Production Planner

The
Production Planner - SME
serves as the central authority on production planning, scheduling, and control methodologies across all defense manufacturing subsidiaries and JVs. The role ensures alignment of factory-level production practices with corporate strategy, operational excellence frameworks, and defense industry compliance standards. The SME provides expert guidance, develops standardized planning tools and procedures, and supports the digital transformation of production management systems.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic and Group-Level Oversight:

• Develop and implement group-wide production planning policies, procedures, and KPIs to standardize operations across all defense manufacturing units.
• Evaluate and benchmark factory planning performance to ensure optimal capacity utilization, resource allocation, and schedule adherence.
• Act as the corporate advisor for production planning, material control, and master scheduling functions.

Technical Expertise & Continuous Improvement

• Serve as the subject matter expert on advanced production planning techniques (MRP, ERP/MES integration, finite capacity scheduling, lean production, etc.).
• Lead initiatives for production optimization, bottleneck analysis, and throughput improvement across subsidiaries.
• Design and implement best practices for forecasting, demand planning, and production sequencing tailored to defense manufacturing environments.

Digital Transformation & Systems Integration

• Partner with IT and digital transformation teams to implement or enhance ERP/MES systems and ensure accurate data flow between planning, procurement, and manufacturing.
• Define system parameters and data governance rules to ensure consistency and reliability of production information across factories.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate with procurement, engineering, quality assurance, and logistics to ensure end-to-end production readiness and delivery performance.
• Provide expert training, mentoring, and capability development to factory production planners and schedulers.
• Act as the liaison between the holding company and subsidiary/JV planning teams, ensuring strategic objectives are met.

Governance & Reporting

• Monitor and report on group-level production KPIs (OTD, capacity utilization, WIP, inventory turns, etc.).
• Support internal audits and compliance with defense production regulations, export controls, and quality standards (ISO, AS9100, MIL-SPEC, etc.).
• Develop dashboards and executive summaries for leadership review and decision-making.

Requirements
Qualifications and Experience:
Education

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Production Management, or a related field.
• Master's degree or MBA preferred.
• Certification in APICS (CPIM/CSCP) or equivalent is highly desirable.

Experience

• Minimum 10–15 years of experience in production planning, manufacturing operations, or supply chain management, preferably within defense, aerospace, or heavy manufacturing sectors.
• Proven track record in multi-site or group-level planning oversight.
• Hands-on experience with ERP/MES systems (SAP, Oracle, IFS, or equivalent).
• Demonstrated success in process improvement, planning automation, and cross-functional leadership.

Skills And Competencies

• Deep knowledge of production planning methodologies, capacity management, and scheduling logic.
• Strong understanding of defense manufacturing standards, compliance, and traceability requirements.
• Advanced proficiency in data analysis, Excel/Power BI, and planning software tools.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence and drive change across multiple subsidiaries and organizational levels.
• Strong communication, leadership, and training capabilities.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Improvement in group-level schedule adherence and on-time delivery rates.
• Reduction in production lead times and work-in-progress (WIP).
• Increase in capacity utilization and planning accuracy.
• Implementation success of standardized planning procedures and digital tools.