We are seeking a Senior Manufacturing Planner to own the build planning function at our Boston Development Facility, expanding to support factory operations as we scale. This is a high-mix, high-development environment where build campaigns change frequently, BOMs evolve between iterations, and the planner must integrate supply chain availability, operational capacity, and engineering demand into a cohesive, executable build plan.
You will be the connective tissue between engineering, supply chain, and operations. This role requires proficiency in planning tools and methodologies, MRP/ERP fluency, advanced scheduling, capacity modeling, and data-driven decision making. You will not just execute plans, you will build the planning system, processes, and cadences from the ground up. If you thrive in ambiguity and have experience navigating NPI build schedules with compressed timelines, this is the role for you.
Key job responsibilities
Build Planning & Production Scheduling
- Own and maintain the Master Production Schedule (MPS) for our facility, detailed production schedules that align engineering demand, material availability, and operational capacity across multiple concurrent build campaigns and product configurations.
- Integrate inputs from product engineering (build requirements, BOM changes, ECOs), supply chain (material lead times, supplier commitments), and operations (workforce capacity, equipment availability) into a single source of truth for build execution.
- Manage build plan volatility inherent to a development environment, rapidly re-plan when designs change, materials slip, or engineering priorities shift. Provide impact assessments and options to leadership when disruptions occur.
- Develop and maintain planning cadences (weekly build reviews, material readiness reviews, capacity planning sessions) that drive cross-functional alignment and proactive issue resolution.
- Define and manage batch sizes, production sequencing, and line loading strategies optimized for a high-mix, low-volume pilot environment.
Supply Chain Integration & Material Readiness
- Partner with supply chain and procurement to ensure material availability aligns with the build plan. Track supplier commitments, lead times, and delivery performance against build schedule requirements.
- Manage MRP parameters, safety stock levels, and reorder points appropriate for a high-mix development environment with evolving BOMs and frequent engineering changes.
- Coordinate Engineering Change Order (ECO) implementation into the build plan, manage material end-of-life, substitutions, and new part introductions without disrupting active builds.
- Drive material readiness reviews and Clear-to-Build (CTB) assessments ahead of each build campaign, identify shortages, expedite critical path items, and develop mitigation plans for at-risk materials. No build proceeds without confirmed CTB status.
- Establish inventory visibility and tracking mechanisms to support just-in-time material flow to build stations.
Capacity Planning & Operational Alignment
- Model and manage production capacity, understand workforce availability, equipment constraints, and facility capabilities to ensure build plans are achievable and properly resourced.
- Partner with cross-functionally to align build schedules with technician staffing, prototyping shop capacity, and test equipment availability.
- Perform capacity analysis for upcoming build campaigns and flag resource conflicts or bottlenecks early. Propose schedule alternatives and trade-off options.
- Support production ramp planning as programs transition from pilot builds to factory high-volume production, develop capacity models and production rate projections.
Planning Systems, Tools & Metrics
- Build and maintain the planning infrastructure, implement and configure ERP/MRP systems, scheduling tools, and planning dashboards appropriate for a pilot-to-production environment.
- Leverage advanced planning tools and methodologies: MRP/ERP (SAP, Oracle, or equivalent), advanced scheduling software, capacity modeling tools, and data visualization platforms for plan communication.
- Develop and publish planning metrics and KPIs: schedule attainment, build plan accuracy, Clear-to-Build (CTB) rate, on-time material delivery, inventory turns, and shortage resolution time. Use data to drive continuous improvement and present performance to leadership via automated dashboards.
- Create standardized planning processes, templates, and documentation that scale from pilot to high-volume production as the organization grows.
- Build automated reports, shortage trackers, CTB dashboards, and schedule views that provide real-time visibility to stakeholders. Use scripting (SQL, Python) where needed to extract data, build custom planning algorithms, and eliminate manual reporting limitations.
Cross-Functional Communication & Stakeholder Management
- Serve as the central point of contact for build schedule status, communicate plans, plan changes, risks, and recovery options to engineering, operations, supply chain, and leadership.
- Facilitate build readiness reviews and production planning meetings. Drive accountability for action items and ensure cross-functional alignment before builds proceed.
- Provide clear, data-driven status updates to leadership on build progress, material risks, and schedule confidence. Proactively escalate issues that threaten delivery commitments.
- Partner with engineering program managers to integrate build planning into broader product development timelines and milestone reviews.
