Merck KGaA Posted October 8, 2026

Sr. Production Planning Manager

Bangalore, Karnataka, India FULL_TIME
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Merck KGaA is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Work Your Magic with us!

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

Your Role:

This role is responsible for the end-to-end production planning process at the Jigani manufacturing site. The Production Planning Manager translates demand signals and customer orders into executable manufacturing schedules, coordinates material availability and capacity utilization, and maintains cross-functional alignment across Supply Chain, Production, Procurement, Warehouse, Quality, Engineering, Logistics, and Customer Service to support on-time delivery and inventory performance targets.

Key Accountability Area

1.  Master Production Scheduling & Material Planning

•    Develop and maintain the weekly rolling Master Production Schedule (MPS) for all SKUs.

•    Run MRP reviews; align procurement plans and supplier lead times to ensure material availability prior to scheduled production.

•    Own SAP PP planning parameters (lot sizing, safety stock, lead times) and master data accuracy (BOM, Routing, Material Master).

•    Manage APO / IBP data flow; ensure data integrity and timely updates.

2.  Capacity Planning & Schedule Adherence

•    Conduct Rough-Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP) to identify bottleneck constraints and support production commitments.

•    Monitor and analyse Schedule Adherence; identify root causes and coordinate corrective actions.

•    Incorporate maintenance shutdown windows and engineering changeovers into the production schedule.

•    Track capacity utilisation (RCCP Loading %) and report to site management.

3.  Supply Review & Cross-functional Planning Alignment

•    Coordinate the monthly supply review process; prepare supply-demand netting, order status, and inventory summary for cross-functional discussion.

•    Track and follow up on actions agreed in supply review meetings; ensure timely closure of open items.

•    Establish NPI planning checkpoints (material confirmation and capacity confirmation) prior to new product introduction.

•    Maintain alignment between supply plan and downstream stakeholders including Trading SC, Warehouse, QC, and Customer Service.

4.  Inventory Strategy & Aging / E&O Management

•    Monitor site inventory health; track aging inventory and Excess & Obsolescence (E&O) status.

•    Define safety stock levels and buffer strategies to balance service level with inventory cost.

•    Coordinate resolution of backlog orders and surplus materials in alignment with relevant stakeholders.

•    Work with Finance to ensure inventory targets are aligned with site financial objectives.

5.  Cross-functional Coordination & Stakeholder Communication

•    Serve as the planning interface between Commercial, Production, Procurement, Warehouse, Quality, and Logistics.

•    Communicate supply risks, capacity constraints, and recovery plans to relevant stakeholders in a timely manner.

•    Support NPI product introductions by confirming material and capacity readiness prior to launch.

•    Participate in cross-functional meetings and provide planning input to support business decisions.

6.  Team Development & Process Improvement

•    Develop the local planning team's capability in system usage (SAP MM/PP/SD, APO/IBP) and planning methodology.

•    Identify and implement process improvements to increase planning accuracy, schedule adherence, and inventory performance.

•    Ensure planning platforms and dashboards are actively maintained and used as decision-support tools.

•    Establish clear accountabilities, issue-tracking practices, and follow-up discipline within the planning team.

Who You Are

•    Education: Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Chemistry, or a related discipline; or equivalent professional experience.

•    Experience: 10 to 15 years in production planning, supply planning, or manufacturing planning within the chemical or life science industries, managing complex, multi-SKU portfolios.

•    MRP / MPS: Strong command of Material Requirements Planning and Master Production Scheduling; proven ability to translate demand plans into executable manufacturing schedules.

•    SAP proficiency: Hands-on experience with SAP ERP / S/4HANA, SAP APO, or SAP IBP; able to manage planning parameters, BOM/Routing validation, and system data independently.

•    Data & analytics: Advanced Microsoft Excel; experience with Power BI or equivalent tools for data visualisation and KPI reporting.

•    Analytical thinking: Ability to analyse demand patterns, model capacity scenarios, and identify root causes of supply or inventory issues using data.

•    Business acumen: Understanding of P&L impact, cash-flow implications of inventory, and customer service priorities; able to connect planning decisions to business outcomes.

•    Capability building: Experience coaching or developing planning teams; able to establish structured ways of working and build team accountability.

•    Cross-functional communication: Clear and effective communicator across functions; able to present supply risks and recovery options to operational and senior management audiences.

•    Continuous improvement: Familiarity with Lean or operational excellence methodologies; track record of improving planning accuracy, schedule adherence, and inventory performance.

Location: Jigani, India

What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!

Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!

Job details

Seniority
Manager
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 652 comparable Manager Manufacturing & CMC roles across 86 biopharma companies.

652Comparable roles tracked
589Currently active
86Companies hiring similar roles
41Countries represented

Salary context

200 of 652 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Warehouse Associate I (M-F 11am-7:30pm) · AbbVie $16/hr – $29/hr (≈ $33,280–$60,320/yr)
Highest disclosed · Regional Manager - Megasys · Merck KGaA $220,000/yr – $250,000/yr
Peer group range $46,800 – $235,000 (median $156,695)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 652 comparable roles

United States371
India56
Ireland22
Japan21
United Kingdom20
Netherlands20

+ 35 more countries

Seniority mix

652 of 652 peers have a known seniority level

Manager373
Associate165
Associate Director114

Therapeutic area mix

9 of 652 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease5
Rare Disease3
Immunology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
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60%similar
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Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Manufacturing & CMC job in India, and choose locations and companies.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.