Master Production Scheduler (Manufacturing industry)

Reed Engineering & Manufacturing are working with a leading manufacturing company with a global presence.

About the Role

We are looking for a proactive and highly organised Master Scheduler to join our manufacturing team. This is a key role responsible for developing robust production plans that align customer demand with operational capability, ensuring the efficient use of people, materials, equipment and capacity.

Working closely with Production, Supply Chain, Materials, and senior leadership teams, you will play a critical role in maintaining schedule accuracy, driving operational performance, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives across the business.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced planning professional who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and enjoys solving complex operational challenges.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain effective production schedules that optimise the use of labour, materials, equipment and available capacity.
• Plan and sequence manufacturing activity across individual work centres to support efficient workflow and on-time delivery performance.
• Monitor progress against production schedules, communicating updates, risks and priorities clearly to key stakeholders.
• Balance production demand with operational capacity to ensure realistic and achievable schedules.
• Establish and maintain production order guidelines to support effective scheduling and workflow management.
• Analyse production and planning performance, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and operational effectiveness.
• Support material management activities, including stock reallocation and initiatives to reduce excess or obsolete inventory.
• Produce operational metrics and planning insights to support monthly forecasting and business decision-making.
• Lead and support continuous improvement projects that enhance planning processes and overall manufacturing performance.
• Develop and implement standard production control processes and best practices.
• Provide guidance, coaching and day-to-day support to planning support staff, helping to build capability and consistency across the team.
• Promote cross-training and knowledge sharing to improve team flexibility and resilience.
• Utilise MRP and ERP systems to improve planning accuracy, visibility and cross-functional collaboration.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Proven experience in a production planning, master scheduling or manufacturing planning role.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, production workflows and operational planning principles.
• Hands-on experience using MRP and ERP systems to support planning, reporting and operational decision-making.
• Experience with QAD would be advantageous but is not essential.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends and recommend practical solutions.
• Excellent organisational and problem-solving abilities.
• Advanced communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence and collaborate across all levels of the business.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, as well as Word and PowerPoint.
• A continuous improvement mindset with a focus on delivering measurable operational benefits.
• The ability to work effectively in a collaborative, fast-paced manufacturing environment.