Head of Production Planning & Material Control

About the job

Position Purpose:

To lead and manage the Production Planning & Material Control (PPMC) function by driving integrated production planning, material management, inventory optimisation, capacity planning, and plant logistics to ensure uninterrupted manufacturing operations, operational efficiency, and achievement of business objectives.

Key Responsibilites:

• Lead the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process by aligning demand forecasts, production capacity, procurement, and inventory plans to support business requirements.
• Develop and execute the Master Production Schedule (MPS) and daily, weekly, monthly, and annual production plans to ensure timely and efficient manufacturing across all production shops.
• Manage material planning and control activities by ensuring the timely availability of CKD kits, local parts, consumables, and production materials through effective MRP execution and supplier coordination.
• Drive inventory management and warehouse optimisation by maintaining targeted inventory levels, improving inventory accuracy, reducing stock ageing, and controlling slow-moving and obsolete inventory.
• Oversee plant logistics and material flow by ensuring efficient warehouse-to-line operations, sequencing, kitting, supermarkets, and uninterrupted line feeding using Lean principles.
• Lead capacity planning and resource optimisation by analysing production constraints, forecasting future capacity requirements, and implementing initiatives to improve plant utilisation and eliminate bottlenecks.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Manufacturing, Procurement, Engineering, Quality, Finance, Sales, Product Development, and After Sales to ensure seamless execution of production plans, localisation initiatives, and new product introductions.
• Ensure effective utilisation of SAP/ERP systems by maintaining accurate planning parameters, Bills of Materials (BOMs), routings, inventory records, and driving planning automation and digital reporting.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives by implementing Lean Manufacturing, Just-in-Time (JIT), Kanban, FIFO, Milk Run, and Kaizen practices to improve productivity, planning accuracy, inventory efficiency, and cost optimisation.
• Lead the PPMC function through effective governance and people management by establishing departmental objectives, KPIs, budgets, developing team capability, and ensuring compliance with company policies, OEM requirements, quality standards, and HSE regulations.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Supply Chain Management.
• 12–15 years of experience in Production Planning and Material Control within the automotive industry.

Specific Requirements

• Strong knowledge of automotive manufacturing processes, including CKD/SKD operations, localisation, production planning, material control, inventory management, and plant logistics.
• Proficiency in SAP ERP (PP/MM) or equivalent ERP systems, with advanced skills in MRP, Master Production Scheduling (MPS), demand planning, and production scheduling.
• Sound understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies, including Just-in-Time (JIT), Kanban, FIFO, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), and Six Sigma concepts.
• Excellent leadership, analytical, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to lead cross-functional teams, drive operational excellence, manage change, and deliver results in a high-volume manufacturing environment.