Production Planner in Swindon

Join ICOMAT – Revolutionising the Future of Lightweight Manufacturing!

iCOMAT is an advanced manufacturing company that invented Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) - the only proven technology for producing defect-free curved-fiber composite parts at industrial scale. We deliver the lightest structures possible for aerospace, automotive, defense, and space, at a rate and cost efficiency that far exceeds existing composite production processes.

We build and operate automated factories for composite materials, delivering components to Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs. The business has three main divisions: development of automated production machines, development of software design and production tools, and operation of the factory. We work with 25+ customers and completed the largest ever Series A in composites manufacturing to fuel a significant scale-up, with growth plans that will see the business multiply in size over the next two to three years and expand operations into the UK, Europe and the US.

The business has currently more than 130,000 sqm of production capacity with manufacturing facilities in the UK (Gloucester and Swindon) and the US (Dayton, Ohio); a Hardware R&D Centre in Bristol, UK; and a Software R&D Centre in Athens, Greece.

The role

As Production Planner and Logistics Coordinator you own the plan, and the physical flow of material behind it, across Gloucester and Swindon. What are we making, when are we making it, and do we have the capacity and the stock to do it. You answer those three questions for the business every week, from the system rather than from memory.

This role is one half of a pair. You tell the Buyer what is needed and when. They secure it. You schedule it, release it to the floor, and follow it through stores, production and dispatch until it is on a truck and invoiced. The split is deliberate. At our scale planning and buying are each a full time job, and neither gets the attention it deserves when one person does both.

The line between the two roles is simple. The Buyer owns the supplier: selection, price, terms, contract and performance. You own the schedule and the movement, internally and externally, including materials and subcontract processes. They agree the deal, you call it off.

Be clear about what you are walking into. We have an MRP system that is not yet doing the work it should. Routings are not broken down far enough, work centre data is incomplete, and we find out about a capacity constraint when we are already inside it. Your first job is to make SYSPRO tell the truth. Your second is to run two factories from it. If that sounds like the part of the job you would enjoy most, this is the right role for you.

What will you be doing?

Planning and scheduling

• Enter customer sales orders, confirm that capacity and material support the promised delivery date, and raise it internally early with alternatives when they do not.
• Own the master production schedule for Gloucester and Swindon, sequencing work to make the best use of equipment, labour and tooling.
• Generate manufacturing works orders from MRP and make sure the optimal production method and routing is used when raising them.
• Issue the daily and weekly Work to List to Production at each site, then follow up on adherence rather than filing it.
• Load work centre capacity in MRP so constraints are visible weeks ahead. Flag where we need more capacity and where we have spare to fill.
• Run the MRP regeneration on a fixed cycle and action what it tells you.
• Plan around planned absence, shutdowns and maintenance windows rather than discovering them.

Planning data integrity

• Own the accuracy of the planning data in SYSPRO: routings, work centres, run and elapsed times, lead times, bills of material and stocking levels.
• Work with Manufacturing Engineering to get routings broken down into real operations. One line that says make part does not schedule a factory.
• Keep sales orders, part numbers and due dates loaded correctly and on time, so the order book is one source of truth for Operations, Finance and the management team.
• Be the operational voice in our ERP development. Bring the requirement, test the change, train the users, then hold people to using the system as designed.

Inventory, stores and logistics

• Own goods in. Receipt, scan, hand to inspection and book to stock on the day it lands.
• Own stores and kitting. Right material, right quantity, right job, issued at the right operation.
• Run location, warehouse and freezer discipline, including shelf life and out life control on refrigerated material.
• Hold inventory at the level that keeps the line running without tying up cash or creating waste. Recommend and maintain min, mid and max levels on purchased components.
• Own and optimise the vendor managed inventory process with the Buyer.
• Plan, execute and reconcile stock cycle counts at both sites, and keep work in progress booked accurately so stock records mean something.
• Schedule call offs and inbound deliveries against the agreements the Buyer has put in place, so material lands when the build needs it, not months early or a week late.
• Own the movement of parts through subcontract processes. Book the slot, get the parts out, track what is sitting at the subcontractor, and get them back on the date.
• Own dispatch and outbound logistics: packing, carriers, freight, delivery notes and export documentation, right first time.
• Move material between Gloucester and Swindon on a plan, not on a phone call.

Control and reporting

• Report weekly on schedule adherence, on time in full delivery, capacity load, labour utilisation, stock accuracy and shortages.
• Give early warning when a job is going to slip, with the reason and the recovery plan. A surprise at month end is a planning failure.
• Run a short weekly production review across both sites: what we committed, where we are, what is at risk, what we are doing about it.
• Work across Production, Engineering, Quality, Stores, Finance and Business Development so plans are aligned before they are committed, not after.
• Use our existing supply chain and operational processes, stay current on all activity, and keep the improvements coming.
• Other duties as the business demands. We are scaling, and this job will grow with us. Accountable to produce the MPS (master production schedule) driving cross functional accountability against commitments and linked in to the overall IBP (Integrated Business Plan)

What do we need from you?

Essential

• Proven production planning or scheduling experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong working knowledge of ERP / MRP planning and scheduling. Hands on, not theoretical. You can build a routing, set up a work centre and run MRP yourself.
• Solid understanding of manufacturing processes and how they translate into times, routings and capacity.
• Practical stores, stock control and inventory accuracy experience.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, and real comfort with data. You will build your own numbers and defend them.
• Accuracy under pressure. A wrong figure in MRP becomes a late part, and a late part becomes a customer call.
• The nerve to hold a plan against pressure from every direction, and to change it only for a reason.
• Clear, direct communication with Production, Engineering, Stores, Quality, Finance and customers.
• The ability to hold multiple priorities across two sites without losing the thread.
• Willingness to travel regularlly between Gloucester and Swindon, and a full UK driving licence.
• A continuous improvement mindset and the appetite to build a broad knowledge of how we manufacture.

Desirable

• Experience with SYSPRO is a big advantage.
• Aerospace, automotive or defence manufacturing background.
• Experience cleaning up MRP data, routings, bills of material and work centres in a business where the system was not being used properly.
• Exposure to AS9100 or IATF 16949 quality management systems.
• Experience with shelf life and out life controlled material, including freezer stock.
• Dispatch and export documentation experience.
• APICS CPIM, or working towards it.
• Experience standing up planning processes in a business that is growing fast, rather than maintaining ones that already exist.

Our Values: Uncompromising Excellence

• Discipline over excuses. We commit. We follow through. We hold ourselves and each other to the highest standard, especially when the pressure is on.
• Push the edge. iCOMAT was built on a refusal to accept that curved fiber could not be manufactured at scale. We innovate where others hesitate.
• Aligned and accountable. Everyone owns their lane, communicates openly, and delivers without being chased. No silos. No ambiguity.

Why iCOMAT?

• Competitive Salary & Benefits: We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including private healthcare, pension scheme.
• Stock Options: Equity options to give employees a stake in the company’s success
• Career Growth Opportunities: Join us at a pivotal time as we scale up, offering unmatched professional growth opportunities in the rapidly advancing field of composite materials.
• Innovation-Focused Culture: We pride ourselves on our inclusive, forward-thinking work environment. Recognized by Bloomberg as a "UK Startup to Watch", iCOMAT celebrates diversity and encourages all applicants, regardless of background, to apply.
• Global Impact: Be a part of our mission to redefine lightweight structures for the automotive, aerospace, and space industries, working with some of the most influential companies worldwide.Ready to be part of something big?