| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Supply Chain |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | Head of Supply Chain |
| Direct reports | Production Planner, Material Planner |
| Experience | 6 to 10 years in planning, with some team responsibility |
Planning Manager job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Planning Manager
Department: Supply Chain
Reports to: Head of Supply Chain
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Planning Manager leads production and supply planning, turning the demand plan into a workable plan for what to make, when and where. They balance demand against capacity and materials, schedule production, and keep supply and inventory aligned. The role sits in supply chain planning and leads production and material planners. A good one builds realistic plans that meet demand without overloading the plant, keeps schedules stable, balances service against inventory, reacts well to changes, and keeps production, materials and demand teams working to one aligned plan.
Key responsibilities
- Turn the demand plan into a production and supply plan across products and plants.
- Balance demand against plant capacity, materials and constraints in the plan.
- Lead production and material planners and set planning standards.
- Run the supply review in the sales and operations planning process.
- Schedule production to meet demand while keeping schedules stable.
- Align supply, inventory and material plans with demand and finance.
- Manage plan changes from demand shifts, breakdowns or shortages.
- Analyse capacity, service and inventory to improve the plan.
- Coordinate with production, materials and demand planning teams every cycle.
- Report plan performance, risks and constraints to leadership each cycle.
Requirements
- Degree in engineering, supply chain or a related field
- Experience in production or supply planning
- An MBA or planning qualification is an advantage
- 6 to 10 years in planning, with some team responsibility
KRAs and KPIs for a Planning Manager
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Plan adherence | Production adheres to the plan, with schedule stability above target |
| Service level | Supply plan meets demand with minimal stock-outs |
| Capacity use | Plant capacity used efficiently without overload or idle time |
| Inventory balance | Finished and work-in-progress inventory kept within targets |
| Planning process | Supply review completed on schedule every planning cycle |
| Team development | Planners developed and delivering plans to standard |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: ERP such as SAP, Advanced planning systems, MS Excel, Scheduling tools, Business intelligence dashboards.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Head of Supply Chain, Planning Head
Interview questions for a Planning Manager
- How do you build a production plan that meets demand without overloading the plant?
- How do you keep the schedule stable when demand keeps changing?
- How do you balance service level against finished goods inventory?
- A breakdown disrupts the plan. How do you re-plan?
- How do you run the supply review in the planning process?
- How do you align production, materials and demand teams to one plan?
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What does a planning manager do in supply chain?
A planning manager leads production and supply planning, turning the demand plan into a workable plan for what to make, when and where. They balance demand against capacity and materials, schedule production, and keep supply and inventory aligned. They lead production and material planners and keep production, materials and demand teams working to one plan.
What is the difference between demand planning and supply planning?
Demand planning forecasts how much customers will buy. Supply planning, led by the planning manager, decides how to meet that demand: what to produce, when, and with what capacity and materials. Demand planning answers how much is needed; supply planning answers how to make and supply it. Both feed the sales and operations planning process.
What skills does a planning manager need?
A planning manager needs production and supply planning, capacity planning and scheduling skills, plus sales and operations planning and inventory balancing. Strong analytics and planning system knowledge are essential. Leadership matters, since the role leads planners, and the core skill is building realistic plans that meet demand without overloading the plant.