What are the responsibilities and job description for the Planning Manager position at Cox Engineering and Careers?
Planning Manager - Cambridgeport
Location: Randolph
Reports To: President
Partners Closely With: EVP of Operations & Plant Operations Teams
POSITION SUMMARY
The Operations Planning Manager for Cambridgeport is responsible for building and managing the operational planning infrastructure required to support a fast-growing manufacturing business. This role owns capacity planning, production forecasting, staffing models, equipment planning, scheduling improvements, and cross-functional alignment with Sales, Engineering, and Finance.
This role complements the EVP of Operations Execution by building the forward-looking operational plan, while the Ops Lead drives day-to-day execution. Together, they form the foundation of a scalable operations function.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Capacity & Production Planning
Location: Randolph
Reports To: President
Partners Closely With: EVP of Operations & Plant Operations Teams
POSITION SUMMARY
The Operations Planning Manager for Cambridgeport is responsible for building and managing the operational planning infrastructure required to support a fast-growing manufacturing business. This role owns capacity planning, production forecasting, staffing models, equipment planning, scheduling improvements, and cross-functional alignment with Sales, Engineering, and Finance.
This role complements the EVP of Operations Execution by building the forward-looking operational plan, while the Ops Lead drives day-to-day execution. Together, they form the foundation of a scalable operations function.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Capacity & Production Planning
- Build 3-, 6-, and 12-month capacity plans by product line, department, and facility.
- Translate sales forecasts into operational requirements.
- Identify required labor, skills, machines, and shifts needed for future growth.
- Model production scenarios (volume changes, product mix changes, new product introductions).
2. Demand Forecasting & S&OP
- Develop a monthly Sales & Operations Planning cadence.
- Align Sales forecasts with Operations capability.
- Identify gaps in capacity and propose solutions (staffing, overtime, equipment, layout changes).
3. Workforce Planning
- Build hiring plans for production in two facilities based on forecasted workload.
- Partner with HR to time hiring and training before bottlenecks form.
- Create cross-training strategies to increase workforce flexibility.
4. Equipment & Facility Planning
- Assess equipment utilization and future needs.
- Develop ROI models for new equipment purchases.
- Recommend facility layout improvements.
- Lead planning for facility expansion or reconfiguration.
5. Process, Systems, & Scheduling
- Standardize production scheduling processes.
- Improve sequencing to optimize flow and reduce downtime.
- Work with Engineering on routings, BOM accuracy, and changeovers.
6. Reporting & Analytics
- Build dashboards for KPIs: capacity, load vs. available hours, labor needs, equipment utilization, etc.
- Provide the leadership team with weekly visibility on constraints and risks.
- Drive data-based decision making within operations.
7. Cross-Functional Alignment
- Work closely with Sales on forecast updates.
- Work with Finance on modeling labor, overtime, and capital requirements.
- Work with Engineering on new products, design changes, and manufacturability.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE
- 5 years in manufacturing planning, scheduling, capacity planning, or operations analytics.
- Strong understanding of production flow, routing, scheduling, and resource planning.
- Experience with SOP and processes.
- Strong Excel / data modeling skills.
- ERP/MRP experience required
- Ability to convert ambiguous goals into structured plans.
Salary : $130,000 - $140,000