Production Planner

Production Planner – Manufacturing - Cannock We are looking for an experienced Production Planner to take overall responsibility for manufacturing planning, shop-floor performance and Health & Safety within a busy manufacturing environment. This is a hands-on management position responsible for ensuring customer schedules and production targets are achieved while maintaining high standards across quality, efficiency, safety and continuous improvement. Key Responsibilities * Plan and manage production across the shop floor to ensure customer delivery schedules and monthly targets are achieved. * Work closely with department supervisors to effectively plan labour, machinery and production capacity. * Manage and support Shop Floor Supervisors, Welding Supervisors, Lead Welders, Toolmakers and associated production teams. * Assist with the recruitment and resourcing of direct labour in line with manufacturing requirements. * Monitor and improve manufacturing KPIs including operator efficiency, machine capacity, changeover times, attendance and productivity. * Lead weekly production meetings, identifying potential issues and escalating concerns where required. * Provide production and KPI updates at management meetings. * Work closely with the Quality team to resolve internal and external quality concerns and support first-off/last-off inspections. * Identify and implement opportunities for continuous improvement, productivity improvements and operational efficiencies. * Support the NPI team with new product introductions and engineering changes. * Ensure compliance with company Health & Safety requirements. * Support Environmental Management System requirements and environmental compliance. * Maintain manufacturing operations in accordance with IATF 16949 quality requirements. About You We are looking for someone with strong experience managing production within a manufacturing or engineering environment. You will ideally have: * Previous experience as a Production Manager, Manufacturing Manager, Production Supervisor or similar. * Strong production planning and shop-floor management experience. * Experience managing and developing production teams. * A good understanding of manufacturing KPIs and performance management. * Experience driving continuous improvement and improving productivity. * Strong Health & Safety awareness. * Experience working within a quality-driven manufacturing environment. * Knowledge of IATF 16949 would be highly advantageous, particularly within automotive or automotive supply-chain manufacturing. * Strong communication, leadership and problem-solving skills. * The ability to work closely with Operations, Quality, Engineering and NPI teams. The Opportunity This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced manufacturing professional to take ownership of day-to-day production performance and play a key role in improving operational efficiency