Production Planner

Production Planner II

The Production Planner II is responsible for creating, scheduling, releasing, and maintaining production orders to support manufacturing execution, material readiness, and program delivery requirements. This role reports to the Materials Manager and works in close coordination with Material Planning, including dotted-line schedule and material-readiness alignment with the applicable Material Planner or Program Material Planner. The role also coordinates with Operations Program Managers, who provide guidance on what work should be released to the manufacturing floor and when it should be released based on program priorities, customer commitments, and production needs.

The Production Planner II works closely with the Materials Manager, Operations Program Managers, Material Planners, Program Material Planners, Buyers, Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, and Material Handlers to ensure production orders are released with accurate schedules, required materials, clear kitting priorities, and executable shop-floor timing. This role uses Microsoft Dynamics Business Central or comparable ERP/MRP systems to manage production order status, schedule dates, material availability, dispatch lists, pick lists, and execution visibility.

The Production Planner II supports site-level production control by maintaining schedule discipline, identifying material or capacity constraints, escalating risks, and helping ensure production teams have the information and materials needed to execute on time.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Create, schedule, and release production orders to the manufacturing floor in alignment with Operations Program Manager guidance, program priorities, material availability, production capacity, and site execution requirements.
• Release production orders at least 14 days in advance of the planned start date, when practical, to support timely picking, kitting, staging, inspection, and material movement.
• Partner with Operations Program Managers to confirm work-release priorities, timing, and sequencing before releasing production orders to the manufacturing floor.
• Maintain accurate production order dates, status, routing information, material requirements, and schedule updates in Microsoft Dynamics Business Central or comparable ERP/MRP systems.
• Review production order material availability before release and identify shortages, late supply, allocation issues, or other constraints that may impact production start dates.
• Coordinate with Material Planning and Program Material Planning through a dotted-line operating relationship to align production order release, schedule changes, material availability, shortages, and clear-to-build readiness with approved planning priorities and Operations Program Manager work-release guidance.
• Communicate material shortages and schedule risks to the Materials Manager, Material Planners, Program Material Planners, Buyers, Manufacturing, and other stakeholders before they impact production execution.
• Coordinate with Material Handlers to support accurate pick lists, kitting priorities, staging requirements, material movement, and point-of-use readiness.
• Prepare and maintain rolling dispatch lists, production schedules, and work order visibility for Manufacturing, Materials Management, and Supply Chain leadership.
• Work with the Materials Manager and warehouse/material handling teams to prioritize the transfer of inventory from receiving, inspection, or post-inspection locations to designated storage, staging, or production-use locations.
• Exercise judgment in scheduling available work to fill production gaps while maintaining discipline around priority, material readiness, and the approved production schedule.
• Coordinate schedule changes, production order adjustments, and execution priorities with Operations Program Managers, Manufacturing, Material Planning, Program Material Planning, Procurement, Quality, and Engineering.
• Monitor released and unreleased production orders for schedule adherence, material readiness, aging, holds, constraints, and execution risk.
• Support clear-to-build and production readiness reviews by providing accurate schedule status, production order visibility, material readiness input, and constraint reporting.
• Help maintain accurate ERP/MRP transaction discipline by ensuring production order releases, schedule changes, material status, and related execution updates are entered in a timely and accurate manner.
• Identify opportunities to improve production scheduling, work order release discipline, kitting flow, staging readiness, and material execution processes.
• Execute work in compliance with company procedures, quality requirements, ERP/MRP controls, and contractual obligations.
• Ability to support occasional travel or off-site work, as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 2-4 years of experience in production scheduling, production planning, material control, inventory control, manufacturing coordination, or a related supply chain role.
• Experience using ERP, MRP, or production control systems to create, schedule, release, or maintain production orders.
• Working knowledge of production schedules, work orders, bills of material, inventory availability, material movement, kitting, staging, and manufacturing support processes.
• Ability to identify material shortages, schedule risks, inventory constraints, and production execution issues and communicate them clearly.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, especially Excel, with the ability to analyze schedules, inventory status, production order data, and material readiness information.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple production orders, priorities, schedule changes, and time-sensitive execution requirements.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills with the ability to coordinate across Operations Program Managers, Manufacturing, Materials, Planning, Procurement, Quality, Engineering, and Program teams.
• Detail-oriented, disciplined, and able to maintain accurate records, system updates, and production schedule information in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, Dynamics NAV, or comparable ERP/MRP systems.
• Experience in low-volume, high-mix manufacturing supporting aerospace, defense, electronics, space, or similarly regulated programs.
• Experience supporting production order release, clear-to-build reviews, production readiness reviews, kitting, staging, and material execution.
• Familiarity with electronic components, printed circuit board assemblies, cable assemblies, machined parts, mechanical hardware, or other production material.
• Experience working with material planners, buyers, production control, quality, engineering, and manufacturing teams to resolve schedule and material constraints.
• Familiarity with AS9100D, ISO9001, FAR/DFARS flowdowns, counterfeit parts prevention, or other regulated manufacturing controls.
• CPIM, CSCP, Lean Six Sigma, or related certification preferred.

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $58,000 - $107,000

Please Note: Actual compensation offered will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, business considerations, and geographic location where applicable.

Benefits

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits including but not limited to:

• Health benefits
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Basic life with AD&D
  • Short term disability
  • Long term disability
  • Ancillary (Voluntary life with AD&D, accident, critical illness, hospital, and pet)
  • Spending accounts (HSA, FSA, and DCFSA)
• Paid time off
• Holidays
• 401(k) (including company match)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Leaves (Parental, maternity, and military)
• Annual discretionary bonus (for eligible roles)