Manufacturing Planner - Rolling Meadows, IL

Description

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Epiq Solutions develops cutting-edge software-defined radio (SDR) products and processing solutions to enable spectrum dominance for maritime, land, air, and space domains. With 15 years serving government and commercial enterprise customers and over 30K devices fielded to date, Epiq Solutions is a trusted partner with a proven heritage of delivering open architecture products in radically small form factors where time-to-market, cost, and performance are critical for mission success.

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INTRODUCTION

Epiq Solutions is seeking a Manufacturing Planner to support the effective planning, scheduling, and execution of manufacturing activities across our growing portfolio of advanced RF and software-defined radio products.

The Manufacturing Planner serves as a key link between customer demand and production execution. This position is responsible for translating production requirements into executable manufacturing plans, creating and maintaining manufacturing jobs in Epicor, assessing material readiness, coordinating production priorities, and helping identify and resolve constraints that could impact customer delivery commitments.

Working closely with Production, Materials, Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, and Program teams, the Manufacturing Planner will maintain visibility into production requirements and ensure accurate planning information is available to support day-to-day manufacturing decisions. This role will also support the implementation of engineering changes and new product introductions within the manufacturing planning environment.

This is a planning and production-control position and does not have responsibility for purchasing, supplier management, or procurement activities.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Translate customer demand and the Master Production Schedule into detailed manufacturing requirements and production priorities.
• Create, release, maintain, and close manufacturing jobs within the Epicor ERP system.
• Develop and maintain production schedules that align manufacturing capacity, material availability, customer delivery requirements, and business development’s forecast.
• Monitor open manufacturing jobs, production progress, material readiness, and schedule performance to identify potential constraints or delivery risks.
• Evaluate material requirements and availability using ERP/MRP information to determine production readiness and identify shortages affecting scheduled work.
• Partner with Purchasing and Materials teams to communicate production priorities, material requirements, shortages, and potential impacts to manufacturing schedules.
• Coordinate with Production leadership to establish and adjust manufacturing priorities based on customer requirements, material availability, capacity, and changing business needs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement mitigation plans for components approaching obsolescence. Evaluate demand forecasts, inventory levels, and supplier lead times to determine appropriate EOL and last time buy quantities.
• Analyze schedule disruptions and production constraints and recommend adjustments to support on-time delivery.
• Maintain accurate planning and production-control information within Epicor, including job records, planning parameters, manufacturing data, and other information within the scope of the role.
• Review Bills of Material (BOMs), routings, lead times, and other manufacturing information for planning accuracy and escalate discrepancies to the appropriate functional owner.
• Coordinate planning activities associated with Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), including identifying impacts to open and planned manufacturing jobs and supporting implementation of approved changes.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities by coordinating manufacturing planning requirements, job setup, material readiness, and production scheduling for new or revised products.
• Participate in regular production planning and scheduling meetings and provide visibility into production status, material constraints, schedule risks, and upcoming requirements.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Production, Materials, Purchasing, and Program teams to resolve issues affecting manufacturing execution.
• Monitor planning and scheduling performance and help identify opportunities to improve schedule adherence, production flow, ERP accuracy, and on-time delivery.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to production planning, ERP/MRP processes, manufacturing job management, and production-control practices.
• Maintain accurate documentation and planning records in support of manufacturing traceability and operational requirements.

Requirements

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum of five years of progressive experience in production planning, manufacturing planning, production control, materials planning, or a related manufacturing operations role.
• Experience working in an electronics, RF, aerospace, defense, or other high-technology manufacturing environment preferred.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing production schedules and manufacturing priorities in a complex, high-mix manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to identify material, capacity, engineering, and scheduling constraints and coordinate cross-functional actions to support production requirements and customer commitments.
• Experience using ERP/MRP systems to translate demand into production requirements and create, release, maintain, and monitor manufacturing jobs.
• Ability to interpret Bills of Material (BOMs), manufacturing routings, work orders, and engineering/manufacturing documentation.
• Ability to evaluate material availability and identify shortages or other constraints that could affect production schedules.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to assess competing production requirements and recommend appropriate priorities.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to maintaining accurate ERP and manufacturing planning data.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic manufacturing environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to coordinate effectively across Production, Engineering, Quality, Materials, Purchasing, and other functions.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and proactively identify issues requiring attention.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Eligibility to work on Federal contracts requiring U.S. Citizenship.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with Epicor ERP.
• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• Experience supporting high-mix, low-volume electronics manufacturing.
• Experience supporting Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and configuration-controlled manufacturing environments.
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) and transition of new products into production.
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, and production-flow methodologies.
• Experience working in a manufacturing environment supporting defense, aerospace, RF, or other mission-critical products.

CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS

Success in this role will be demonstrated by the Manufacturing Planner’s ability to translate demand into accurate, executable production plans and proactively identify and resolve issues that could impact manufacturing execution or customer commitments.

Key indicators of success include:

• Production Planning Accuracy: Manufacturing jobs and production schedules accurately reflect customer demand, production priorities, material availability, and manufacturing requirements.
• Material Readiness: Material shortages and availability constraints are identified early, clearly communicated, and actively coordinated with Purchasing, Materials, and Production to minimize disruption to scheduled work.
• Schedule Execution: Production priorities are effectively coordinated and adjusted as conditions change, contributing to strong schedule adherence and on-time delivery performance.
• ERP Data Integrity: Manufacturing jobs, planning parameters, and other planning-related information in Epicor are accurate, timely, and maintained with a high level of attention to detail.
• Proactive Constraint Management: Potential material, capacity, engineering, or scheduling constraints are identified before they become significant production or customer-delivery issues, with appropriate stakeholders engaged to drive resolution.
• Manufacturing Job Management: Jobs are created, released, maintained, and closed accurately and in a timely manner to support efficient production execution.
• ECO & NPI Execution: Engineering changes and new product introductions are effectively incorporated into manufacturing plans, with impacts to jobs, materials, schedules, and production requirements identified and coordinated.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Production, Materials, Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, and Program teams have clear and timely visibility into manufacturing priorities, constraints, schedule changes, and upcoming requirements.
• Responsiveness & Adaptability: Changing customer requirements, production conditions, and business priorities are evaluated quickly and incorporated into manufacturing plans without sacrificing accuracy or discipline.
• Continuous Improvement: Opportunities to improve planning processes, ERP utilization, production flow, schedule visibility, and operational efficiency are identified and implemented.
• Ownership & Follow-Through: Planning issues are actively managed through resolution, with clear communication, appropriate escalation, and consistent follow-through on commitments.

BENEFITS

• Join a successful and growing company investing in our future success
• Flexible work hours
• Generous vacation policy
• Paid five-week sabbatical every five years
• 401(k) matching
• Health, dental, vision insurance
• Life, short and long-term disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Wellness reimbursement
• Charitable giving company match
• Competitive salary commensurate with experience and performance
• Fun, laid-back culture and rewarding work!

Epiq Solutions is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer - All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.