Production Planner

The Production Planner will coordinate and expedite the flow of work and materials within or between departments according to the production schedule. Duties include reviewing and distributing production, work, and shipment schedules, as well as conferring with department supervisors to determine progress of work and completion dates. Will also compile reports on progress of work, inventory levels, costs and production problems.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Design and revise production schedules when required due to changes, labor or material shortages, backlogs, or other interruptions, collaborating with both management and the Marketing, Sales, Production and Operations departments.
• Maintain inventories of materials and supplies necessary to meet production needs.
• Examine documents and system reports, materials and products, and monitor work processes in order to assess completeness, accuracy and conformance to standards and specifications.
• Review documents such as production schedules, work orders, bill of materials and staffing tables to determine personnel and materials requirements, and material priorities.
• Confer with department supervisors and other personnel to assess progress and discuss any needed changes.
• Confer with establishment personnel, vendors and customers to coordinate production and shipping activities, and to resolve any complaints and eliminate delays.
• Record production data including volume produced, consumption of raw materials and quality control measures.
• Calculate figures such as required amounts of labor and materials, manufacturing costs and wages, using pricing schedules, calculators or computers.
• Distribute production schedules and work orders to departments.
• Process validation and engineering documents, such as drawings, vendor data sheets and equipment lists.
• Compile information, such as production rates and progress, materials inventories, materials used and customer information, so that status reports can be completed.
• Develop effective forecast models based on industry trends and demand patterns.
• Support management with risk assessments and mitigation activities.
• Propose and implement solutions to improve demand forecast accuracy.
• Successfully communicate forecast and inventory estimations to management.
• Monitor and report on important changes in sales forecasts, budgets, and business strategies.
• Conduct monthly forecast maintenance.
• Address demand-related issues in a timely and effective manner.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain or other relevant field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in a production planning role, preferably in a manufacturing and/or consumer goods environment.
• SAP experience is required.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office- Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, etc.

Skills & Abilities:

• Strong attention to detail, analytical and problem solving skills.
• Strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong leadership and presentation skills.
• Ability to set goals, create plans, implement and measure results.
• Ability to work independently and multitask in a fast paced environment.
• Strong team building skills and the proven ability to work with a diverse group of people.