Production Scheduler / Planner

About the Role

Our client in Wicklow is seeking an experienced Production Scheduler / Planner to join their manufacturing team. This pivotal position is designed to enhance control, visibility, and consistency in production planning. The successful candidate will be responsible for owning the production schedule, ensuring it is practical, well-managed, and aligned with both customer demand and factory capacity.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an achievable, accurate production timetable.
• Convert incoming orders into detailed and organized production plans.
• Manage and forecast labor and work center production capacity.
• Consolidate inputs from sales forecasts, confirmed orders, and ongoing production to create a forward-looking demand overview.
• Integrate supply chain, production, and quality system data to base plans on current and accurate information.
• Provide transparent visibility into workloads, constraints, and priorities throughout the factory.
• Establish and monitor realistic lead times tailored to product types and production needs.
• Track adherence to schedules and proactively address any delays or bottlenecks.
• Collaborate closely with production teams to ensure clear communication and execution of plans.
• Supply timely and precise information to delivery and installation teams to support planning and customer commitments.
• Regularly update stakeholders on capacity, lead times, and delivery performance.
• Participate in continuous improvements for planning processes and data reliability.

Key Deliverables

• Enhanced control and accuracy in production lead times.
• Clear and forward-looking understanding of production capacity.
• Stronger alignment between order intake and production output.
• Improved on-time delivery metrics.
• A trusted and well-managed production schedule.

Qualifications and Experience

• Demonstrated experience in production planning or scheduling within manufacturing settings.
• Strong grasp of capacity planning, scheduling principles, and lead time management.
• Familiarity with production data and planning tools such as ERP systems.
• Highly organized with meticulous attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills to effectively collaborate with shop floor teams.
• A collaborative and team-oriented work approach.
• Proactive attitude focused on performance enhancement and outcome improvements.

Personal Attributes and Skills

• Experience working within manufacturing environments featuring diverse product ranges or varying specifications.
• Comfortable working in dynamic, hands-on, and fast-paced settings.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and nurture cross-team relationships.
• Proven track record of leading process improvements that deliver tangible operational benefits.
• Excellent problem-solving capabilities informed by data-driven decision making.
• Effective leadership and communication skills that engage and motivate personnel at varying levels.
• Experience managing and driving improvement projects to timely completion.
• A hands-on approach, including time spent on the shop floor to identify challenges and drive solutions.