Overview
Site Planning Manager Jobs in East London, South Africa at Aspen Pharma Group
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
We are a global specialty and branded pharmaceutical company, improving the health of patients across the world through our high quality and affordable medicines. Active at every stage of the value chain, we are uniquely diversi?ed by geography, product and manufacturing capability.
Aspen is a dynamic organization built on entrepreneurial strength and forward-thinking minds. We attract high performing individuals who are passionate about their career and have a desire to exceed expectations. At Aspen, not only do we source for the best talent, but we also provide a host of opportunities for continuous development.
The Group’s key business segments are Manufacturing and Commercial Pharmaceuticals comprising Regional Brands and Sterile Focus Brands. We have approximately 9 100 employees at 69 established offices in over 50 countries and we improve the health of patients in more than 150 countries through our high quality, affordable medicines.
OBJECTIVE OF ROLE
The Site Planning Manager is a critical leadership role responsible for the end-to-end planning of the manufacturing operations. This role oversees the strategic, tactical, and operational planning horizons to ensure continuous product availability, optimal inventory levels, and maximum plant utilization. Operating strictly within GMP guidelines, the manager integrates material requirements planning with the master production schedule while factoring in complex constraints within the process (QA release times, equipment validation, product shelf-life, and API lead times.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic & Long-Term Planning (6–24 Months)
- Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP):
Lead the supply review process within the S&OP cycle, translating commercial demand forecasts into long-term capacity requirements. - Capacity Modeling:
Evaluate long-term plant capacity against projected demand. Identify future bottlenecks and recommend capital expenditures, shift pattern changes, or outsourcing strategies. - Strategic Sourcing Alignment:
Collaborate with Procurement to provide long-range forecasts to critical suppliers (e.g., API and primary packaging manufacturers) to secure future allocations.
Medium-Term Planning (1–6 Months)
- Master Production Scheduling (MPS):
Develop and maintain a rolling master schedule that balances customer service levels with efficient batch campaigning and changeover optimization. - Material Requirements Planning (MRP):
Oversee the MRP process to ensure raw materials, APIs, and packaging components arrive just-in-time to support the MPS, mitigating supply risks. - Inventory Strategy:
Define and maintain planning parameters (safety stock, lot sizes, lead times) in the ERP system to optimize working capital while preventing stockouts.
Short-Term Execution (0–4 Weeks)
- Detailed Shop-Floor Scheduling:
Oversee the translation of the MPS into detailed, sequence-optimized daily shift schedules for dispensing, manufacturing, filling, and packaging lines. - Constraint Management:
Resolve daily disruptions (e.g., QA holds, machine breakdowns, delayed material deliveries) by team guidance on rapidly re-optimizing the schedule. - Cross-Functional Synchronization:
Run daily/weekly tier meetings with Production, Quality Assurance (QA), and Quality Control (QC) to align on batch release schedules, testing prioritization, and raw material clearance.
Leadership & Compliance
- Team Leadership:
Manage, mentor, and develop a team of production schedulers and material planners. - Regulatory Compliance:
Ensure all planning activities and system changes comply with cGMP, regulations, and internal standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Title: Site Planning Manager
Company: Aspen Pharma Group
Location: East London, South Africa
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