Planner I

Planner I

Planner I supports production, material, and inventory planning for regulated medical products manufactured by external contract manufacturing partners. This role assists in translating customer demand and forecasts into compliant production schedules while ensuring material availability, lot traceability, quality system adherence, and on-time delivery. The Planner I works closely with Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, Customer Service, and contract manufacturers to support supply continuity in a highly regulated environment.

Key Responsibilities

Production & Supply Planning

• Assist in creating and maintaining short- and mid-term production schedules for contract medical manufacturers.
• Support the conversion of demand forecasts, sales orders, and safety stock targets into production requirements.
• Monitor production progress and escalate risks related to capacity, lead times, or compliance constraints.
• Support planning activities during engineering changes, and validation builds.

Materials Planning & Inventory Control

• Review material requirements to ensure timely availability of qualified and approved components.
• Coordinate with Procurement to support supply continuity for outsourced manufacturing.
• Track inventory levels, shelf life, expiration dates, and safety stock at contract manufacturing sites.
• Assist with inventory reconciliation, cycle count discrepancies, and usage variances.

Compliance & Quality Support

• Ensure planning activities align with FDA Quality System Regulation (21 CFR 820), ISO 13485, and internal quality procedures.
• Support lot control, traceability, and documentation accuracy across materials and finished goods.
• Coordinate with Quality on deviations, holds, rework, or nonconforming material impacting production schedules.
• Assist with updates related to engineering change orders (ECOs), document control, and change management.

Order Management & Customer Support

• Help prioritize customer orders based on demand commitments and regulatory constraints.
• Maintain accurate order status and ship dates in ERP/MRP systems.
• Support resolution of backorders, shortages, and delivery risks with cross-functional teams.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain planning metrics including production attainment, inventory health, and on-time delivery.
• Analyze plan vs. actual performance and assist with corrective action tracking.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to planning accuracy, supplier performance, and inventory optimization.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Communicate schedule changes and priorities to internal teams and external manufacturers.
• Participate in supply, production, and inventory review meetings.
• Maintain accurate and controlled records within ERP/MRP and quality systems.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, Operations, Business, Engineering, or related field preferred. (or equivalent combination of education and/or experience)

Experience

• 0–3 years of experience in supply chain, production planning, or operations support
• Exposure to medical devices, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, or other regulated manufacturing environments preferred
• Internship or co-op experience in manufacturing or supply chain is a plus

Skills & Competencies

• Basic understanding of medical manufacturing regulations and quality systems
• Familiarity with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Kinaxis, NetSuite, Epicor, Microsoft Dynamics)
• Strong Excel skills (Pivot Tables, Lookups, data analysis)
• High attention to detail and documentation accuracy
• Ability to work effectively in a regulated, change-controlled environment
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Comfortable working with cross-functional and external partners

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Production schedule adherence at contract manufacturers
• Material availability and shortage reduction
• Inventory accuracy and compliance (lot & expiry control)
• On-time customer delivery
• ERP/MRP data accuracy and documentation completeness

Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based but requires the associate to regularly work within production areas.
• Frequent coordination with contract manufacturers and internal quality teams
• May require extended hours during audits, product launches, or supply disruptions
• Minimal travel, depending on supplier locations

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits-effective on date of hire
• Generous paid time off benefits and 10 paid Holidays
• 136 hours of PTO
• Company-paid life insurance
• 401k plan with company match
• Up to $150-off your gym membership annually
• Employee Discount Program with savings on electronics, home goods, gym equipment, and more