Associate Director (Master Scheduling)

ROLE PURPOSE

The Master Scheduling function leads the integrated planning and scheduling backbone of the Injection Molding Machine manufacturing business. This role ensures synchronization across Material Planning, Production Planning & Control, Inbound/Outbound Logistics, Stores, and SIOP, driving operational efficiency, cost optimization, and customer delivery performance.

The position institutionalizes demand-supply balancing, ERP/MRP discipline, and logistics governance, converting business forecasts into executable production schedules and supply chain flows across geographies. The function serves as a primary point of contact for and liaison with sales, engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership and Policy

• Design standard operating procedures, best practices, and frameworks for the entire scheduling department.
• Align long-term operational goals with business objectives and financial targets.
• Lead, mentors, and evaluate a team of schedulers, planners, and coordinators.

Master Production Schedule (MPS) Oversight

• Directs the creation and maintenance of the high-level Master Production Schedule (MPS) over medium-to-long-range horizons.
• Balance demand and capacity. Evaluate the sales forecasts against facility, labour, and machine capacity to ensure realistic output.
• Risk management: Identify supply chain bottlenecks or resource shortages and run what-if scenarios to resolve conflicts

Material Planning

• Own material requirement planning aligned with production schedules.
• Implement and operate lean practices like VMI, JIT, ROP and Kanban to maintain optimal stock.
• Ensure timely procurement and availability of raw materials, components, and consumables. Provide rolling forecast to suppliers.
• Collaborate with supply chain team for import/export compliance and lead-time optimization.
• Decide and update safety stocks, Long lead time parts and Inventory control.

Production Planning & Control

• Develop master production schedules balancing demand, capacity, and inventory.
• Collaborate with design engineering, & supply chain team for ensuring sales delivery timeline.
• Monitor shop floor execution, resolve bottlenecks, and ensure adherence to timelines.
• Implement lean practices to minimize WIP and optimize throughput.

SIOP (Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning)

• Lead monthly SIOP reviews aligning demand forecast, production capacity, and inventory targets.
• Partner with Sales, Manufacturing, Supply chain and Finance to balance customer commitments with operational realities.
• Provide executive dashboards and scenario planning for leadership decision-making.

Inbound & Outbound Logistics

• Manage inbound logistics for raw materials and components, including import coordination.
• Oversee outbound logistics for finished goods, ensuring timely dispatch and export documentation.
• Negotiate with logistics partners to optimize cost and service levels.

Stores Management

• Drive transformation projects of stores activities i.e. Receipts, Location management, Warehousing and Material movement etc.
• Oversee RM, FG, and consumables stores with robust inventory control.
• Implement digital systems for traceability, cycle counting, and stock accuracy.
• Drive safety and compliance in warehouse operations.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead and develop a team of professionals across planning, scheduling, logistics, and stores.
• Build capability through training, mentoring, and succession planning.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

KEY SKILL REQUIREMENTS:-

Technical & Operational - Master scheduling expertise ERP/MRP systems Import/export regulations Logistics optimization

Analytics & Planning - Demand-supply balancing Capacity planning Inventory modelling KPI dashboards Advanced Excel / Power BI proficiency

Interpersonal & Leadership - Cross-functional leadership Stakeholder management Team development Collaboration across Sales, Design Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing & Finance

Behavioral - Process-driven Execution-focused Strong ownership mindset Decisive Continuous improvement orientation

EXPERIENCE PROFILE

• 15+ years of total experience, with 10-12 years experience in developing and maintaining a Master Production Schedule within a manufacturing environment, preferably in capital equipment or machine industry.
• Hands-on expertise in production planning, logistics, and SIOP.
• ERP/MRP system proficiency (JD Edwards, SAP, Oracle, or equivalent).
• Proven track record of leading large teams and delivering operational excellence.

EDUCATION

• Graduate/Postgraduate in Engineering (Mechanical / Production / Plastics preferred)
• Masters in business administration (MBA) strongly preferred