Manufacturing Systems and Planning Manager in Blaine, Minnesota at Chandler Industries LLC

About us

Chandler Industries is a premier contract manufacturer specializing in precision machining, EDM, sheet metal fabrication, and a range of value-added services. We excel in providing exceptional value through responsive customer service, technical expertise, and innovative lean manufacturing practices.

With six divisions across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Mexico, Chandler supports leading customers in highly regulated industries including aerospace, defense, medical, and semiconductor. Our commitment to world-class quality and on-time performance has made us a trusted long-term partner.

Summary

The Manufacturing Systems and Planning Manager is responsible for leading all production planning, master scheduling, capacity planning, finite scheduling and monthly revenue forecasting within a contract manufacturing environment. This position ensures efficient planning of manufacturing resources while balancing customer priorities, machine capacity, labor availability, tooling constraints, and material readiness to minimize late operations and maximize On-Time Delivery (OTD), machine utilization, and profitability across multiple.

The Manufacturing Systems and Planning Manager serves as the primary owner of production scheduling within Epicor ERP and is responsible for leveraging Business Intelligence (BI), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Epicor ERP, Epicor Data Analytics (EDA) across all manufacturing locations by deploying advanced analytics to drive data-driven scheduling decisions, identify production bottlenecks, improve forecast accuracy, drive standardization and continuously optimize manufacturing performance.

This role works closely with Program Management, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Production Leadership to maintain schedule integrity while supporting working capital, Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.

Position Responsibilities

Production Schedule Management: Leverage the Epicor ERP system to develop, maintain, and optimize production schedules to meet customer demand and production KPIs.

Planning Team Leadership: Manage the planning team to drive accountability and performance results, including recruitment, coaching, performance management, and talent development.

Capacity Planning & Resource Allocation: Collaborate with the production, engineering, and procurement teams to assess capacity constraints and proactively address any potential bottlenecks. Allocate resources, including manpower, materials, and equipment, to support the production schedule and ensure that production targets are met.

Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities for process improvement, lead initiatives to streamline operations, and drive efficiency gains in scheduling and production.

Risk Management: Anticipate and address potential scheduling conflicts or delays, proposing solutions to minimize disruption and ensure customer satisfaction.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineering, quality control, procurement, and other departments to align priorities and support the successful execution of projects.

Performance Metrics: Develop and maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the effectiveness of scheduling processes and to ensure continuous improvement.

Inventory Management: Monitor and manage job sizing, raw material and WIP inventory level parameters within Epicor to minimize excess or obsolete materials, reducing associated costs.

New Product Introduction (NPI) and Product Change Management: Work with Engineering and procurement to manage and schedule first-run and redesigned parts including initial part setup in Epicor and reserving machine time for engineering and initial prove-out.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business or STEM-related discipline preferred or equivalent.
• Minimum 7 years’ experience in planning, production control, or similar role, with a track record of successfully managing complex manufacturing schedules.
• Must be able to demonstrate competence in the areas of advanced planning and scheduling, engineering, bill of material buildouts, demand planning, supply chain and system implementation methodology.
• Experience working with Epicor.
• Prior supervisory/management experience.
• Proficiency in scheduling and resource planning software (e.g., ERP systems, MRP, and scheduling tools).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to adapt to changing priorities.
• Demonstrated proficiency with forecasting methods and models.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Proven ability to lead process improvement initiatives and drive operational efficiency.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and time management skills.
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office, with a high proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Experience multi-tasking, prioritizing, tracking, coordinating, and expediting activities to meet production schedules.
• Proficient reading, writing, oral communication, and comprehension in English language.
• Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as calculating lead times, break-even points, reorder points, inventory turns, variance and capability analysis.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience working with BI tools such as Epicor Data Analytics
• Experience working with AI applications to analyze data and automate workflow.
• APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM).
• Experience working in the Aerospace, Medical or other highly regulated industry.
• Experience scheduling CNC machines.