Senior Manager, Production Planning

Saved job description

MP Materials (NYSE: MP) is rebuilding American industrial capability for a new era of autonomy, robotics, and electrification.

We are the only U.S. company with a fully integrated rare earth supply chain—from mining and refining to advanced metal and magnet manufacturing. Our products include both the critical materials used to make permanent magnets and the finished magnets themselves—enabling next-generation technologies in robotics, automation, aerospace, transportation, defense, and energy systems. These materials are the foundation of physical AI—the convergence of computation, movement, and control.

We hire ambitious, mission-driven people who want to tackle complex challenges and shape the future of strategic industries. Our culture is rooted in teamwork, resiliency, and integrity, with a deep commitment to operational excellence and national purpose. MP is rapidly evolving from a materials producer into a leading U.S. manufacturer—and our people are driving that transformation.

Position Overview:

The Senior Production Planning Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end production planning function for   two manufacturing sites. This leader translates customer demand and business priorities into executable production through optimizing asset utilization, and balancing cost, inventory, labor, and service objectives. 

This role establishes planning standards, governance, and performance expectations while resolving competing priorities. The Senior Manager escalates risks and drives cross-functional decisions to support reliable execution of the production plan. Success will be measured through on-time delivery, schedule dependability, inventory performance, capacity utilization, and effective balance of supply, labor, material, and maintenance risks. 

The Senior Manager leads a team of Production Planning Managers, Production Planners, and Planning Specialists across two sites. 

Position Responsibilities:

Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)

Represent Production Planning as a senior decision-making leader in the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process

Translate demand forecasts into executable supply and production plans

Provide data-driven recommendations on capacity constraints, inventory strategies, and business risks

Present executives with clear scenarios, assumptions, financial and operational tradeoffs, recommended decisions, and associated risks 

Improve planning policies, decision rights, schedule parameters, and escalation paths across both sites

Production & Capacity Planning

Develop and execute integrated production plans that align customer demand, inventory targets, plant capacity, labor availability, and business objectives

Lead short-, medium-, and long-range production planning processes to optimize throughput, asset utilization, and service performance

Lead regular plan reviews, and confirm ownership of corrective actions

Ensure planning data, assumptions, and master-data inputs are accurate and controlled.

Balance production schedules across manufacturing assets while minimizing bottlenecks, downtime, and changeover impacts

Manage production planning activities to ensure achievement of customer service, on-time delivery, and inventory goals

Establish capacity models and scenario planning tools to support business growth, demand variability, and operational constraints

Leadership & Team Development

Lead, and coach a high-performing planning organization consisting of Production Planning Managers, Production Planners, and Planning Specialists

Establish clear performance goals and accountability measures across the planning function

Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, talent development, and operational excellence

Sponsor continuous improvement of planning processes, systems, data quality, and analytics. 

Define a roadmap for ERP, MRP, capacity-modeling, and reporting capabilities

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business, Manufacturing, or a related field

MBA or advanced degree preferred

10+ years of production planning, supply chain, operations planning, or manufacturing experience in a large-scale industrial or process manufacturing environment. 

5+ years of progressive leadership experience managing managers and large planning organizations. 

Experience supporting complex manufacturing processes that convert raw materials into finished goods. 

Demonstrated success managing production, capacity, material, labor, and inventory planning activities. 

Experience coordinating maintenance outages, shutdowns, or turnaround planning in a manufacturing environment. 

Experience with ERP, MRP and supply chain planning systems, preferably SAP

Desired Qualities:

APICS CPIM, CSCP, or CLTD certification

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt

MP Materials is Proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Underrepresented groups/Women/Disabled/Veterans are encouraged to apply. Candidates whose disabilities make them unable to meet the position’s requirements will still be considered qualified if they can perform the essential functions of the job with reasonable accommodation.

Your Right to Work – In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment verification document form upon hire. 

For Assistance with Application - Alternative methods of applying for employment are available to individuals unable to submit an application through this site because of a disability. Contact Human Resources Department at 702-844-6111; dial 7 when prompted for HR; 1700 South Pavilion Center Dr. 8th Floor, Las Vegas, NV 89135 to discuss reasonable accommodation.