational lead times for sub-assemblies and box build products.
• Liaising with Sales and Customer Relations Managers regarding customer orders and planned order releases, considering capacity planning and material requirements.
• Forecasting and maintaining adequate levels of purchased and stock components, adjusting order review points to minimize shortages or excess inventory.
• Taking charge of material planning processes and documenting procedures to ensure compliance with labeling requirements.
• Working closely with the Operations Manager to develop and execute long-term production schedules, identifying and reporting plant capacity constraints.
• Vigilantly monitoring workflow and schedules to ensure on-time delivery, collaborating with Production Supervisors to implement short and medium-term production plans and effective scheduling processes to meet production objectives.
• Coordinating with Warehouse functions and material handlers to ensure the availability of the correct type and quantity of materials, preventing interruptions. Supervising and controlling the disposition team to manage production orders.
• Serving as an SAP Key User in the planning and dispatch area, providing training to teams in SAP processes.
• Performing any other relevant duties as assigned.

• Ability to interpret engineering documents, Bill of Materials (BOMs), Change Orders, and related procedures.
• Ability to communicate, prioritise and negotiate.
• Demonstrated organizational, communication, time management, and problem-solving abilities.
• High energy level with a proactive approach to embracing challenges, lean methodologies, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to build positive working relationships with executive management and various levels within manufacturing.

• Experience in material planning, procurement, and/or production processes, especially in relation to various production/operational procedures.
• Fundamental comprehension of process scheduling and constraints within a manufacturing environment.
• 3+ years of experience in a similar planning or purchasing role, with business or technical certification, or equivalent experience.
• Proficiency in purchasing processes for production and Maintenance Repair & Operations (MRO), expediting, and utilization of ERP/MRP systems such as SAP(TM), as well as MS Office(TM) applications, with advanced Excel skills for data analysis and reporting.
• Advanced level of education, preferably with a BSc. in Business Enterprise or Applied Business Science, or equivalent.
• Experience that provides comparable knowledge and job skills will also be considered an asset.