Production Project Planner
Divergent · Long Beach, Torrance · $94,610–$130,090 (stated in the posting)
Divergent is building the new industrial age. Every day, our teams design, manufacture, and assemble advanced systems for some of the world’s most demanding industries. Our integrated engineering and manufacturing platform transforms complex designs into production-ready solutions, helping customers move faster, build smarter, and deliver critical systems when they matter most. Divergent is a qualified Tier 1 supplier to global automotive OEMs and supports leading U.S. aerospace and defense companies.
Join us and help push the boundaries of what can be built.
Purpose
The Production Project Planner works closely with Program Managers (PMs), engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams to build and maintain program schedules from the proposal stage through part release and delivery. The role ensures that design, release, and supply-chain activities are synchronized to achieve program success.
As Divergent scales across multiple material systems and multiple factories, this role also builds the planning processes that make that scale repeatable. The Production Project Planner develops and documents standard approaches for planning programs that span more than one material technology and more than one production site — including the inter-factory logistics, material movement, and hand-off points that connect them.
The ideal candidate is self-motivated, detail-oriented, hands-on, and able to respond quickly in a fast-moving environment. We value leadership skills and those who conduct all activities with the highest integrity.
The Role
- Partner with PMO and engineering during the proposal phase to develop detailed schedules (including design and release milestones). Continuously update the schedule as design progresses and communicate changes to all stakeholders.
- Monitor real-time progress against the schedule, flag variances, and work with engineering leads to implement corrective actions that keep part release on-time.
- Build and maintain multi-material program plans that account for the differing lead times, qualification paths, and process maturity of each material system, and sequence work so that the governing material constraint drives the schedule rather than surprising it late.
- Develop the planning processes for programs that build across multiple factories — defining how scope is allocated between sites, how schedules stay synchronized, and how capacity, tooling, and material are balanced across the network.
- Plan the inter-factory logistics that connect multi-site programs, including material and sub-assembly movement, transit and customs lead times, packaging and containerization needs, and buffer and inventory placement between sites. Partner with logistics and supply chain to build these into the program schedule rather than treating them as downstream assumptions.
- Define and document the hand-off points and data requirements between sites and material streams (routings, work-center definitions, traveler and revision control) so that a part released at one factory can be planned and built at another without rework.
- Maintain and/or collaborate with data teams for the development of tools necessary to professionally report out on status and health of relevant programs, including visibility that rolls up across materials, sites, and logistics lanes.
- Participate in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) meetings to ensure demand, supply, and production plans are synchronized across sales, engineering, and manufacturing — and across sites as the factory network grows.
- Identify gaps in the scheduling or supply-chain processes, propose enhancements, and apply lessons-learned to future programs. Codify what works into repeatable, documented planning standards that scale to new materials, new factories, and new programs.
- Other duties as required to achieve 99% on-time delivery.
Basic Qualifications
- Ability to lawfully access information and technology that is subject to US export controls
- A proven, progressing track record in planning, operations, manufacturing, supply chain management, or consulting
- Experience building and maintaining integrated program schedules with defined milestones, dependencies, and critical path
- Exposure to planning or coordinating work across more than one production site, process, or material system, including the movement of material between them
- Experience using Microsoft Office
- Solid interpersonal skills, motivated self-starter who can manage personal workload and execution to tight schedule
Preferred Qualifications
- Demonstrated experience in a start-up, consulting, or similar high-growth, fast-paced, rapidly changing environment
- Direct experience planning multi-site or multi-factory manufacturing programs, including inter-site logistics, transit and customs lead times, and buffer strategy
- Experience across more than one manufacturing process family (for example additive, casting, machining, composites, extrusion, or joining) and an understanding of how their lead times and qualification paths differ
- Experience writing, rolling out, and driving adoption of new planning or supply-chain processes and work instructions — not only executing existing ones
- Familiarity with ERP/MRP systems and project scheduling tools (for example Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera)
- Collaborated successfully in a team environment to ensure cross-functional requirements are met
- Advanced Excel skills; comfort with data and visualization tools (SQL, Power BI, Tableau) a plus
- Strong communication (verbal and written) and organizational skills
Work Environment
This role is based on-site and works across the engineering, production, and warehouse areas of the facility, with periodic travel to other Divergent sites and to supplier or logistics partner locations as the factory network expands. The environment is fast-paced and cross-functional, with regular exposure to an active manufacturing floor where personal protective equipment is required.
Divergent is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. Our positions adhere to all statutory and regulatory requirements. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.
Compensation
At Divergent, our pay range is based on the level of the job. For this role, we will consider candidates at levels Specialist 4 & Senior Specialist as evaluated through our interview process.
- Specialist 4 / S04 description: $94,610 - $130,090
- Sr. Specialist / S05 description: $109,240 - $150,210
What We Offer:
- Holistic Compensation Package: Enjoy a world-class compensation package that includes a competitive salary, equity plan, and discretionary results-based incentive bonus opportunities, ensuring you're truly valued for your contributions.
- Wellness and Time Off: Embrace a healthy lifestyle with paid vacation, sick time, and company holidays, including a year-end shutdown to recharge. We support growing families with paid parental leave, recognizing the importance of bonding time.
- Comprehensive Health and Wellness: Prioritize your well-being with our comprehensive health and wellness benefits, offering both HMO and Premium PPO options. Additionally, benefit from company-sponsored life insurance and short and long-term disability coverage for peace of mind.
- Investment in Growth: We're committed to your professional development. Take advantage of reimbursement opportunities for learning and development initiatives, empowering you to continuously expand your skill set and reach peak performance.
- Collaborative and High-Performing Environment: Join our collaborative, dynamic, and high-performing team within a fast-paced, mission-driven company. Together, we're disrupting the traditional manufacturing industry, fostering innovation, and integrating people and technology to reduce our footprint.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Divergent is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected characteristic. Divergent provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.
EEO Poster
In order to adjust to changes in our business, it may become necessary to add, remove or modify certain duties and responsibilities, or to reassign you to another job position. From time to time you may be asked to work on special projects or to assist with other work. Your cooperation and assistance in performing such additional work is expected.
E-Verify: Right to Work
Our company participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is a program that electronically confirms a candidate’s eligibility to work in the United States after completing the Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9). The information provided on the Form I-9 is compared to the records contained in the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) databases. This helps employers verify the identity and employment eligibility of newly hired employees.
Eligibility to Work Poster (English) | Eligibility to Work Poster (Spanish)
Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO)
Pursuant to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO), we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
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