Manufacturing Planning Lead

Role:-Lead Manufacturing Planner

Located at:-Ather Hosur Factory

Reporting To:-Head - Central Planning

Team Name:-Manufacturing Planning Division (Central Planning)

About the Team and the Role:

The Manufacturing Planning Team, under Central Planning at Ather is responsible for synchronising

corporate strategy, factory execution, and Complex Value Chain across all the Products & Services of the

company. The team translates high-level OKRs into actionable production schedules and rigorous ERP

governance, they apply DevOps principles to the physical manufacturing environment, ensuring that

engineering changes and new product iterations move from design freeze to mass production with

continuous delivery precision. They look at meeting the Demand through a sophisticated Sales and

Operations Planning (S&OP) lens, balancing complex material requirements with high-volume

production targets, leveraging financial modeling to optimize inventory velocity and achieve the target

Market Share.

Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & OKR Ownership: Define and track high-level manufacturing OKRs using Jira

and SAP. You'll align departmental goals with corporate strategy to ensure every team has

measurable targets.

Production Synchronization: Synchronize high-volume production schedules with complex

material requirements, bridging the gap between central strategy and shop-floor execution.

WCM & Lean Transformation: Implement World Class Manufacturing pillars (JIT, Kanban,

Heijunka) to reduce WIP and total manufacturing lead times while driving world-class OEE.

ERP Governance: Act as the functional lead for SAP S/4HANA (PP/ MM/ FICO), ensuring 100%

data integrity for BOMs, routings, and material masters.

Cross-functional Integration: Facilitate DevOps-style integration between R&D and the shop

floor to ensure new product iterations move from design freeze to mass production with

continuous delivery precision.

Cost Leadership: Leverage Should-Costing and Zero-Based Costing (ZBC) to drive aggressive

cost-reduction programs and model ROI for automation improvements.

Experience and Qualifications

Experience: 12 - 15 years in the Automobile, Manufacturing, or Heavy Engineering sectors.

Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering; MBA from a Tier 1 institution is a significant plus.

Must have competencies

Execution Excellence: Ability to achieve >95% Production Schedule Adherence (PSA) and >85%

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Technical Proficiency: Advanced knowledge of SAP S/4HANA (specifically PP, MM, and FICO

modules) and Jira for project tracking.

Lean Mastery: Deep expertise in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma to identify bottlenecks and

mitigate 3M (Muda, Mura, Muri) risks etc.

Change Management: Experience participating in Change Implementation Boards (CIB) to

manage engineering changes without disrupting production flow.

Analytical Acumen: Ability to develop supplier scorecards and automated feedback loops to

ensure Right First Time (RFT) delivery.

Good to have competencies

Consulting Background: A prior stint in Management Consulting (Operations/Supply Chain) is

highly desirable for driving structured transformation.

Methodology Mastery: Deep understanding of World Class Manufacturing (WCM) and the

application of DevOps workflows (CI/CD) to hardware and industrial software lifecycles.

Financial Acumen: Expert proficiency in financial modelling, Should Costing, and Zero-Based

Costing (ZBC).

Want to know more

At Ather, we've built India's first intelligent scooter, from scratch. Based on the philosophy of clean

design and smart technology, we are transforming the urban commute experience. We are expanding in

India, and in the coming years, we look forward to scaling up and launching more products globally.

Today, our product offerings include the Ather 450X, 450S, 450 Apex, and Rizta. Beyond the product, we

are also setting up an extensive charging network and re-imagining end-to-end ownership experience. To

know more, check out our Careers site and our Substack.

Be You, With Us.

The Ather story doesn't write itself - our people do. We believe everyone is equal, but not the same.

Diversity is our strength, and building an inclusive and equitable workplace begins with acknowledging

and embracing our differences. We are an equal opportunity employer, and our team reflects a wide

range of identities, experiences, and perspectives - all united by a shared passion to shape the Ather

journey.