Production Scheduler

Job Title: Production SchedulerLocation: Ashford (Must have own transport due to location)Job Type: Full time/permanentSalary: £34,000 - £37,000 per annum (dependent on experience)

Job Purpose:

Coordinate and control production planning and scheduling to meet customer delivery commitments, balancing capacity, labour and material availability.

Key Responsibilities:

Planning & Production Scheduling

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  Build, maintain and update the master production plan to support on time customer deliveries.

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  Convert confirmed demand into a workable schedule based on capacity, labour and material constraints.

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  Check and confirm customer orders before releasing them into the plan.

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  Lock orders into agreed production weeks and manage any subsequent changes.

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  Issue and distribute work orders across the relevant manufacturing areas.

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  Track jobs from schedule release through to completion and dispatch readiness.

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  Re-prioritise the plan for urgent requirements without compromising overall efficiency.

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Capacity & Workload Management

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  Review available machine and labour capacity and flag resourcing gaps where required.

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  Work alongside department leads to smooth workload across lines/departments and prevent overloading.

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  Identify pinch points, bottlenecks and constraints, and propose practical solutions.

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  Support short, medium and longer term planning to improve utilisation and throughput.

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Materials & Supplier Coordination

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  Partner with Procurement to ensure materials are in place before production start dates.

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  Keep visibility on shortages, supplier lead times and delivery promises.

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  Adjust production plans and coordinate revisions when materials are delayed or incomplete.

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Dispatch & Customer Delivery

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  Prepare weekly dispatch plans aligned to customer due dates and production output.

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  Ensure export orders are scheduled, prepared and shipped within required timescales.

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  Align delivery priorities with Sales and Customer Service to manage expectations and commitments.

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Communication, Meetings & Updates

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  Attend daily production meetings and provide clear status updates against the plan.

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  Maintain regular contact with Sales and Customer Service on lead times, progress and delivery risks.

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  Communicate schedule changes promptly to operational teams and stakeholders.

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Documentation, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

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  Produce planning paperwork and supporting production documentation as required.

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  Measure adherence to the schedule, investigate variances and report exceptions.

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  Highlight opportunities to improve planning methods, information flow and cross-team coordination.

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  Contribute to initiatives that improve factory efficiency, service levels and internal communication.

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What We're Looking For:

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  Previous experience in production planning, scheduling, or manufacturing coordination.

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  Background in a manufacturing/production environment (factory-based planning exposure)..

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  Clear communicator with a practical, solutions-focused approach to problems.

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  Good Microsoft Office skills, especially Excel (filters, formulas, pivots desirable).

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  Experience using ERP/MRP systems and working with live production data.

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