Production Planning Team Leader

Job description
Job Title: Production Planning Team Leader

Location: Samlesbury – On-site

Salary: £54,7+3 + depending on skills and experience

What You’ll Be Doing
• Driving Operations – monitoring, reporting, challenging performance and driving corrective recovery actions when off plan
• Determining the production capacity needed by each Manufacturing area to be able to discharge the operational plans taking into account labour, utilisation, budgets and other constraints
• Training and coaching direct reports in order to exploit individual potential and drive improvements through area of responsibility, whilst aligning to development frameworks and rules of engagement
• Ensuring alignment between production planning and key stakeholders so that credible and executable plans can be implemented within MSDU operational areas
• Support the facilitation of Make v Buy scenarios and recommendations
• Interface with customers and supply chains to support the delivery of operational excellence
• Ensuring an accurate view of demand is maintained and visible through Planning Analytics
• Supporting the Head of Department on the delivery of Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) schedule
• This role reports directly into the MSDU Head of Planning and works alongside a small team covering 3B Machining, 510 Carbon, AFAF and Treatments

Essential

Your skills and experience :
• Strong Production Planning background with an understanding of the Manufacturing function
• Understanding of ERP
• Business process & product awareness across Air Manufacturing
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with the capability to build relationships across multi-functional teams/broad stakeholder groups
• Ability to effectively manage multiple initiatives simultaneously
• Desire and willingness to learn and develop through functional framework

Desirable
• Recognition through an appropriate Professional Supply Chain body (i.e. CILT)
• Experience in detail manufacture / planning

Benefits

You’ll receive benefits including a competitive pension scheme, enhanced annual leave allowance and a Company contributed Share Incentive Plan. You’ll also have access to additional benefits such as flexible working, an employee assistance programme, Cycle2work and employee discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Production Planning Team

The role sits within the new Manufacturing Service Delivery Unit (MSDU) within Operations –Air Sector. This organisation operates across a number of platforms, and therefore the team work on multiple products on a daily basis, delivering to a number of customers (Typhoon, Hawk, FalconWorks, USP). The MSDU Planning team aim to collectively ensure that robust plans are in place across the operational facilities within the Manufacturing SDU (3B Machining, 510 Carbon, 1 Shed Fabrications and Central Treatments Facility) – Ensuring that operational plans are aligned and balanced, are correctly resourced, realistic and executable. The team will also consider and draft scenarios through S&OP related activities, support the maintenance of an accurate order book and report on operational and resource performance to plans.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and particularly from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our industry, including women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ individuals.

We also want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles working for BAE Systems will be subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors including your nationality, any previous nationalities you have held, and your place of birth may limit those roles you can perform for the organisation.

Closing Date: 18th September 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.