Manufacturing Production Planner Employment Contract UK

Responsibilities reflected in the contract

• Translate demand into achievable production plans.
• Balance capacity labour materials and changeovers.
• Maintain planning-system dates and quantities.
• Coordinate constraints with production and procurement.
• Record schedule changes assumptions and risks.

A realistic working scenario

On a shift the Production Planner reviews machinery availability, checks production and quality systems, issues work packs and drawings to workshops, records start/finish and transfer times in the production records, runs routine quality checks, and escalates defects, permit needs or unsafe equipment use to the production or operations manager. The role supports coordination with quality, maintenance and warehouse and communicates with suppliers or auditors when records are required.

Outputs to agree

• Daily production plan showing sequenced work, machine assignments and estimated completion times.
• Completed production records and handover sheets with start/finish times, batch numbers and operator initials.
• Quality check logs for sampled output, including non-conformance notes and immediate containment actions.
• Escalation notices to the production or operations manager for equipment defects, permit gaps or safety stops.

Records and evidence

• Production records and handover sheets in the production or maintenance system.
• Quality and non-conformance records in the quality systems.
• Permit and RAMS records associated with planned work or contractor tasks.
• Equipment inspection and defect reports logged against the machinery record.
• Risk assessment and incident reports recorded in the incident reporting system.
• Work records.

Reporting relationship

Typically reports to Line Manager or Department Manager. Confirm the employer's actual reporting structure in the builder.

Authority and escalation

• The Production Planner can allocate work, sequence production for the shift, perform and sign off routine quality checks, and log equipment defects. The role must escalate any unsafe equipment use, stop-work events, permit deficiencies or complex changes to the production or operations manager for approval. The Planner does not authorise permit issue, contractor changes or formal stop-work decisions without that escalation.
• Obtain approval before committing expenditure, changing contractual commitments or making regulated or staffing decisions outside the assigned role.

Tools and systems

• Machinery.
• Quality systems.
• Production records.
• Risk assessment records.

Workplace context

• Production, workshop, site or field locations.

Training and certification

• Complete employer-required health and safety training.

Contract priorities

• Maintain accurate production records, handovers and batch traceability in the production system.
• Perform routine quality checks and record any non-conformances with immediate containment.
• Escalate equipment defects, unsafe equipment use, permit gaps and stop-work situations to the production or operations manager.
• Follow site induction, PPE, RAMS and permit requirements before releasing work to workshop or contractors.
• Use machinery, quality systems and production records only for authorised production planner duties.

Information the employer should prepare

• the sites products and planning horizon
• the planning system and master-data access
• the capacity inventory and service measures
• the schedule-freeze and expediting authority
• the escalation route for shortages and overload