Production Planning Manager

About the role

As our Production Planning Manager, you will own Mirus’ Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning (SIOP) process and lead the interface between Sales, Engineering, Operations and Procurement, ensuring an agreed aggregated plan is achieved and communicated through the business, with our resources directed at achieving our core objectives.

Day to day, you will lead the team that builds and maintains our master production schedule and material plans in Business Central, turning customer orders, programme schedules and forecasts into achievable, capacity-checked production plans. You will chair the regular planning and SIOP meetings, keep a close eye on material availability, shortages and capacity constraints, and make the trade-off decisions that protect our customer delivery dates.

You will also have overall responsibility for the facilitation of new part set-up and the accuracy of ERP master data – items, bills of materials, routings, lead times and planning parameters – so that manufacturing costs are fully articulated and our plans are predictable. You will work closely with Programme Management, Engineering, Procurement, Production, Stores, Quality and Finance, and be a trusted voice on what the business can deliver, and when.

Your Main Responsibilities

In your role as our Production Planning Manager, you will:

• Lead Mirus’ SIOP (Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning) process – coordinating the monthly cycle and supporting meetings, preparing the relevant reporting and data, and driving consensus on an agreed aggregated plan across Sales, Engineering, Operations and Procurement.

• Lead, coach and develop a team of two Production Planners and a Master Data specialist – setting clear objectives, managing workload and priorities, carrying out performance reviews and building capability and cover across the team to ensure the highest levels of performance.

• Own the Master Production Schedule (MPS), developing production schedules based on customer orders, programme requirements and demand forecasts, and communicating them across the business to ensure wide knowledge of, and agreement to, schedules and deadlines.

• Champion effective use of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for planning – owning demand forecasts, planning worksheet and MRP runs, reordering policies and planning parameters, and the timely creation, firming and release of production orders.

• Carry out rough-cut and detailed capacity planning across work centres and machine centres, identifying bottlenecks early and recommending solutions such as overtime, resequencing, subcontracting or investment.

• Ensure timely liaison with Procurement, Stores and suppliers so that parts and inventory are available to meet production plans, actively managing shortages, expediting and recovery plans.

• Hold overall responsibility for new part set-up and the accuracy of ERP master data, including items, production BOMs, routings, lead times, units of measure and costing data so that manufacturing costs are fully articulated and plans are predictable.

• Work with Engineering to implement engineering changes and new product introductions into Business Central in a controlled way, including BOM and routing version control and the planned cut-in of changes.

• Balance customer service, inventory investment and operational efficiency – setting and reviewing safety stock, lot sizing and reorder points, and supporting the reduction of excess and obsolete stock.

• Provide planning input to customer programme reviews, quotations and delivery commitments, giving realistic, capacity-based lead times and ship dates.

• Define, track and report planning KPIs such as schedule adherence, on-time in-full (OTIF) delivery, inventory levels and turns, MRP exceptions and master data accuracy.

• Develop, document and continuously improve planning processes, procedures and work instructions to maximise efficiency, repeatability and performance, in line with our aerospace quality management system.

• Act as the key user for Business Central planning and manufacturing functionality, working with IT and our ERP partner on improvements, reporting and system enhancements, and training users across the business

About you

To help Mirus continue our journey of growth, you will bring your expertise within a production planning and supply chain capacity, a passion for problem solving and drive for operational excellence along with the following skills, experience, qualifications and attributes:

Proven experience leading a production planning department in a complex manufacturing or engineering environment.

Line management experience, including coaching and developing people.

Excellent knowledge of production planning, MRP/MPS, materials supply and quality control principles.

Hands-on experience of planning within an ERP/MRP system.

Experience running or contributing significantly to an S&OP / SIOP process.

A strong understanding of master data (items, BOMs, routings) and its impact on cost and plan accuracy.

Ability to evaluate, develop, document and improve processes.

Advanced Excel skills and confidence working with data and building reports.

Desirable

Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (or Dynamics NAV), particularly the planning worksheet, production orders and capacity planning.

A background in aerospace, automotive, defence or another regulated, high-mix low-volume manufacturing environment.

A professional qualification such as APICS CPIM/CSCP, CIPS or IOM.

Experience with Power BI or similar reporting tools.

Lean or continuous improvement training (e.g. Six Sigma Green Belt).

Involvement in ERP implementation or optimisation projects.

Personal skills / attributes:

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with sound judgement when making trade-offs under pressure.

Ability to communicate, coach and influence at all levels – internally, cross-functionally and externally.

A confident, supportive leader who builds a positive and accountable team culture.

Highly organised with strong attention to detail.

Resilient and adaptable in a fast-moving environment with changing priorities.

Proactive, with a continuous improvement mindset and the drive to challenge the accepted norm.

Be eligible to work in the UK, comfortable commuting or being based in Hingham, Norfolk and work flexible hours required