Production Planner

Job Description

Who We Are

TRAK TECOM is a U.S. based company providing advanced solutions for mission-critical integrated microwave electronics and antenna systems used for Radar, Electronic Warfare, Satcom, and Missile Systems for the defense and aerospace markets.

We partner with top tier defense contractors to develop bespoke designs for challenging requirements as well as supporting build-to-spec programs that strengthen our military’s missions. We also manufacture off-the-shelf products used for many applications in the defense and commercial space. Our proven engineering expertise and commitment to precision ensure every solution meets the highest standards of performance and reliability.

The Production Planner is responsible for developing and maintaining executable production schedules within a high-mix, low-volume aerospace and defense manufacturing environment. The position coordinates customer demand, material availability, and manufacturing capacity to support production readiness and on-time delivery. Working closely with Operations, Procurement, Program Management, Engineering, and Quality, the Planner proactively identifies constraints, resolves scheduling issues, and maintains accurate planning data within the company's ERP/MRP system.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

1. Production Planning & Scheduling

• Develop, maintain, and communicate production schedules aligned with customer requirements, material availability, and manufacturing capacity.
• Create, release, maintain, and reschedule manufacturing work orders within the ERP/MRP system.
• Translate firm customer orders, forecasts, and approved production requirements into executable manufacturing schedules.
• Manage multiple part numbers, programs, and manufacturing routings with varying production quantities, lead times, and resource requirements.
• Monitor production progress against established schedules and coordinate corrective actions to address deviations.
• Evaluate schedule impacts resulting from changes in customer demand, engineering requirements, material availability, and manufacturing priorities.
• Coordinate with Operations to establish achievable production sequencing and work order priorities.
• Escalate conflicting priorities, capacity constraints, and delivery risks to the Planning & Scheduling Manager.

2. Material Planning & Production Readiness

• Review material requirements, inventory availability, and supply-demand conditions to support planned production activities.
• Utilize ERP/MRP tools to identify material shortages, timing discrepancies, and requirements affecting production execution.
• Coordinate with Procurement to communicate material requirements, shortage priorities, and required delivery dates.
• Initiate and maintain material requisitions as required by established procedures.
• Verify material readiness and coordinate resolution of constraints before scheduled manufacturing activities.
• Monitor material availability and identify potential schedule impacts resulting from supplier delays, quality holds, or inventory discrepancies.
• Support inventory accuracy, material disposition activities, and identification of excess or obsolete inventory.

3. Capacity & Resource Coordination

• Evaluate scheduled production requirements against available manufacturing resources and established capacity assumptions.
• Identify potential constraints involving labor, equipment, shared manufacturing processes, testing, and inspection resources.
• Coordinate with Operations to assess schedule feasibility and resource availability.
• Provide accurate demand and scheduling inputs to support capacity planning and workload analysis.
• Identify opportunities for production schedule adjustments, workload balancing, and improved resource utilization.
• Communicate projected capacity conflicts and recommend scheduling alternatives for management consideration.
• Support planning activities associated with new program introductions, changing demand, and production ramps.

4. Cross-Functional Coordination & Issue Resolution

• Serve as a primary planning interface between Operations, Procurement, Program Management, Engineering, Quality, and Contracts.
• Participate in production and scheduling meetings to communicate priorities, constraints, and recovery requirements.
• Proactively identify and communicate risks affecting manufacturing execution or customer delivery commitments.
• Coordinate schedule recovery activities with responsible functional teams.
• Evaluate planning impacts resulting from engineering changes, quality holds, nonconforming material, and manufacturing delays.
• Support Material Review Board (MRB) activities as required, including coordination of material disposition and associated schedule adjustments.
• Escalate unresolved issues requiring cross-functional management intervention.

5. ERP/MRP Data Integrity

• Maintain accurate production planning information within the ERP/MRP system, including work orders, quantities, required dates, and schedule changes.
• Review and maintain assigned planning data to support reliable material requirements and production schedules.
• Identify and resolve discrepancies involving customer demand, inventory, work orders, and manufacturing requirements.
• Monitor planning exceptions and take appropriate corrective action or escalate as required.
• Support accurate reporting of production status, material shortages, and schedule performance.
• Follow established planning procedures and maintain appropriate documentation and transaction accuracy.

6. Delivery Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor assigned production schedules to identify risks affecting on-time customer delivery.
• Proactively communicate schedule delays and support development of recovery plans.
• Support planning-related performance measures, including schedule adherence, production readiness, material availability, and on-time delivery.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning accuracy, production flow, and work order execution.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing schedule disruptions, improving ERP data integrity, and strengthening cross-functional coordination.
• Support compliance with applicable quality management system requirements, company procedures, and customer contractual obligations.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Strong understanding of production planning, manufacturing scheduling, and material requirements planning (MRP).
• Working knowledge of multi-level bills of material (BOMs), manufacturing routings, work orders, inventory management, and production lead times.
• Ability to interpret customer demand, material availability, manufacturing schedules, and resource requirements.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and changing production requirements in a dynamic manufacturing environment.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently within established procedures while collaborating across functional departments.
• Ability to identify production risks, recommend corrective actions, and escalate issues appropriately.
• Familiarity with AS9100 quality management requirements preferred.

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of experience in production planning, manufacturing scheduling, materials planning, or related supply chain functions. Experience using ERP/MRP systems required.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business or related field or an additional 3-5 years of experience required.

Security: U.S. citizenship required. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a government security clearance.