Production Planner

Business Unit Overview :

Headquartered in Lakeville, Minn., Post Consumer Brands, a business unit of Post Holdings, Inc., is dedicated to providing people and their pets with delicious food choices for every taste and budget. The companys portfolio includes beloved brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats, PEBBLES, Grape-Nuts and Malt-O-Meal cereal, and Peter Pan peanut butter, as well as Rachael Ray Nutrish, Kibbles n Bits and 9Lives dog and cat food. As a company committed to high standards of quality and to our values, we are driven by one idea : To make lives better by making delicious food accessible for all. For more information about our brands, visit www.postconsumerbrands.com and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news.

Brand :

Post Consumer Brands recently acquired several iconic pet food brands, venturing into a new market while remaining true to our purpose to provide delicious and accessible food that our consumers love. Were always searching the center store for the next exciting product to add to our portfolio, and right now, were growing and need passionate, driven individuals with diverse perspectives to help us reach greater heights. Thats where you come in. Join a team where your voice is not only heard but valued. Make a real impact on brands enjoyed by millions of people and their pets.

At Post Consumer Brands, we take pride in our longstanding legacy of making one of every five breakfast cereals families eat daily. Today, were just as focused on our future as we expand our grocery business with different shelf-stable foods, including snacks and peanut butter. We are committed to providing accessible and delicious food for families, and were always searching the center store for the next exciting product to add to our portfolio. As we soar to new heights, we need creative, determined individuals from all walks of life to join our team, where your unique perspective and ideas are acknowledged and valued. Be a part of a company that empowers you to make a difference thats evident on grocery store shelves and families tables across North America.

Location Description :

Post Consumer Brands in Battle Creek, Mich., the cereal capital of the U.S., is the company's largest manufacturing plant and home to about 600 team members. When you join the team here, you'll be helping to produce some of the most iconic cereal brands, including Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, PEBBLES cereal, Grape-Nuts and Honeycomb cereal. The Battle Creek plant is also unique as it is home to the original barn where C.W. Post started the Postum cereal company in 1895. The Battle Creek team has deep community roots, supporting the city's Cereal Festival, local elementary schools, and hosting several on-site volunteer events throughout the year.

Responsibilities : OVERVIEW :

The Production Planner is accountable for the establishment and the management of the production schedules for the entire sites including lines, flavor types, display pallets, and co-manufactured products within their portfolio. This includes the creation of production schedules that balance the competing needs of customer service levels, manufacturing efficiencies, and proper lead times while maintaining inventory levels within the range set forth through the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process. Primary responsibilities of the Production Planner are to prepare, plan, issue and control production schedules to meet ongoing and promotional demand. It is important to follow the standard processes, leverage technology and improve best practices to positively impact results. Support, implement, and maintain food safety and quality practices as required through SQF. Other key functions the position works with :

Customer Solutions to maintain service level targets on customer orders

Master Supply Planning to understand and implement the supply plans, to coordinate flavor type changes, and to problem solve and prioritize as needed to maximize customer service levels

Demand Planning to increase service levels through refinement and understanding of the demand signal

Transportation - to coordinate loads to Co-Manufacturers, ensure availability when needed, minimize excess product movement, and schedule direct plant shipments

Finance to track and reconcile purchase orders with Co-Manufacturer invoices

Material Planning - to assure production schedules and modifications are compatible with ingredient and packaging lead times and availability

Operations to create schedules as efficiently as possible for processing and packaging given current demand requirements, labor plans, promotions and service levels

Warehouse to execute build schedules for display pallets

Other Production Planners to coordinate production plans across networks, and to confirm and increase availability of required finished good and semi-finished good items

Co-Manufacturers to coordinate production schedules and requirements across businesses

Qualifications :

Responsibilities and Accountabilities :

Develop and implement appropriate production strategies and best practices for a complex and evolving set of SKUs across production sites, lines, flavor types, and promotions

Create and maintain long-term and daily production schedules that meet target customer service levels, are operationally efficient, maintain flexibility, and reduce risk of excess inventory

Responsively adjust production schedules to meet changing demands within the guidelines of lead times, labor planning, packaging and ingredient availability, production lock windows, and stated planning timelines

Communicate at multiple levels both inside and outside the organization to discuss causes and impacts of schedule changes, compare capacity and demand, and escalate risks for awareness and mitigation

Use Short Interval Controls on Key Performance Indicators to identify issues and make appropriate revisions within the production schedule. Escalate as needed for root cause analysis or cross-functional problem solving to pursue opportunities and resolve recurring issues

Align weekly and daily production schedules with the S&OP supply and network plans

Integrate with operations, warehousing and Co-Manufacturers to achieve operations efficiency through proper production sequencing and understanding of operational limitations

Demonstrate continuous improvement in the schedule sequencing, routing, labor planning, communication and / or the scheduling process

Provide recommendations to improve service and reduce costs through process improvements

Provide cross-functional leadership and expertise within the assigned production sites, lines and flavor types

EDUCATION :

Bachelor degree in Supply Chain, Business, Accounting or related field is preferred

Integrated planning systems training like ERP / DRP / MPS / MRP / CRP is required

Professional certification from APICS and / or ISM is desirable

EXPERIENCE :

Would prefer a minimum of 5 years of combined related experience operating in areas of inventory control, production scheduling, master planning, demand management, capacity management, materials management, or distribution resource planning; with preference in food processing / packaging

Strong knowledge of manufacturing systems and processes

Able to build relationships

Post Holdings provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, status as a covered veteran and any other category protected under applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws.