Planner CVD

Company Overview

Element Six is a global leader in synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide advanced materials, with fully integrated in-house manufacturing and worldwide research and development capabilities spanning HPHT/CVD synthesis through to precision components.

The company’s growth areas include oil and gas drilling, mining and infrastructure, semiconductors and electronics, thermal management, photonics and lasers, quantum technologies, and environmental technologies.

Role Summary

This position is focused on end-to-end production and materials planning for the IETEC site. The planner will ensure customer demand is turned into practical and achievable production schedules.

Based at Element Six in Ireland, the role centres on detailed scheduling, material flow, inventory control, and master data accuracy for IETEC. The planner will work closely with Operations, Procurement, and Logistics to keep production plans stable, efficient, and on time.

This role does not own network-wide supply planning, consolidated planning, or IBP/S&OP. Instead, it contributes accurate planning inputs and execution feedback to those processes.

Production Planning and Scheduling

• Create and maintain detailed production schedules for IETEC in line with demand signals and approved supply plans.
• Arrange production orders across work centres to improve output, capacity use, and cycle times.
• Track schedule compliance and make live adjustments based on how operations are performing.
• Partner with shopfloor teams to keep plans realistic and executable.

Demand and Supply Alignment

• Coordinate with Sales, Customer Service, and Supply Chain teams to clarify demand needs.
• Convert demand forecasts into schedules that can be executed on site.
• Spot supply risks early and put mitigation measures in place.

Materials Planning and Control

• Make sure raw materials, work in progress, and consumables are available to support the IETEC production plan.
• Run MRP signals and use them to trigger procurement and internal supply actions.
• Work with Procurement and Stores to fix shortages and speed up material availability.
• Manage material movement within IETEC to reduce delays and bottlenecks.

Inventory Management and Accuracy

• Keep inventory levels at IETEC aligned with site targets and working capital goals.
• Support cycle counts, investigate mismatches, and help drive corrective action.
• Identify slow-moving, surplus, and obsolete stock and manage it appropriately.
• Improve inventory controls and stock accuracy.

Master Data Ownership

• Support accurate master data for IETEC in ERP systems such as JDE or SAP.
• Maintain bills of materials, routings, work centres, lead times, and planning settings.
• Support creation and updating of new items through CRM workflows.
• Review BoMs, routings, and planning data regularly to ensure records remain correct.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Work with ORTEC operations, IETEC Operations, Engineering, Procurement, Logistics, and Customer Service.
• Help prioritise production orders according to customer and business requirements.
• Take part in daily and weekly production and planning reviews for IETEC.
• Provide transparent updates on risks, constraints, and recovery actions.

Performance and Continuous Improvement

• Track IETEC performance measures including customer request date adherence, schedule adherence, OTIF, inventory accuracy, and inventory coverage.
• Support improvements in planning, scheduling, and inventory control processes.
• Ensure planning work complies with governance, quality, and audit standards.

Authority and Scope

• Can create and modify production schedules.
• Can manage planning parameters in ERP systems.
• Can prioritise orders based on business objectives.
• Does not include direct people management or budget responsibility.

Qualifications and Experience

A relevant qualification or equivalent experience in Supply Chain, Production Planning, Manufacturing, or a similar field is required. Hands-on experience with ERP and MRP systems is essential. APICS or CPIM certification is an advantage.

Applicants should bring practical experience in production planning, scheduling, or materials control in a manufacturing environment, along with a strong understanding of inventory management and shopfloor operations. Exposure to CVD or advanced manufacturing is beneficial.

Additional Information

The role calls for strong analytical thinking, excellent attention to detail, high data accuracy, advanced Excel capability, and comfort working in a fast-moving environment. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills are also important.

Key performance areas: schedule adherence and stability for IETEC, customer request date adherence, OTIF performance, inventory accuracy and stock turns, ERP/MRP data accuracy, and responsiveness to operational disruptions.