Job Description
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Job Type
Full-time
Description
ABOUT US
G&H is a world leader in optical designing, testing and manufacturing. As experts in the technology of light, G&H works with customers to provide optical systems, assemblies, and components for demanding applications.
Headquartered in Ilminster Somerset, UK with primary operations in the USA and Europe, G&H is recognized for the breadth of their acousto-optic, electro-optic, crystal-optic, fiber optic, and precision optic products. G&H is recognized as the preferred source for OEMs in the life sciences, industrial, and aerospace and defense industries, with a history of quality and excellence that dates back over seventy-five years.
G&H offers exciting and rewarding opportunities for motivated and talented people to join a team of like-minded, highly skilled colleagues who want to grow and succeed with our company.
Hiring talent to complement and grow our current teams' skills and capabilities is a strategic priority to enable our plans for growth.
Our seven business locations in the United States and four UK-based businesses employ across a broad range of functions including engineering and process, manufacturing, product management, supply chain and customer services, quality assurance, continuous improvement, compliance and finance.
THE ROLE
We are seeking a Sr. Production Planner to partner closely with Operations to build and maintain a realistic, executable production plan that supports customer delivery, improves throughput, and stabilizes day-to-day operations for a high mix/ low volume product environment with MOQ assessments and policy setting.
This role is responsible for translating demand into actionable production schedules, aligning with manufacturing capacity and material availability, and ensuring clear visibility to priorities across the shop floor.
The ideal candidate is hands-on, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced manufacturing environment where planning discipline is being strengthened and built.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Production Planning & Scheduling
Analyze production schedules and sales orders to determine material requirements, aligned to demand and capacity.
Sequence work orders to optimize throughput, minimize bottlenecks, and support on-time delivery.
Continuously adjust plans based on changing priorities, constraints, and shop floor realities.
Operations Partnership
Partner closely with manufacturing leaders, supervisors, and floor teams to ensure schedules are understood, realistic, and executed.
Participate in daily production meetings, providing clear visibility to priorities, risks, and changes.
Drive alignment between planning and execution, ensuring accountability to the production plan.
Material & Capacity Coordination
Collaborate with Supply Chain and Procurement to ensure material availability aligns with production schedules.
Identify constraints related to labor, equipment, or materials and escalate risks proactively.
Support capacity planning by providing input on workload, constraints, and resource requirements.
Work Order Management
Release, track, and manage work orders within the ERP system.
Monitor work-in-progress (WIP) to ensure flow through the manufacturing process.
Ensure accurate data entry and system updates to maintain planning integrity.
INVENTORY CONTROL
Maintain optimal stock levels to balance cost-efficiency with production needs, avoiding excess inventory.
SUPPLY CHAIN COORDINATION
Initiate and track purchase orders (POs) and maintain supplier relationships to ensure on-time delivery.
Data Management:?Maintain accuracy of BOMs (Bill of Materials) and ERP systems.
Cross-Functional Teamwork:?Collaborate with manufacturing, logistics, and procurement to resolve shortages and scheduling changes
PERFORMANCE MONITORING & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Track key planning and production metrics, including schedule adherence, on-time delivery, and cycle time.
Identify gaps between plan and actual performance and drive corrective actions with Operations.
Support initiatives to improve planning processes, scheduling accuracy, and production flow.
Communication & Visibility
Provide clear, consistent communication on production priorities, schedule changes, and risks.
Maintain planning boards, reports, or dashboards to ensure visibility across teams.
Act as a central coordination point between Operations, Supply Chain, and Customer-facing teams.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Schedule Adherence / Plan Attainment
On-Time Delivery (OTD)
Work Order Cycle Time / Throughput
Backlog Management & Prioritization Accuracy
WIP Levels and Flow Efficiency
Production Downtime Related to Planning Gaps
Inventory Turns
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
10+ years of experience in production planning, scheduling, or manufacturing operations.
Experience in high-mix, low-to-medium volume manufacturing preferred (optics, aerospace, medical, or similar).
Familiarity with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or similar).
Strong understanding of production processes, capacity constraints, and material flow.
SKILLS & COMPETENCIES
Strong organizational and prioritization skills in a dynamic environment.
