Production & Planning Manager in Hastings, East Sussex

Production & Planning Manager

Location: Hastings

Salary: £50,000 - £55,000  

Job Type: Permanent, Full-time

Lead people. Drive performance. Shape manufacturing operations.

Are you an experienced manufacturing leader who thrives on bringing structure, organisation and accountability to a busy production environment?

We are seeking a driven and hands-on Production & Planning Manager to take ownership of manufacturing operations, leading production teams and overseeing planning and scheduling to ensure customer orders are delivered efficiently, on time and to the highest standards.

This is an excellent opportunity to join an established manufacturing business in a pivotal leadership position, where you will have the autonomy to challenge existing practices, develop your team and make a tangible difference to operational performance.

The Role

Your responsibilities, as Production & Planning Manager will include:

• Providing hands-on leadership across manufacturing departments, developing and motivating production teams and team leaders.
• Taking ownership of production planning, scheduling and work order control, ensuring resources and capacity are aligned with customer demand.
• Managing and developing ERP/MRP-driven scheduling to improve production visibility, planning accuracy and workflow.
• Monitoring production progress, identifying bottlenecks and proactively resolving issues that could affect delivery commitments.
• Establishing clear performance expectations, daily management routines and accountability across the shopfloor.
• Driving improvements in productivity, efficiency, labour utilisation and overall manufacturing performance.
• Monitoring operational KPIs, identifying areas for improvement and implementing practical solutions.
• Developing workforce capability through coaching, training, cross-skilling and effective succession planning.

About You, as the Production & Planning Manager:

We are keen to hear from an established manufacturing professional who combines strong people-management skills with excellent production planning and organisational ability.

As a Production & Planning Manager, you will ideally bring:

• Experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Previous experience in a Production Manager, Production & Planning Manager or similar senior operational role.
• Knowledge of production planning, detailed scheduling, capacity management and work order control.
• Confident working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and their application within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience leading multiple manufacturing teams and coordinating activity across different production processes.

Experience with Epicor, Lean manufacturing and visual management techniques would be advantageous. Backgrounds in precision engineering, metal fabrication, electro-mechanical assembly, automotive or other complex manufacturing environments would also be of interest.

If you're ready to take ownership of a manufacturing operation and make a meaningful difference to business performance, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply for the Production & Planning Manager opportunity now, and contact Jemma at ReeVR.