Chaberton Professionals is one of the recruiting divisions of Chaberton Partners. From our HQ in Lugano, we support client companies in the search and selection of middle and top management profiles. Our goal is to create success stories and enrich the talent pipeline within our client companies.
For a leading multinational manufacturing group with a strong multi-site industrial footprint, we are currently seeking a
Planning Manager
with full responsibility for production planning across multiple manufacturing sites.
The
Planning Manager
plays a pivotal role in ensuring the overall effectiveness and reliability of the production planning process within a complex, multi-site manufacturing environment. Reporting directly to the Supply Chain Director and leading a team of four Planners, this position acts as a critical interface between demand, production capacity and operational execution.
The role is both
strategic and operational by nature
: on one hand, it contributes to the definition and continuous improvement of planning processes, capacity strategies and performance governance; on the other hand, it ensures the
day-to-day feasibility, stability and responsiveness of production plans
, guaranteeing service level targets and operational continuity.
A key priority of the role is the
proactive identification and management of production constraints and bottlenecks
, through a structured analysis of loads, capacities and material availability. The Planning Manager is therefore expected to drive strong cross-functional alignment across Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Purchasing and Logistics, enabling fast and effective decision-making in a highly dynamic context.
Ultimately, the position has a direct impact on
service level performance, operational efficiency and industrial scalability
, supporting the company's growth through robust planning governance, strong team leadership and a continuous improvement mindset.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead and govern
medium- and short-term Production Planning & Scheduling
activities across multiple manufacturing sites.
* Coordinate, develop and manage the
team of Planners
, ensuring consistent planning methodologies, clear priorities and continuous team growth.
* Translate
commercial demand and forecasts
into feasible production plans, in line with capacity constraints, technical limitations and service level requirements.
* Monitor and optimize
production loading
, proactively identifying and managing
capacity constraints and bottlenecks
.
* Ensure continuous alignment between
Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, Purchasing and Logistics
.
* Track and analyze planning and service
KPIs
(OTIF, plan adherence, capacity utilization, forecast accuracy).
* Lead
continuous improvement initiatives
on planning processes, including the evolution of digital tools and
ERP/MRP systems
.
* Support short-term
production prioritization and rescheduling
in response to demand variability or supply issues.
* Actively contribute to
S&OP / S&OE processes
in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
* Support
mid-term capacity planning strategies
and manufacturing footprint optimization.
Professional Requirements
* Bachelor's or Master's degree in Industrial Engineering, Management Engineering, Economics or related fields.
* Solid experience (minimum 5–8 years) in
Production Planning / Supply Planning roles
within structured manufacturing environments.
* Proven experience in
people management
.
* Strong knowledge of
planning, capacity management, production flows and MRP logic
.
* Excellent command of
ERP systems
(SAP, Oracle or similar).
* Experience in
multi-site and high-complexity operations
.
* Strong analytical mindset, problem-solving skills and results orientation.
* Fluent Italian and good command of English.
Key Competencies
* Operational leadership
* End-to-end process vision (Demand → Production → Delivery)
* Bottleneck and constraint management
* KPI analysis and performance control
* Cross-functional communication
* Planning in highly variable environments
* Structured continuous improvement approach
Soft Skills
* Strong sense of ownership
* High resilience under pressure
* Sound decision-making in complex scenarios
* Change-oriented mindset
* Teamworking attitude