Detail-oriented with high level of accuracy in planning and data management.
Ability to translate demand into clear, executable production plans.
Strong problem-solving skills with a proactive approach to identifying and resolving issues.
Effective communication skills with the ability to work cross-functionally.
Comfortable working on the shop floor and engaging directly with operations teams.
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
Hands-on and action-oriented; willing to engage directly with the business.
Resilient and adaptable in a changing environment.
Strong sense of ownership and accountability.
Collaborative, with the ability to build trust across teams.
Calm under pressure and able to manage competing priorities.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
This job description is not intended to be exhaustive in every respect, but rather to clearly define the fundamental purpose, responsibilities and dimensions for the role. Therefore, this job description does not describe any individual role holder. In addition to the contents of this job description, employees are expected to undertake all other reasonable and related tasks allocated by their line manager
The Company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunity or practices on the grounds of gender, race, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by national laws under which the Company operates.
Salary Description
$115,000 - $125,000 annually
Numbers & Facts
| Location | Fremont, CA |
| Industry | Manufacturing - Other |
| Salary | $115,000–$125,000 Per Year |
| Company Size | 500 to 999 employees |
| Year Founded | 1948 |
| Website | https://gandh.com/ |
About Company
G&H was founded G&H in Ilminster, Somerset in 1948. The core skills at the time were centered on manufacturing scientific optical components and crystalline materials. These skills are still very much at the cornerstone of the current operations at Ilminster with global sales of acousto-optics, crystal optics and precision optics. The company now works as a supply chain partner in aerospace & defence, industrial, life science and scientific research sectors providing systems and components based on a broad range of photonic technologies.
From its origins as a craft-based optical engineering company rich in practical optical manufacturing skills, G&H has undergone a transformation over the last twenty years into a high-technology photonics business through an acquisition policy of the best-in-breed companies in individual technology areas . The company now has manufacturing sites in the US in California, New Hampshire, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Virginia, in addition to its three UK facilities located in Ashford, Ilminster, Glenrothes, St Asaph, and Torquay, and Shanghai, China.
In 1997 G&H was admitted to the alternative investment market (AIM) on the London Stock Exchange. Today the company comprises eight manufacturing sites, with sales offices in France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore with additional representation by a global network of distributors.
We have three core business:
AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE, INDUSTRIAL & TELECOM, LIFE SCIENCES, AND BIOPHOTONICS with our expertise centering on the four technologies:
ACOUSTO-OPTICS - Vertically integrated acousto-optics (AO) manufacturing begins with the growth of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) and tellurium dioxide (TeO2) crystals used in AO devices. We orientate, cut, shape and polish crystals before they can be coated. Transducers are wire bonded and devices are packaged. We design drivers suitable for each product range.
ELECTRO-OPTICS - Our electro-optics (EO) manufacturing is also integrated. We grow our own crystal: Beta barium borate (BBO), Cadmium sulfide (CdS), Cadmium selenide (CdSe), Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP), Potassium dideuterium phosphate (KD*P) and Tellurium dioxide (TeO2). Each material has different optical properties and we design and manufacture EO Pockel cells for a range of applications based on these. We also design and manufacture drivers to control and optimize Pockel cell performance for advanced laser systems.
FIBER OPTICS - We are renowned for our active and passive components and photonic modules. We are able to provide high performance space- and Telcordia-qualified products for use in all-fiber systems. Our expertise encompasses challenging areas such as manufacturing HI-REL fused components for under-sea and space deployment, working with challenging materials such as PCF or chalcogenide, and designing and testing low SWaP modules for use in rugged environments.
PRECISION OPTICS - We design and manufacture precision optics components and assemblies that few other companies can. Our planar, aspheric, prism and waveplate products are globally acclaimed. G&H precision PO capabilities cover a wide range of specialized manufacturing techniques from crystal growth, polishing including superpolishing, single point diamond turning, magneto optical finishing (MTF), segmented waveplates, anti-reflection, high reflection, and high laser damage threshold (HLDT) coatings, and adhesive free bonding. Furthermore aerospace and defense prime contractors rely on G&H to design and manufacture complex opto-mechanical assemblies.
