Material Planner

Material PlannerLocation: Aiken, SC (100% Onsite) Duration: 6 Months (Contract to Hire) Pay range: $28 to $31 per hour on W2 Shift: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PMThe MPS Planner is responsible for developing, maintaining, and executing the Master Production Schedule (MPS) to ensure customer demand is met while optimizing production capacity, inventory, WIP, and material availability. This role serves as a key link between customer demand, material availability, production capacity, and shop-floor execution. The MPS Planner will utilize Oracle MPS/MRP and related planning systems to translate demand into executable production plans, identify constraints and risks, and drive timely resolution of issues that could impact production or customer delivery. The position requires strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic manufacturing environment.ResponsibilitiesDevelop, maintain, and communicate the Master Production Schedule in alignment with customer demand, backlog, forecasts, inventory objectives, and production capacity.Translate the MPS into actionable production plans and work-order release requirements.Establish and maintain appropriate planning horizons, frozen schedules, and production priorities.Monitor schedule adherence and proactively identify risks to customer commitments.Evaluate opportunities to pull in or push out production while protecting current customer commitments and material availability.Utilize Oracle MPS/MRP to develop production plans, review planning recommendations, and manage supply and demand exceptions.Review and act on MRP exception messages, including shortages, reschedules, cancellations, pull-ins, push-outs, and past-due supply.Ensure planned orders and work orders are released in accordance with the approved production schedule.Maintain appropriate planning parameters, including lead times, lot sizes, safety stock, planning calendars, and other system requirements in coordination with the appropriate functions.Identify and escalate Oracle system or master-data issues that negatively impact planning accuracy.Release, control, and follow up on assigned shop-floor work orders from creation through completion and shipment.Coordinate with Operations to ensure production priorities and schedule requirements are clearly understood and executed.Monitor WIP and production progress against the MPS and initiate recovery actions when performance falls behind plan.Analyze production capacity and identify bottlenecks, constraints, and resource requirements.Develop recovery plans in partnership with Operations and other functional leaders when capacity or execution issues threaten customer commitments.Monitor component and raw-material availability to support the production schedule.Coordinate with Purchasing, Materials, and Suppliers to expedite critical materials and prevent production interruptions.Identify material constraints that could impact the MPS and communicate risks early.Balance material availability with production priorities to avoid consuming material required for higher-priority or current customer commitments.Partner closely with Operations, Materials, Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, Sales/Customer Service, and Finance to align demand, supply, capacity, and production priorities.Participate in SIOP/IBP and other planning processes as required.Communicate changes to the production schedule and clearly identify risks, constraints, and required actions.Lead or participate in cross-functional problem solving related to schedule attainment, material shortages, capacity constraints, and customer delivery performance.Monitor and report key planning and production metrics, including:Schedule adherenceMPS attainmentOn-Time Delivery (OTD)Past-due ordersWIP levelsInventory levelsCapacity utilizationMaterial shortagesProduction plan attainmentAnalyze trends and identify root causes of recurring planning and execution issues.Implement continuous-improvement opportunities that improve planning accuracy, flow, inventory performance, and customer delivery.Standardize planning processes and maintain accurate planning procedures and work instructions.Must HaveBachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Industrial Engineering, Business, or a related field; equivalent relevant manufacturing experience may be considered.3–5+ years of experience in manufacturing planning, production scheduling, material planning, supply chain, or a related function.Hands-on experience with Oracle MPS/MRP, Oracle Manufacturing, or a comparable ERP planning system.Demonstrated understanding of MPS, MRP, production planning, material requirements, capacity planning, and work-order management.Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret complex planning and production data.Strong Excel/data-analysis skills.Demonstrated ability to identify risks and proactively drive resolution.