Production Planner

Title: Production Planner Reports To: Senior Supply Chain Planning Manager Salary: $85,000 – $95,000 + 10% Bonus About Verde Farms Verde Farms is a leading marketer of natural, organic, and grass‑fed beef in the United States. Partnering with family farms globally, we connect consumers to healthy, sustainably raised, great‑tasting meat. Our employees are guided by our core principles and leadership’s commitment to innovation. As a dynamic privately held company based in the Greater Boston area, Verde Farms offers a supportive culture, shared values, and integrity. This is an exciting time to join as we continue double‑digit growth, creating opportunities for employees to develop while transforming the industry. Position Overview This Production Planner will plan, schedule, and coordinate production activities across our organic beef manufacturing operations. Reporting to the Senior Supply Chain Planning Manager, the role develops production schedules aligned with demand forecasts, inventory levels, and operational capacity. Working closely with Inventory, production, Shipping & Receiving, and quality teams, the Planner ensures timely availability of raw materials, optimizes production flow, minimizes disruptions, and supports efficient execution of manufacturing plans. The position operates in a highly manual planning environment with no automated production planning or scheduling system. It requires comfort working across multiple systems simultaneously—Microsoft Office, WMS platforms, Salesforce, Tableau, Redzone, i3PL, and other operational tools—while maintaining data accuracy. Success depends on advanced Excel and Google Sheets proficiency, strong analytical capability, and the discipline to manually build, maintain, and continuously adjust production plans in response to changing conditions. Key Responsibilities Production Planning & Scheduling Develop and manage daily and weekly production schedules based on demand forecasts, raw material availability, and plant capacity. Release and manage production work orders, ensuring accurate BOMs, yields, and labor standards. Adjust production plans in real time to address shortages, downtime, quality holds, or operational constraints. Coordinate sequencing to optimize changeovers, shelf life, and product freshness. Raw Material & Yield Management Ensure availability and proper allocation of raw materials, packaging, and consumables to support production plans. Monitor planned vs. actual yields and material usage; investigate variances and drive corrective actions. Support yield optimization initiatives while maintaining product quality and compliance. Inventory Control & Traceability Maintain accurate inventory across raw materials, WIP, and finished goods in coolers, freezers, and staging areas. Enforce FIFO/FEFO, lot control, organic segregation (if applicable), and full traceability. Plan and lead cycle counts and support physical inventory activities. Manage held, obsolete, or condemned inventory in compliance with USDA requirements. Capacity Planning & Analytics Build and maintain manual capacity models for production lines, labor, and critical equipment. Identify bottlenecks and throughput constraints in an environment with inconsistent preventive maintenance. Re‑plan around unplanned downtime, contractor availability, and premium labor costs. Avoid weekend production where possible while maintaining customer service commitments. Use historical and real‑time data to support trade‑off decisions between cost, service, and shelf life. Cross‑Functional Coordination & Customer Support Collaborate with procurement to align incoming raw materials with production needs. Partner with operations, quality, and warehouse teams to ensure smooth execution of production schedules. Support customer fulfillment by validating available‑to‑ship inventory and identifying risks to service. Investigate shortages, misallocations, or production shortfalls and implement recovery plans. Systems, Data & Reporting Maintain production and inventory data in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce), ensuring accurate transactions and records. Maintain item masters, BOMs, routings, and production parameters. Generate reports and dashboards for production performance, yields, scrap, and KPIs—build and refine planning tools, trackers, and analytical views in Excel, Google Sheets, Tableau, and Salesforce. Ensure data accuracy to support cost accounting, forecasting, and decision‑making. Compliance, Audits & Continuous Improvement Ensure production planning activities comply with USDA, SQF, HACCP, and food safety requirements. Support internal, regulatory, and customer audits. Lead root‑cause analysis related to production variances, inventory discrepancies, and process breakdowns. Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency, yield, and service. Qualifications 5–7 years of production planning or scheduling experience in food manufacturing (meat or protein industry strongly preferred). Proven experience planning in environments with and without automated scheduling systems. Strong understanding of shelf life and perishability, yield management, capacity constraints, bottlenecks, and USDA‑regulated operations. Advanced Excel and Google Sheets proficiency (scenario modeling, pivot tables, complex formulas, trackers). Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems and production planning tools and custom or personalized WMS. Ability to move seamlessly between multiple systems while maintaining data integrity. Strong analytical, organizational, and cross‑functional communication skills. Experience & Requirements Bachelor’s degree in operations/supply chain operations or related experience in same industry. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal. Strong continuous improvement skills and ability to research problems and develop solutions. Ability to produce ad‑hoc reporting, as needed. Expert Excel knowledge required. ERP/MRP knowledge required. Production Planning Modules experience a plus. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely to team and across different departments of the business. Experience in collecting, analyzing, and presenting data. Ability to read, understand, and follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), ensuring compliance by staff. Ability to multitask and meet deadlines. Ability to work in a team environment and interact with all levels of staff. Ability to maintain a safe work environment. Understand and abide by all safety regulations, SOPs, GMP guidelines, and policies and procedures set forth by Verde Farms. Why Verde Farms? Excellent health benefits. Generous PTO policy. Supportive, engaging work environment. Working Conditions Full‑time, on‑site in Pedricktown, New Jersey. Occasional flexibility for production deadlines. Physical requirements: Occasional lifting and prolonged computer use. Ability to stand, walk, and move throughout production areas. Ability to work in cold or refrigerated environments as needed. At Verde Farms, we operate with core principles promoting health, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. If you’re ready to join a team that values purpose and impact, submit your resume today! #J-18808-Ljbffr