Manufacturing recruitment
Production Planner Recruitment
Production planners manage the schedules that keep manufacturing businesses running on time. Balancing customer demand against available capacity, materials, and labour, often in environments where all three are in short supply simultaneously, the production planner is the operational intelligence hub of a manufacturing site. Critical in make-to-order and high-mix environments, the production planner role is in consistent demand across automotive, aerospace, general engineering, and food manufacturing throughout the UK.
What the role involves
- Creating and maintaining production schedules using MRP/ERP systems, driven by customer demand signals and available resources, running MRP regularly and reviewing planned orders against confirmed capacity before releasing works orders to the shop floor
- Balancing customer demand against available capacity, materials, and labour across production areas, using finite capacity scheduling logic or manual load analysis to identify overloads and negotiate resolution with production managers and customers
- Coordinating with procurement to ensure material availability aligns with the planned production schedule, highlighting material shortages early and helping to prioritise purchase order expediting when lead times are under pressure
- Managing customer order promises and communicating accurate delivery dates to sales and commercial teams
- Responding to schedule disruptions from material shortages, machine breakdowns, or demand changes and re-prioritising production
- Reporting production planning KPIs including schedule adherence and on-time delivery performance
Who employers are looking for
A degree or HND in Operations, Supply Chain, or Business is the typical academic route, though the production planning role is one where demonstrated ERP system competency and practical manufacturing planning experience often outweighs formal qualifications. APICS CPIM certification is increasingly expected at mid-senior level and signals a candidate who understands MRP logic, capacity planning, and inventory management principles formally rather than just procedurally.
ERP/MRP system proficiency is non-negotiable, employers will ask specifically which system has been used and at what depth. SAP PP and MM modules are the most widely encountered in larger manufacturers. Infor, Oracle, and smaller industry-specific ERP platforms are common in SME manufacturing. Advanced Excel capability is standard for capacity modelling, schedule analysis, and reporting where ERP outputs need further manipulation.
The best production planners combine system literacy with the communication skills to manage expectations, telling a sales team that a delivery date needs to move, or a production manager that a customer has brought forward an order, requires directness and credibility. Candidates who can demonstrate both technical planning capability and effective stakeholder communication at interview are consistently preferred.
In aerospace, production planners work with long-lead components and complex assembly schedules where a single part shortage can delay an entire order. Understanding critical path management and the ability to maintain a rolling 13-week schedule visibility are expected at mid-career in this sector. In food and FMCG, planners manage shelf-life constraints, promotional uplifts, and very short changeover windows, where the ability to react quickly to demand changes without creating excessive waste or stock risk is the primary performance test.
UK manufacturing planners with deep ERP expertise are consistently in demand. Those who have been involved in an ERP implementation or upgrade, or who have acted as a super-user training others on system use, are particularly sought by businesses investing in their planning infrastructure. APICS CPIM certified planners with SAP PP/MM experience and a track record of improving schedule adherence KPIs represent the strongest profile at mid-senior level and can typically choose between multiple opportunities in the UK market.
Salary benchmarks
Production Planning Managers and Master Schedulers earn at the top of this range. Aerospace and automotive planners dealing with complex supply chains earn above the general manufacturing average. ERP superuser experience commands a premium.
Industries that hire Production Planners
- General manufacturing: job shop and mixed-mode production planning across diverse customer order books with varying batch sizes
- Automotive: JIT scheduling against customer demand signals, often with same-day or next-day delivery requirements to assembly lines
- Aerospace: long-lead, complex assembly scheduling where component availability drives the critical path
- Electronics: component availability management and SMT line scheduling in volatile global supply markets
- Food and FMCG: demand-driven production scheduling with shelf-life constraints, promotional volume spikes, and short changeover windows
Related roles
- Supply Chain Manager: senior role that encompasses production planning within a broader supply chain management structure
- Procurement Manager: works alongside the production planner to ensure material availability supports the schedule
- Production Manager: receives and executes the production plan, feeding back constraints that affect scheduling decisions
- Operations Manager: holds accountability for on-time delivery and uses planning data to drive operational priorities
Where we place Production Planner professionals
We place production planner professionals across the UK. Browse by location or register your CV for roles that match your experience.
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