Manager, Production Planning

Manager, Production Planning

Location: Milwaukee Area, Wisconsin

Compensation: Competitive Base Salary

About the Company

Ashton North is partnering with a Milwaukee area private equity-backed manufacturer seeking a Manager, Production Planning to lead production scheduling, capacity planning, material planning, and inventory optimization across its manufacturing operations.

This highly visible leadership position is responsible for ensuring customer delivery commitments are achieved through effective production planning, resource allocation, ERP-driven decision making, and cross-functional collaboration. The successful candidate will lead the scheduling function while partnering closely with operations, purchasing, inventory control, sales, and leadership teams to drive manufacturing performance and continuous improvement.

Reporting directly to the Director of Operations, this individual will play a critical role in balancing customer demand, manufacturing capacity, material availability, and inventory investment while supporting the company's growth objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Production Planning & Scheduling

• Lead all production planning and scheduling activities to ensure customer delivery commitments are consistently achieved.

• Manage the scheduling team and establish priorities that align production resources with customer demand.

• Balance daily manufacturing workloads against available labor, equipment capacity, and production constraints.

• Monitor production schedules and proactively address bottlenecks, schedule conflicts, and delivery risks.

• Develop and maintain short and long range production plans that support business objectives and operational performance.

Capacity Planning & Manufacturing Performance

• Analyze manufacturing capacity and forecasted demand to identify future resource requirements.

• Evaluate production performance metrics and recommend actions to improve throughput, efficiency, and schedule attainment.

• Provide regular reporting on manufacturing workload, capacity utilization, schedule performance, and operational trends.

• Support operational leadership in making data-driven decisions regarding production priorities and resource allocation.

ERP, MRP & Data Analysis

• Leverage ERP and MRP systems to manage production planning activities and improve forecasting accuracy.

• Maintain planning data within the ERP system to support production schedules, material requirements, shortage reporting, and operational reporting.

• Analyze production, inventory, and demand data to identify opportunities for process improvement.

• Develop meaningful reports and dashboards that provide visibility into manufacturing performance and planning effectiveness.

Materials & Inventory Management

• Coordinate material requirements and planning activities with purchasing and inventory control teams.

• Identify and resolve material shortages that could impact production schedules and customer deliveries.

• Assist in establishing inventory strategies and optimal inventory levels that support production objectives while controlling working capital.

• Partner with supply chain and operations teams to improve material flow throughout the organization.

Cross Functional Leadership

• Serve as a key liaison between production, purchasing, inventory control, sales, and operations leadership.

• Communicate production schedules, capacity constraints, and delivery commitments to key stakeholders.

• Collaborate with plant leadership and production control teams to ensure schedule execution and operational alignment.

• Support strategic initiatives focused on improving customer service, manufacturing efficiency, and operational scalability.

Continuous Improvement

• Champion Lean Manufacturing, 5S, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Identify opportunities to improve planning processes, scheduling accuracy, ERP utilization, and overall operational performance.

• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and operational excellence.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• Minimum of 6 years of experience in production planning, production control, materials management, master scheduling, or manufacturing operations.

• Prior leadership experience managing planners, schedulers, or similar operational teams.

• Strong experience with ERP and MRP systems in a manufacturing environment.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office applications.

• Demonstrated experience analyzing operational data and generating management-level reports.

• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

• Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership skills.

Preferred

• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics NAV (Navision) or similar ERP platforms.

• APICS / ASCM certifications such as CPIM or CSCP.

• Experience supporting Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Experience in a multi-product manufacturing environment with complex scheduling requirements.

Why This Opportunity

• Join a growing private equity-backed manufacturing organization.

• Directly influence manufacturing performance, customer delivery, and operational strategy.

• High visibility role with significant interaction across operations, supply chain, and executive leadership.

• Opportunity to drive process improvements and build scalable planning practices.

• Competitive compensation package including bonus opportunity and comprehensive benefits.