Manager – Yard & Port Operations Planning

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

A leading heavy industrial manufacturing and logistics operation in Little Rock, Arkansas is in search of a Manager – Yard & Port Operations Planning. This role involves overseeing integrated planning, inventory visibility, dispatch readiness, and operational coordination across yard, rail, truck, barge, and port activities to support a large-scale manufacturing environment.

This position entails plant-based planning and operating-cadence leadership responsibilities, including translating production schedules, inventory flow, customer priorities, and logistics activity into an executable daily and weekly operating plan across Yard, Port, Rail, and Dispatch operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the daily and weekly integrated planning process
• Coordinate daily operational planning meetings
• Manage yard and port capacity planning
• Maintain inventory visibility and location accuracy
• Coordinate planning activities across various teams
• Support dispatch readiness
• Monitor and escalate operational risks
• Forecast manpower, equipment, and operational support requirements
• Utilize KPI dashboards, reporting tools, and operational metrics
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives
• Lead and develop planning personnel
• Support operational documentation and audit-ready controls

Qualifications

The ideal candidate should have:

• 7–10+ years of experience in relevant fields
• 3–5+ years of leadership experience
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations
• Experience with SAP/ERP/WMS systems
• Strong Excel skills and analytical problem-solving abilities
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Strong communication and leadership skills

Preferred Experience

Preference will be given to candidates with experience in:

• Heavy industrial manufacturing environments
• Facility start-ups or logistics ramp-ups
• Experience with shipping documentation
• Knowledge of continuous improvement practices
• Exposure to production planning and S&OP processes

Leadership Profile

The ideal candidate for this role is a highly organized operational planning leader with strong communication, accountability, and coordination skills across various operations.