Production Planner

Required Skills & Experience

• 2-5 years in a production planning or materials management role within a manufacturing environment
• Strong preference for Aerospace manufacturing experience. Will consider strong candidates from Automotive manufacturing or similar.
• Strong Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodology experience
• Data Analysis & Tool Proficiency: · Power BI (User Level): Proficient in navigating dashboards, applying filters, and extracting insights from Power BI reports. · Excel (Intermediate): Capable of manipulating data, performing basic analysis, and exporting data for further investigation.
• Strong working knowledge of SAP
• High Energy & Assertiveness: Ability to manage numerous moving parts, high volume of jobs, and proactively address challenges. Must be able to ask tough questions, not accept "no" easily, and drive solutions.
• KPI Tree Understanding: Experience with understanding and navigating KPI trees to identify root causes of performance issues

Nice to Have Skills & Experience

• Formal training or extensive practical experience in Lean Manufacturing principles, Continuous Improvement methodologies (e.g., standard work, 5S, value stream mapping).
• Process Automation Experience: Experience in automating metric gathering or production processes.
• AI Usage: Familiarity or experience with the application of AI in production planning or execution.
• Advanced Power BI/Excel: Ability to create Power BI reports or advanced Excel modeling.

Job Description

Insight Global is seeking a highly energetic and cross-functional Production Planner to manage the end-to-end production scheduling and execution process for a manufacturing customer of ours within the Aerospace industry. This role is pivotal in translating customer demand into a tangible production plan, coordinating across various departments, and proactively resolving issues to ensure timely delivery of products. We're looking for an assertive individual who can challenge the status quo, drive continuous improvement, and utilize data analytics to optimize our manufacturing operations. This is a temp-to-perm opportunity, offering a chance to make a significant impact within a growing and evolving organization. Schedule Management & Proactive Planning: Translate customer demand into a master production schedule. Pre-screen future work orders (2-3 weeks out) to ensure material availability, labor, and equipment capacity. Order Release & Tracking: Release work orders for the current week's production. Track orders through the manufacturing process daily, identifying and addressing any fallout or delays. Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with buyers to ensure timely material procurement, production supervisors for staffing and equipment availability, and customer support agents for order conversion and forecasting. Problem Solving & Escalation: Act as a central point of contact for production issues, collaborating with different functional groups to find solutions. Proactively address "no's" and escalate when necessary to ensure production continues. Performance Monitoring & Metrics: Track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as on-time starts and on-time finishes. Analyze trends, identify variances, and implement corrective actions. Continuous Improvement: Actively participate in and drive continuous improvement initiatives. Document and improve existing production processes, leveraging lean manufacturing principles. Data Analysis & Reporting: Utilize Power BI and Excel to monitor production metrics, analyze data, identify root causes of issues, and contribute to investigatory work for underperforming areas.