Production & Materials Planner

About The Job PV Labs is a small, highly specialized aerospace systems component engineering company designing and building next‑generation airborne imaging systems. In this role, you wont just be issuing schedules and managing kits; you will be the orchestrator of how our cutting‑edge technology gets built and delivered. From aligning engineering release cycles with long‑lead material planning, to managing kit accuracy and production sequencing, you’re at the core of how we turn complexity into capability. This is not a back‑office coordination role – it’s a high‑trust, high‑collaboration position that sits at the intersection of production, engineering, procurement, and program delivery. Success here is not just about what you do, but how you do it. You’ll need to build relationships across functions, gain credibility with technicians and engineers, and communicate production realities with diplomacy and clarity. What You’ll Own Now Production Planning & Scheduling – translate engineering release schedules, program milestones and delivery and potential supply‑chain constraints into rational, executable short‑ and mid‑term production plans. Maintain flexibility to handle first‑article builds, technical changes, and rework loops without losing delivery discipline. Own the coordination across engineering, procurement and assembly to ensure material availability and resource alignment at every stage. Inventory & Materials Management – own the balance between inventory control and production readiness, ensuring long‑lead items are forecasted without ballooning stock. Use our ERP systems (Genius) to track part movement, BOM integrity, material traceability and alignment to production needs. Lead cycle counts and inventory reconciliation, ensuring data integrity across stores, finance and production. Kitting & Assembly Support – ensure every kit is right the first time – accurate, complete and built to match structured Work Orders/BOMs. Support traceable sub‑assembly and final assembly builds by driving kit preparation, labeling, configuration and documentation. Be the go‑to resource for Stores operations and a key partner to the Engineering and Assembly teams. What You’ll Own In the Future Supply Chain Localization & Dual‑Build Enablement – support our growth into regional manufacturing by planning phased transitions to in‑country or in‑region builds. Integrate partner lead times, export requirements and localised sourcing strategies into a unified master plan. Help stand up regional planning capabilities that mirror our high‑complexity, low‑volume production model. Performance Analysis & Planning Intelligence – develop dashboards and metrics that measure what matters: schedule attainment, material readiness and delivery performance. Investigate planning delays, identify root causes and implement corrective actions – not just to fix the issue but to improve the system. Use data to create transparency, drive better decisions and ensure production planning evolves with business complexity. Who You Are A resourceful, proactive planner that thinks a few steps ahead and thrives at the center of a truly cross‑functional role. You understand the importance of the BLUF and can explain complex planning realities to anyone who needs to know. Unflappable under pressure, comfortable adjusting plans and priorities, and communicate well when things inevitably shift. Someone who cares as much about relationships and follow‑through as they do about data accuracy and production control. You’ve built planning frameworks before or have fixed ones that needed improvement. You bring a strong understanding of complex discrete assembly, ideally in low‑volume, ultra‑high‑complexity environments. Experience with electro‑mechanical, opto‑mechanical, electronics, aerospace or defense environments would be strongly preferred. You know how to work around an ERP, but you also know when the conversation—not the system—solves the problem. Requirements 7+ years in production planning, scheduling and materials coordination in a highly complex, low‑volume engineering/assembly environment. Evidence that you can actively apply that experience to help us build and operationalize a Material Planning & Production function. The ability to triage and recommend sound production solutions, while pivoting to a Plan B or C when circumstances warrant it. To ensure you’ve actually read the job description, please use the word stabilize in your application. Bachelor’s in Engineering, Operations or a Supply Chain discipline, or equivalent years of hands‑on expertise and dependable results to back it up. APICS CPIM (or working toward it) is a plus. Strong Excel and ERP planning & management skills. Nice to Have Previously built a production planning framework from scratch. Experience with Genius ERP (but other ERPs are fine). Previous experience in the aerospace and/or defense industry. Familiarity with export compliance, configuration control and Lean manufacturing principles. No reservations about being at the intersection of three key production planning disciplines while we grow and scale. PV Labs Culture We move fast. We build complicated, expensive things that fly. We don’t do ego – we do execution. We’re unashamedly protective of our culture and focus on fit‑first/skills‑second approach for who we hire into the organization. We believe in Mastery, Autonomy and Purpose. We strive for Resiliency, Innovation and Productivity. At PV Labs, you’ll work with brilliant, motivated people who solve tough problems and deliver class‑leading technology in the Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance domain. You’ll be a key player in a company that’s scaling rapidly, building things the big guys can’t. To confirm you actually read this posting, include the word stabilize in either your resume or your cover letter. If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and help us build what’s next, we want to hear from you. This could very well be the hardest job you’ve ever loved. #J-18808-Ljbffr