Production Planner

Job Title: Production Planner
Job Description
The Production Planner develops and maintains efficient production schedules, coordinates material availability, and supports continuous improvement initiatives to ensure on-time delivery and optimal use of manufacturing resources. This role works closely with factory planners, shop floor teams, and customer-facing functions to align production plans with customer demand and the monthly build plan.
Responsibilities

• Establish daily and weekly production schedules using established planning tools to support the monthly build plan.
• Create, review, and release work orders to shop floor cells and the warehouse in alignment with the sequenced production schedule.
• Coordinate with other factory planners to sequence work on shared assets and minimize bottlenecks or downtime.
• Monitor inventory levels, parts deliveries, and parts shortages for all planned orders within the value stream.
• Manage raw material purchasing and coordinate deliveries to support uninterrupted production.
• Respond promptly and professionally to customer service and sales inquiries, including changes to customer orders.
• Attend assigned production tier meetings and provide planning support to operators and value stream teams.
• Support the site's transformation plan by identifying and pursuing continuous improvement initiatives across material and information flow systems and processes.
• Utilize Lean Manufacturing tools and other available methodologies to drive process improvements and enhance efficiency.
• Maintain accurate planning data in enterprise systems and ensure effective communication of schedule changes to relevant stakeholders.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor's degree or 5 years of related manufacturing experience.
• Hands-on experience in production planning, production scheduling, or related manufacturing planning functions.
• Knowledge and experience with Lean principles and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to influence people and drive alignment without direct authority.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple, simultaneous tasks under pressure.
• Advanced experience with Microsoft Excel and strong overall computer proficiency.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with SAP or JD Edwards (JDE) enterprise systems.
• Certifications such as Six Sigma, CPIM, or CPM.
• Experience working with material and information flow systems.
• Background supporting continuous improvement or transformation initiatives using Lean Manufacturing tools.

Work Environment
The role operates in a manufacturing environment that requires close collaboration with production, warehouse, and planning teams. The Production Planner works extensively with enterprise resource planning systems such as SAP or JDE, as well as advanced Microsoft Excel tools, to manage schedules, work orders, and material requirements. The position involves attending regular production tier meetings, engaging directly with shop floor operators, and coordinating with cross-functional teams under time-sensitive conditions to support customer demand and the monthly build plan.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of New Brighton, MN.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $30.00 - $43.00/hr.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in New Brighton,MN.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Jul 7, 2026.
About Actalent


Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.


The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.


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