Capacity Planner

Holt Engineering

Capacity Planner
CNC Machining
Poole, Dorset
Capacity Planner salary: £36,500 – £44,000
Please note: only applicants with the full-time, permanent right to work in the UK will be considered.
 
Capacity Planner Overview:
  • Move from machining into a technical planning role
  • Plan machine shop capacity around orders, deadlines, labour and machine availability
  • Use drawings and machining knowledge to support routings and production flow
  • Work with MRP/ERP systems to improve scheduling and workshop visibility
  • Full planning training available for the right CNC or precision engineering background
 
Are you a CNC Machinist, Setter or Programmer who understands how components are actually made, but wants to step away from the machines?
This Capacity Planner role is with a precision engineering business in Poole and is designed for someone with strong machining knowledge who wants to move into a more technical, office-based planning role. The Capacity Planner will work closely with the machine shop, Manufacturing Manager and Engineering team to plan work through production, balance customer deadlines against available capacity, and make sure routings, schedules and system data are accurate.
This is not a purely administrative planning position. The Capacity Planner needs to understand drawings, machining methods and how work realistically moves through a machine shop.
 
The Capacity Planner role
As Capacity Planner, you’ll help plan manufacturing work across the workshop, load machines, progress works orders and keep the production schedule moving. You’ll be using MRP/ERP systems, production data and workshop feedback to give the business clearer visibility of what can be made, when it can be made, and where bottlenecks may appear.
The company is open to an experienced Production Planner, Manufacturing Planner or Capacity Planner, but they are equally interested in someone from a hands-on machining background who has the IT skills, attitude and maturity to move into planning.
 
Day-to-day responsibilities of a Capacity Planner
  • Use MRP and scheduling systems to plan manufacturing work against customer deadlines
  • Load and manage machine shop capacity across machines, people and processes
  • Adjust plans around holidays, sickness, machine breakdowns and changing priorities
  • Release, monitor and progress works orders through the production cycle
  • Communicate production priorities clearly to machinists, supervisors and managers
  • Identify manufacturing bottlenecks and help agree practical solutions
  • Create, review and maintain manufacturing routing cards
  • Use engineering drawings to understand how components should be manufactured
  • Help select suitable machines and processes when creating or updating routings
  • Liaise with the Machine Shop Supervisor on technical manufacturing requirements
  • Work with Engineering when additional technical input is needed
  • Keep manufacturing, routing and production information accurate within the MRP system
  • Raise purchase orders for subcontract manufacturing operations where required
  • Purchase production consumables in a timely and cost-conscious way
  • Monitor production KPIs including schedule adherence, machine utilisation, efficiency and productivity
  • Support continuous improvement across planning, production flow and workshop processes
What they’re looking for - Capacity Planner
  • Mechanical engineering, machining or manufacturing background
  • Practical understanding of how machined components are produced
  • Able to read and interpret engineering drawings
  • Exposure to milling, turning, routing, grinding or similar manufacturing processes
  • Good IT skills and confidence learning MRP/ERP systems
  • Strong organisation, planning ability and attention to detail
  • Good communication skills with machinists, supervisors, engineers and purchasing teams
  • Open-minded approach with a willingness to ask questions and learn
  • Able to adapt when priorities, machine availability or customer deadlines change
  • Previous planning experience is useful, but not essential if the machining knowledge is there
This Capacity Planner role could suit someone from:
  • CNC Machinist
  • CNC Setter
  • CNC Programmer
  • CNC Miller or Turner
  • Machine Shop Technician
  • Apprentice-trained Machinist
  • Production Planner
  • Manufacturing Planner
  • Engineering Planner
  • Production Controller
  • Manufacturing Estimator
Desirable - Capacity Planner
  • Previous production planning, scheduling or capacity planning experience
  • MRP or ERP system experience, especially FactoryMaster or similar
  • Experience creating manufacturing routings or progressing works orders
  • CNC setting or programming knowledge
  • Experience working across several machining processes
  • Understanding of production KPIs, machine utilisation and schedule adherence
  • ISO9001 awareness
  • Precision engineering or machine shop background
 
What’s on offer - Capacity Planner
Capacity Planner salary: £35,500 – £44,000
A genuine opportunity for someone from CNC machining, setting or programming to move away from the tools and into a technical planning role.
Full training on the company’s planning systems, production processes and internal ways of working.
A practical manufacturing role where your machining knowledge will directly influence schedules, routings, capacity and workshop flow.
The chance to develop into a Capacity Planner who understands both the planning system and the realities of the machine shop.
 
How to apply for the Capacity Planner position
If you’re interested in this Capacity Planner role, get in touch to talk through the move from machining into planning.
Call or message Hayden at Holt Engineering on (phone number removed).
Apply Now →

Application opens at the source listing. Free for jobseekers.

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