Production/Demand Planner

The Production Planner is responsible for developing, coordinating, and maintaining production schedules to ensure efficient manufacturing operations in a fast-paced food production environment . This role plays a critical part in balancing customer demand with production capacity, optimizing material availability, and maintaining product quality and compliance with food safety standards. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, analytical, and experienced in food manufacturing or consumer packaged goods (CPG) production environments. Key Responsibilities MUST Have Food Industry Experience Create, manage, and adjust daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules to meet customer demand and operational goals. Coordinate closely with procurement, operations, quality assurance, maintenance, and logistics teams to ensure smooth production flow. Monitor inventory levels of raw materials, packaging, and finished goods to prevent shortages or overproduction. Analyze capacity, labor, and equipment utilization to optimize production efficiency. Communicate production priorities, changes, and requirements to supervisors and production staff. Track production progress against plan and identify potential bottlenecks or delays. Support continuous improvement initiatives to streamline planning processes and reduce waste. Maintain accurate ERP/MRP data related to work orders, bills of materials, and production schedules. Collaborate with Quality and Food Safety departments to ensure compliance with FDA, SQF, HACCP , and GMP standards. Prepare production reports, forecasts, and performance metrics for management review. Qualifications Education: Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Business Administration, or related field (or equivalent experience). Experience: 3 5 years of production planning experience in the food manufacturing or CPG industry. Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, inventory control, and material requirements planning (MRP) . Experience using ERP systems (such as SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, or Microsoft Dynamics). Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and time-management skills. Strong written and verbal communication abilities. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other planning tools . Preferred Skills Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma principles. Experience in perishable goods scheduling and short shelf-life production environments . Ability to interpret production metrics and identify opportunities for process optimization. Demonstrated teamwork and leadership skills in cross-functional settings. What We Offer Competitive salary based on experience. Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) . Paid time off and holidays. Stable, growth-oriented company with opportunities for career advancement. Positive, collaborative work environment focused on quality and innovation in food production. Job Type: Full-time Health insurance Vision insurance Production/Demand Planner • Chicago, IL, United States #J-18808-Ljbffr