Production Planning & Scheduling Manager

Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt Reports to: CEO Position Overview The Production Planning & Scheduling Manager owns the production plan for Direct One's print and mail operation and is accountable for how much work the plant gets out the door each day. The role owns every job from intake through data, layout, art and proof approvals, production, and drop, scheduled backward from the mail date. It turns forecasted volume and sales work orders into a daily and weekly schedule across press, finishing, inserting, and mailing, sets the output standard for every machine and job type, and tracks actual results against that standard every shift. This is a hands-on planning seat for someone who knows paper-based manufacturing: direct mail, commercial print, bindery, and lettershop. The Production Planning & Scheduling Manager knows what the equipment is capable of, sets targets from that capability rather than from current habits, and works directly with floor leads to close the gap between the two. The role gives leadership a clear, data-backed daily view of what ships today, what is at risk, and what capacity looks like for the next two weeks. Direct One is building toward 15 to 20 million pieces a month across two shifts in 2027. The schedule is the center of that growth, and this seat will have a lot of influence on how the operation runs. We're looking for someone with the ability to grow as the company does. Who This Person Is Lean Six Sigma at the core. Sees waste in every setup, handoff, and changeover, measures everything, runs the plant on data, and always has an improvement project in flight. Wants every job from every client. Telling a client we can't do something, or parting ways with a client because we can't handle their work, is not an option. Their instinct is to find the way to get it done. Key Responsibilities Production Planning & Scheduling Own the job flow from intake through data, layout, art approval, proof approval, production, and drop, scheduled backward from the client's mail date. Build, publish, and maintain the daily and weekly production schedule for press, finishing, inserting, and mailing. Set job priorities and sequence work based on client in-home and mail dates, equipment capacity, and production efficiencies such as common sizes, stocks, and finishing methods. Schedule around the shop's bottleneck equipment so it stays supplied with work, and level the workload across the week and across shifts rather than letting jobs stack up near their due dates. Convert forecasted volumes from Sales and Account Management into a rolling capacity plan, and tell leadership early when planned volume exceeds what the plant, the shifts, or the headcount can run. Keep job status, due dates, and estimated run times current in Midnight so the schedule and the system match. Machine Standards & Output Accountability Establish and publish the expected output rate for each machine by job type (pieces per hour and per shift), starting from manufacturer capability and validated against actual runs. Track actual output against standard every shift, by machine and operator, and review the variance with floor leads daily. Identify the cause of every significant miss (setup, materials, staffing, skill, maintenance, scheduling) and drive the fix with the lead or supervisor who owns it. Validate the estimated run times used in Midnight and in quoting so estimates reflect what the equipment can actually produce. Flag operators and crews who consistently run below standard, and those who consistently exceed it, so training, staffing, and recognition decisions are based on data. Job Readiness & Coordination Confirm that data, layout, proofs, postage, and stock are ready before a job is released to the floor. Own the handoff with the CSRs: jobs come to planning complete and approved before anything gets scheduled, measured by a metric both sides share. Serve as the main point of contact between Sales, Account Management, Estimating…

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