Production Scheduler in Ashford

Salary: Up to £40,000

Location: Ashford

Benefits: Friday 1pm finishes & WFH

We are looking for an organised and proactive Production Scheduler to coordinate and maintain the day-to-day and weekly production schedule within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment. You will be responsible for translating customer demand and production requirements into clear, achievable factory schedules, while making effective use of available production capacity, labour, materials and equipment. Working closely with Production, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Technical, Engineering and NPD teams, you will identify potential constraints early, communicate production requirements clearly and manage changes to the schedule effectively. You will also maintain accurate production information and reporting, monitoring planned versus actual performance and supporting continuous improvement across the manufacturing operation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prepare, maintain and communicate accurate daily and weekly production schedules.
• Coordinate production across different lines and equipment, taking into account labour, production rates, changeovers, cleaning requirements and operational constraints.
• Work closely with Supply Chain and Warehouse to ensure ingredients, packaging and materials are available.
• Identify and highlight material shortages or potential production risks promptly.
• Monitor production against the agreed schedule and adjust plans in response to delays, breakdowns, material shortages, labour availability or changing priorities.
• Maintain accurate production records and report on planned versus actual output.
• Monitor schedule adherence, outstanding production and key variances.
• Work collaboratively with Production, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Engineering, Technical and NPD teams to resolve scheduling issues.
• Identify opportunities to improve production flow, efficiency and scheduling.
• Ensure production schedules are issued accurately, on time and clearly communicated to relevant teams.

ABOUT YOU

The successful candidate will have previous experience within a production planning, scheduling or manufacturing environment and a good understanding of how production schedules are developed and managed within a fast-paced operation. You will be highly organised and analytical, with the ability to manage competing priorities and respond effectively when production requirements change.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Previous experience in production planning or scheduling.
• Experience preparing or maintaining production schedules.
• Good understanding of production processes, capacity planning and material requirements.
• Strong planning, scheduling and organisational skills.
• Strong numerical and analytical ability.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good problem-solving skills and the ability to respond quickly to changing priorities.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively across departments.
• Strong IT skills, particularly Microsoft Excel.
• Experience using production planning, ERP or MRP systems.
• Ability to work with production data and produce accurate operational reports.
• Good standard of spoken and written English.

Experience within food manufacturing, FMCG or another fast-paced production environment would be advantageous.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Highly organised and able to manage changing priorities.
• Proactive and able to identify potential production issues before they impact the schedule.
• A positive team player who enjoys working collaboratively across departments.
• Comfortable taking ownership and accountability for the accuracy and delivery of the production schedule.
• Calm and solutions-focused when dealing with production changes or operational challenges.
• Interested in continuous improvement and finding ways to improve production efficiency and scheduling.