Planning Engineer (Production Planning Automotive Division)

Job Purpose The Planning Engineer (Production Planning – Automotive Division) is responsible for developing, implementing and managing production planning processes to ensure timely, cost-effective and quality delivery of automotive products. This role optimises production schedules, coordinates material and capacity planning, and interfaces with Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, Procurement and Quality to meet customer demand and company targets. Key Responsibilities Production Planning & Scheduling Develop and maintain short, medium and long‑term production plans aligned with demand forecasts, sales orders and capacity constraints. Create detailed shop floor schedules, prioritise work orders and manage release of production jobs to meet delivery schedules and minimise lead times. Monitor schedule adherence, identify bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to improve throughput and on‑time delivery. Coordinate with production supervisors and planners to balance workloads across shifts and lines. Material & Component Planning Prepare and maintain material requirement plans (MRP) to ensure availability of components, sub‑assemblies and raw materials for production. Work closely with Procurement and Supplier Management to expedite critical parts, manage lead times and reduce stockouts. Forecast consumables and critical spare requirements and collaborate with Warehouse to maintain optimum inventory levels. Manage safety stock policies, reorder points and lot sizing to balance inventory cost and service levels. Capacity & Resource Management Assess production capacity, machine availability and labour requirements to support production plans. Identify capacity constraints and propose solutions such as overtime, shift adjustments, line rebalancing or outsourcing. Coordinate maintenance windows and tool changeovers to minimise disruption to scheduled production. Demand Forecasting & Sales Collaboration Support demand planning by analysing historical sales, order patterns and market intelligence to generate accurate forecasts. Collaborate with Sales and Customer Service to review order changes, delivery priorities and customer commitments. Maintain master production schedule (MPS) and communicate changes to stakeholders in a timely manner. Process Improvement & Continuous Improvement Lead and participate in continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Kaizen, 5S) to improve planning accuracy, reduce lead times and eliminate waste. Analyse planning performance metrics and drive corrective actions to improve forecast accuracy, schedule attainment and inventory turns. Document planning processes, work instructions and best practices to ensure consistency and knowledge transfer. Systems & Reporting Operate and optimise ERP/MRP systems (Oracle, SAP or equivalent) to manage demand, supply, orders and inventory records. Prepare regular reports and dashboards on production status, inventory levels,…