Planner

Are You the Person Who Sees Order in the Chaos?

Manufacturing moves fast—and we're looking for a Production Planner who can keep pace. This position is ideal for someone who enjoys analyzing data, solving problems on the production floor, and coordinating across multiple departments to keep production schedules on track. Your work will directly impact productivity, customer satisfaction, and overall operational success.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Production Planner is responsible for planning, scheduling, and monitoring production activities to ensure the timely completion of customer and manufacturing work orders in a high-volume manufacturing environment. This role works closely with Production Supervisors, Team Leads, Inventory Control, Warehouse personnel, Purchasing, and Manufacturing Associates to maintain accurate inventory levels, identify and resolve material shortages, and ensure production schedules are executed efficiently.

The Production Planner serves as a key liaison between the production floor and supporting departments, proactively addressing work order discrepancies, inventory variances, and scheduling conflicts to minimize downtime and maximize operational performance.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Develop, maintain, and execute daily and weekly production schedules to meet customer demand and business objectives.

• Release, prioritize, and monitor work orders to ensure on-time completion.

• Coordinate production schedules with manufacturing capacity, labor availability, and material constraints.

• Investigate and resolve work order discrepancies, including incorrect material consumption, missing transactions, and production reporting errors.

• Track and report schedule attainment, work order completion rates, and production performance metrics.

• Maintain appropriate inventory levels to support production while minimizing excess inventory

• Manage outside processing vendors, ensuring on time completion of purchase orders.

• Maintain a strong presence on the production floor to ensure production priorities are clearly understood and executed.

• Collaborate daily with supervisors, team leads, and associates to identify and resolve issues impacting production schedules.

• Work closely with Inventory Control, Purchasing, and Warehouse teams to ensure material availability.

• Participate in lean manufacturing, inventory reduction, and productivity improvement initiatives.

• Assist in developing and implementing standard operating procedures related to planning and inventory processes.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Associate degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, or a related field preferred.

• Equivalent combination of education and relevant manufacturing planning experience may be considered.

• 3–5 years of production planning, scheduling, inventory control, or supply chain experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment preferred.

• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems and Microsoft Excel.

• Excellent organizational and time management abilities.

• Experience supporting fast-paced manufacturing operations with multiple product lines preferred.

• Strong sense of urgency and commitment to meeting production and customer requirements.

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively across all organizational levels.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

These physical demands are representative of the requirements necessary for an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.  Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the described essential functions.

While performing the responsibilities of the Production Planner job, the associate is required to talk and hear.  The associate is often required to sit and use his or her hands and fingers to handle or feel.  The associate is required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.  Close vision is required for this job. Lifting up to 45lbs may be required at times.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

While performing the responsibilities of the job, the associate is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts and vehicles.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.