Production Planner

Production Planner

Chesapeake Search Partners is partnering with a leading manufacturing and fabrication company to identify a detail-oriented Production Planner to support production operations and ensure customer orders are delivered on time. This individual will be responsible for developing and maintaining production schedules, balancing capacity, coordinating material availability, and working cross-functionally with production, purchasing, engineering, and shipping teams to maximize efficiency.

The ideal candidate has experience in a manufacturing or metal fabrication environment, possesses strong analytical skills, and thrives in a fast-paced operation where priorities can shift quickly.
Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and adjust daily and weekly production schedules to meet customer demand and delivery commitments.
• Coordinate with Production, Purchasing, Engineering, and Sales to ensure materials, labor, and equipment are available to support production schedules.
• Monitor work orders through the production process and proactively address scheduling conflicts or production bottlenecks.
• Balance production capacity across multiple work centers while maximizing equipment utilization and labor efficiency.
• Analyze production data, lead times, and inventory levels to improve scheduling accuracy and overall operational performance.
• Release and prioritize manufacturing work orders within the ERP/MRP system.
• Communicate schedule changes and production priorities to department leaders and key stakeholders.
• Work closely with Purchasing to ensure raw materials and components arrive in time to support production.
• Track key performance indicators (KPIs) including on-time delivery, schedule attainment, inventory levels, and production efficiency.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives focused on workflow optimization, waste reduction, and throughput improvements.
• Support inventory management, cycle counts, and production planning activities as needed.
• Assist in developing standard operating procedures for planning and scheduling processes.

Qualifications

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Manufacturing, Business, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• 3+ years of production planning, scheduling, or manufacturing operations experience.
• Experience within a manufacturing, fabrication, machining, or industrial production environment.
• Strong understanding of production workflows, capacity planning, inventory management, and MRP/ERP systems.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and production reporting tools.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate across multiple departments.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining a high level of accuracy.