What are the responsibilities and job description for the Planning Manager position at Mercury Systems?
Job Summary:
The Planning Manager is responsible for leading all site planning activities to ensure production schedules, material availability, and capacity plans support customer commitments and operational objectives. This role manages production planning, master scheduling, inventory optimization, and cross-functional coordination with Operations, Procurement, Engineering, Program Management, and Quality.
The Planning Manager drives planning discipline, ERP data integrity, and KPI performance while developing a high-performing planning organization focused on schedule attainment, inventory health, and customer delivery. You will be a key stakeholder in helping to achieve Mercury’s focus areas of predictable performance, a thriving growth engine, margin expansion, and cash release through delivery performance and inventory management.
Job Responsibilities:
Planning & Scheduling
- Lead the site’s production planning and master scheduling processes.
- Develop and maintain executable production schedules that balance customer demand, capacity, labor, and material constraints.
- Drive schedule adherence and production stability while managing demand changes and prioritize work orders based on customer commitments and business priorities.
- Ensure accurate ERP planning parameters including lead times, lot sizing, safety stock, planning horizons, and bills of material.
Materials Planning
- Partner with Procurement to ensure timely material availability.
- Identify and mitigate material shortages before they impact production.
- Lead shortage management and recovery activities.
- Monitor inventory levels while balancing service levels and working capital.
- Drive excess and obsolete inventory reduction initiatives.
Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP / S&OE)
- Support monthly S&OP and weekly S&OE processes.
- Communicate supply risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
- Support revenue forecasting through schedule visibility.
Continuous Improvement
- Improve planning processes through Lean principles and data-driven decision making.
- Standardize planning work instructions and best practices.
- Improve forecast accuracy, schedule stability, and inventory performance.
Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop the site’s planning team.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Facilitate daily production planning meetings and material reviews.
- Lead cross-functional recovery plans for late orders and supply disruptions.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering or related field.
- 7 years of manufacturing planning or supply chain experience.
- 3 years of leadership experience.
- Experience in complex manufacturing environments (high-mix, low-volume preferred).
- Strong knowledge of ERP/MRP systems (Oracle, SAP, Epicor, Costpoint, or similar).
- Experience with capacity planning, production scheduling, and inventory management.
- Advanced Excel and data analysis skills.
- Strong communication and cross-functional leadership abilities.
Preferred Qualifications:
- APICS CPIM: Certification in Planning and Inventory Management or ASCM CSCP: Certified Supply Chain Professional
- Strategic thinking: Experience supporting business in Sales and Operations Planning to help drive executable manufacturing plans and facilitate action plans around supply constraints and recommended mitigation strategies.
- Customer-focused mindset: Collaborates with key stakeholders, gains commitment to meet timelines and influences others without direct authority.
- Driver and Goal Oriented: With limited guidance, identifies tasks needed to support desired outcomes, and challenges potential delays to drive necessary actions for results.
- Organized: Demonstrated ability to stay organized with multiple responsibilities and deadlines. Good decision making and problem-solving skills. Detail-oriented. Time management and workload prioritization capabilities are key.
- Flexible: Comfortable working in an adaptive environment with limited guidance from manager. Possesses a positive questioning attitude who is able and willing to dive into the why.