Production Planner / Purchasing Coordinator

KL Talent Solutions is recruiting on behalf of an established and growing manufacturing client based in Newton Aycliffe. Due to continued growth, our client is looking for an experienced Production Planner / Purchasing Coordinator to take ownership of production planning, material availability and supplier coordination. This is a hands-on role for someone who understands how production, purchasing, stock and customer demand all link together. You’ll be responsible for keeping production moving, ensuring materials are available when required and identifying potential problems before they impact customer delivery. Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate production plans and schedules around customer orders, stock availability, material supply and business priorities.
• Create and continually update production schedules to support on-time delivery and effective use of production capacity.
• Monitor customer orders from receipt through to fulfilment, identifying delays, shortages and capacity issues.
• Work closely with Production, Sales, Warehouse, Logistics and Purchasing teams to keep orders moving.
• Maintain accurate planning information including demand, capacity, material availability and delivery priorities.
• Identify potential bottlenecks, shortages and late orders before they impact customers.
• Raise, monitor and progress purchase orders in line with production requirements.
• Liaise directly with suppliers to confirm delivery dates and resolve supply issues.
• Proactively expedite overdue or at-risk orders.
• Monitor supplier performance, shortages and recurring delivery issues.
• Maintain accurate purchasing, supplier and planning records.
• Support improvements across production planning, purchasing, stock visibility and internal communication.

What We’re Looking For You’ll ideally have previous experience within production planning, production control, purchasing, supply chain, operations or a similar manufacturing support role. You should also have:

• Strong practical production planning and scheduling experience.
• Experience working within manufacturing, production, FMCG or another fast-moving environment.
• Good understanding of material availability, stock and order fulfilment.
• Experience managing suppliers, purchase orders and delivery expediting.
• The confidence to challenge delays and take ownership of problems rather than simply escalating them.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage changing priorities.
• Excellent attention to detail and commercial awareness.
• Confident communication skills across multiple departments and external suppliers.
• Good Microsoft Excel and Office skills.
• Experience using ERP/MRP, stock-control or production-planning systems would be highly advantageous.

This would suit someone who enjoys being at the centre of a manufacturing operation and actively driving the plan, rather than simply updating spreadsheets and reporting on what has already happened. Interested? Apply through KL Talent Solutions for a confidential discussion and further information about the opportunity.