Director of Production Planning & Scheduling

Employment Type: Full-time, exempt Reports To: Chief Executive Officer Location: Winter Park, FL (100% onsite). Relocation assistance is available. Work Authorization: Must be authorized to work in the U.S. Direct One does not sponsor work visas. Position Overview Direct One is seeking a Director of Production Planning & Scheduling to lead production planning for its print and direct mail operation in Winter Park, Florida. Reporting to the CEO, this leader owns the master production schedule across press, finishing, inkjet, inserting, fulfillment, and mailing, from job intake through mail drop, on both shifts. The Director sets production priorities, sequences work to maximize throughput, and maintains a forward view of capacity, staffing, and skills so that every client commitment is met. The role establishes production standards for each machine and job type, builds the cross-training and coverage plans that keep the operation running at full capacity, and gives leadership daily visibility into shipments, schedule risk, and capacity. The ideal candidate brings recent, hands-on experience leading planning and scheduling in a print and direct mail plant, a strong Lean Six Sigma foundation, fluency with a print MIS, and a proven ability to lead floor and shift leads to results. This role sits at the center of the company's continued growth. Core Competencies Operational Ownership: Treats the production schedule as their own, takes full control of priorities and results, and acts before problems reach the client. Forward Planning: Works on a rolling three-week schedule and a 90-day capacity view, anticipating equipment, staffing, materials, and skills constraints well before they hit the floor. Continuous Improvement: Applies Lean Six Sigma methods to reduce makeready, handoffs, changeovers, and rework, and builds standard work that sticks. Throughput Mindset: Pushes to get the most out of every machine and shift at any given time, and treats overtime as a planning outcome to be managed, not a default. Leadership and Influence: Leads floor leads and shift leads through clear expectations and daily accountability, develops their ability to run their own areas, and earns credibility with operators, Sales, and senior leadership. Customer Commitment: Approaches complex, high-volume, time-sensitive client work with a solutions mindset, using scheduling, shifts, and outsourcing to meet every commitment. Data-Driven Decision Making: Uses production data, standards, and variance analysis to set priorities, measure performance, and guide decisions. AI and Technology Proficiency: Uses AI tools and automation to model capacity and scheduling scenarios, flag at-risk jobs, and streamline reporting, while applying sound judgment to validate results. Key Responsibilities Production Planning & Scheduling Own the master production schedule for all departments and both shifts, with final authority on job priority and sequencing, as the single point of control for when and how work runs. Schedule backward from client in-home and mail dates through data processing, layout, art and proof approval, press, finishing, inkjet, inserting, and mailing. Publish and maintain the daily and weekly schedules and a rolling three-week schedule, and run the daily production meeting across shifts to set and confirm the plan. Sequence work for efficiency (common sizes, stocks, inks, inserts, and finishing methods) and schedule bottleneck equipment to keep it fully utilized. Translate forecasted volume from Sales and Account Management into a 90-day capacity plan by department and shift, and alert leadership early when projected volume exceeds equipment, staffing, or skills capacity. Evaluate rush requests and schedule changes, decide how to accommodate them through shift adjustments, overtime, or outsourcing, and confirm feasibility before dates are promised to clients. Maintain accurate job status, due dates, and run times in Direct One's production system (Virtua…

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