Operations Planner / Scheduler

Kinetic are currently searching for an Operations Planner / Scheduler for a leading Chemical Manufacturing business in Deeside! Type: Contract, 6 Months (until July 2025, TBC) Shifts: Monday - Friday Days Industry: Chemical Manufacturing Operations Scheduler/Planner - Deeside CORE RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS * Schedules the orders on production lines involving a variety of product mix and fluctuating requirements based on demand forecast, customer orders, current inventories and line capacity. * Plans/schedules the orders within the relevant time period appropriate to the site, to ensure compliance with OTMIS/OTIF. * Reviews, adjusts, and updates a fluctuating schedule based on customer orders, production problems, material needs, and other areas as required; informs personnel of appropriate changes. * Determines appropriate supply of products based on the potential demand for goods, which includes maintaining inventory levels, forecasting customer needs, developing product forecasts. * Analyses and interprets a variety of reports regarding plant operations, resource and personnel needs, efficiency, cycle times, on-time service, sales/customers, and determines operational or scheduling changes to improve plant performance. * Assists with coordinating general production operations regarding resource, efficiency and cycle times, to ensure meeting the sites OTMIS/OTIF target. * Serves as a liaison between production operations and other areas, such as sales, customer service, production, shipping and receiving, and other departments regarding general operations, and questions and concerns, to ensure on-time delivery. * Provides updates in production meetings regarding production schedules, plant performance, and other areas as required. * Assists with coordinating the introduction, modification, or discontinuation of products, which includes maintaining SKU numbers, inventory and order levels, and product lists, communicating status across the departments. * Ensures compliance with department policies and procedures and applicable laws, rules, and regulations. * Performs other duties as assigned. POSITION REQUIREMENTS Required: * Educated to High school level * Two/Three years of scheduling, supply chain or operational experience. KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE: * Applying fundamental scheduling and distribution principles and practices; * Understanding of applicable supply chain activities; * Reading and responding to constant change environments; * Understanding of basic production and operational principles and practices; * Analysing a variety of data and developing reports; * Working with other functions and supervisors; TECHNICAL/SKILL REQUIREMENTS: * Advanced PC skills essential * Familiar with standard ERP system such as Oracle, SAP * Strong communication skills * Assertiveness COMPETENCIES Key Actions 1. Acts with integrity-Demonstrates honesty; keeps commitments made to others; behaves in a consistent manner; keeps sensitive information confidential; adheres to moral, ethical, and professional standards, regulations, and organizational policies. 2. Communicates transparently-Shares thoughts, feelings, experiences, and rationale so that others understand personal positions and feel comfortable sharing similar information; admits mistakes. 3. Remains open to ideas-Listens to others and objectively considers their ideas and opinions, even when they conflict with own. 4. Values others-Gives credit to others for their contributions; supports others and their ideas when faced with challenges; shows empathy and offers reassurance in response to others' concerns; treats people with dignity, respect, and fairness. Customer Orientation Placing a high priority on the internal or external customer's perspective when making decisions and taking action; implementing service practices that meet the customers' and own organization's needs. Key Actions 1. Seeks to understand customers-Actively gathers information to understand customer circumstances, problems, expectations, and needs. 2. Recognizes customer service issues-Identifies barriers that impact customer service and retention; communicates concerns and recommendations to others. 3. Implements customer-focused practices-Uses understanding of customer needs and the organization's customer service practices to set priorities, make decisions, and take actions that create customer satisfaction and prevent service issues from occurring. 4. Checks for customer satisfaction-Follows up to ensure intended actions are accomplished and results are achieved; checks for customer satisfaction and seeks suggestions for improvement. Teamwork Working cooperatively in partnership with others to help a team or work group achieve its goals. Teamwork supports our business driver of Building a High Performance Culture. Key Actions 1. Contributes to goal accomplishment-Makes suggestions, volunteers assistance, offers resources, or removes obstacles to help the group achieve its goals. 2. Asks for help and encourages involvement-Leverages others' skills and gains their support by asking for their ideas, opinions, and participation when solving problems, making decisions, and executing plans. 3. Informs others on team-Shares important or relevant information and rationale with others; summarizes to check understanding. 4. Models commitment-Adheres to the work group's expectations and guidelines; fulfills team or work group responsibilities; demonstrates personal commitment to group goals. Managing Work Effectively managing one's time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently. Managing Work supports our business drivers of Executing a Competitive Strategy and Driving Efficiency. Key Actions 1. Prioritizes - Identifies more critical and less critical activities and tasks; adjusts priorities when appropriate. 2. Makes preparations - Ensures that required resources are in appropriate locations so that own and others' work can be done effectively. 3. Schedules - Effectively allocates own time to complete work; coordinates own and others' schedules to avoid conflicts. 4. Leverages resources - Takes advantage of available resources (individuals, processes, departments, and tools) to complete work efficiently. 5. Stays focused - Uses time effectively and prevents irrelevant issues or distractions from interfering with work completion; follows up promptly on action items. 6. Ensures high quality-Dedicates required time and energy to assignments or tasks to ensure that no aspect of the work is neglected; works to overcome obstacles to completing tasks or assignments. 7. Takes responsibility-Accepts responsibility for outcomes (positive or negative) of one's work; admits mistakes and refocuses efforts when appropriate. Communication Conveying information and ideas clearly and concisely to individuals or groups in an engaging manner that helps them understand and retain the message; listening actively to others. Communication supports our business drivers of Building a High Performance Culture, Increasing Financial Performance, Increasing Global Focus, Executing a Competitive Strategy and Driving Efficiency. Key Actions 1. Organizes the communication-Explains the reason for the communication and its importance (including impact on the individual, team, and organization); stresses major points clearly and succinctly; follows a logical sequence. 2. Maintains attention-Keeps others engaged through use of analogies, illustrations, humor, descriptive words, body language, and voice inflection. 3. Adjusts to the listener-Frames message to align with others' experience, background, and expectations; uses terms, examples, and analogies that are meaningful to others; translates technical terms when communicating with those who don't have a technical background. 4. Ensures understanding-Checks others' understanding of information communicated; presents message in multiple ways to enhance comprehension. 5. Listens actively-Seeks others' input and attends to their communication; asks clarifying questions and summarizes what others have communicated to check own understanding; correctly interprets messages and responds appropriately. 6. Conveys a professional presence-Creates a positive impression that commands attention and respect through appropriate body language, presence, and attire; demonstrates self-confidence. Adaptability Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing changes in work responsibilities or environment (e.g., people, processes, structure, or culture); adjusting effectively to change by exploring the benefits, trying new approaches, and collaborating with others to make the change successful. Adaptability supports our business driver of Driving Efficiency. Key Actions 1. Tries to understand changes-Actively seeks information (from coworkers, leaders, customers, competition, technologies, and regulations) to understand the rationale and implications for changes. 2. Approaches change with a positive mind-set-Treats new situations as opportunities for learning or growth; actively seeks to identify and communicate the benefits of changes; collaborates with others to implement changes. 3. Adjusts behavior-Quickly modifies daily behavior and tries new approaches to deal effectively with changes; does not persist with ineffective methods; leverages available resources to ease transition. Kinetic plc is a Recruitment Consultancy with over 40 years of experience of delivering staffing solutions to the engineering, manufacturing and technical industries. Kinetic plc treats all applications with a high degree of care, we review all submissions and will attempt to contact applicants who match the job profile. Those that do not meet the specification may not be contacted but their CV retained to be considered. S&T1