Buyer & Planner

Focus Factory Buyer/Planner

The Focus Factory Buyer/Planner is responsible for developing, maintaining, and executing production schedules for a dedicated manufacturing lines or value streams ("focus factory"). This role ensures customer demand is met while balancing capacity, labor, and material availability. The planner serves as the primary coordination point between production, materials, procurement, and logistics to drive schedule adherence, inventory accuracy, and on-time delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain short- and mid-term production schedules for the assigned focus factory
• Translate customer demand and forecasts into executable production plans
• Coordinate material availability with procurement and materials teams
• Monitor daily schedule adherence and adjust plans to resolve constraints or disruptions
• Balance capacity, labor, and equipment to optimize throughput and efficiency
• Maintain accurate system data (ERP/MRP) including routings, lead times, and BOMs
• Participate in daily operations reviews and tier meetings
• Identify planning-related root causes for misses in delivery, inventory, or output
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to scheduling, flow, and inventory reduction
• Communicate clearly with production supervisors and value stream leaders

Required Qualifications

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Manufacturing, or related field
• 2–5 years of production planning, scheduling, or materials planning experience in manufacturing
• Working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems
• Strong Excel and data-analysis skills
• Ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced manufacturing environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a focus factory or value-stream-aligned manufacturing model
• Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement experience a plus