Production Planner

Core Responsibilities:

Production Planning & Scheduling

• Develop, maintain, and optimize daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules to meet customer demands and business goals.
• Balance machine loading, labor availability, and material flow to maximize on-time delivery and resource utilization.
• Lead daily planning meetings to proactively identify scheduling issues, align department efforts, and ensure customer quality standards are met.
• Monitor work-in-progress (WIP), adjust schedules as needed to prevent bottlenecks, and minimize downtime.
• Issue daily schedules and work orders to all manufacturing work centers and supervisors.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Collaborate closely with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Sales, and Customer Service teams to align schedules, manage lead times, and communicate changes.
• Coordinate engineering change notices, deviations, and rework with shop floor and Quality teams.
• Work with Sales and Customer Service to manage order priorities, expedite requests, and provide scheduling updates.

Capacity & Demand Management

• Analyze demand forecasts, customer orders, and inventory levels to develop optimized production plans.
• Identify capacity constraints and recommend solutions such as overtime, additional shifts, or resource reallocation.
• Ensure raw materials, tooling, and components are available ahead of production needs to avoid delays.

Process Improvement & Systems Utilization

• Utilize ERP/MRP systems (currently JobBoss) for planning, scheduling, and real-time tracking of production progress.
• Continuously evaluate and refine scheduling methodologies to enhance efficiency and reduce waste.
• Track key performance metrics (e.g., on-time delivery, utilization, schedule adherence) and implement data-driven improvements.

Qualifications:

Desired Hard Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in operations management or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in a planning scheduling role in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrate proficiency in ERP/MRP systems (JobBoss Preferred).

Desired Soft Skills:

• Strong organization, planning, and time management skills with the ability to prioritize tasks effectively and meet deadlines.
• Highly detail-oriented with a proactive approach to problem-solving and decision-making in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong collaborative mindset, able to work effectively with cross-functional teams while also demonstrating independent initiative when required.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, ensuring clear and concise coordination across departments.
• Ability to lead and participate in efficient, results-driven meetings that maximize productivity.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Teams.