Production Planner

We are seeking a Production Planner to translate customer demand into weekly production requirements for a fast-paced food manufacturing operation. This role balances customer service, inventory, capacity, and product freshness while providing data-driven recommendations to Manufacturing Operations, Sales, Distribution, Procurement, and external customers.

***This position is required to report onsite 5 days per week***

What You Will Do

Demand and Production Planning

• Develop weekly production requirements using sales orders, customer forecasts, statistical forecasts, and historical demand within a rolling 1–3 week horizon.
• Balance Make-to-Stock and Make-to-Order production requirements.
• Plan inventory builds for seasonal demand, promotions, maintenance, and expected supply or production disruptions.

Inventory Management

• Monitor finished goods inventory, days of supply, freshness, and customer requirements.
• Balance customer service objectives with inventory investment and shelf-life risk.
• Identify slow-moving, excess, and aging inventory and recommend corrective action.

Capacity and Supply Planning

• Recommend production priorities when demand exceeds available capacity.
• Evaluate the effects of production interruptions, material constraints, and changing customer demand.
• Coordinate with Procurement when raw material or packaging constraints affect the production plan.

Communication and Coordination

• Partner with Manufacturing Operations, Procurement, Sales, Distribution, and external customers to communicate production plans, shortages, inventory constraints, order changes, service risks, and recommended actions.
• Provide management with data-supported production and inventory recommendations.

Analytics and Continuous Improvement

• Analyze production performance compared with plan.
• Develop and maintain planning models, reports, and decision-support tools using Microsoft Excel and JD Edwards.
• Identify trends affecting demand, inventory, production, and customer service.

Characteristics of a Successful Candidate

• Detail-oriented and highly organized.
• Analytical and comfortable working with data.
• Able to think several weeks ahead.
• Calm under pressure and comfortable with changing information.
• Collaborative and able to influence without direct authority.
• Able to balance customer service with inventory, capacity, and freshness considerations.

1419899MS

Experience

• 5 year(s): Required Qualifications • Associate’s degree. • Five years of experience in production planning, demand forecasting, inventory management, supply planning, or manufacturing operations. • Experience with demand forecasting and inventory management. • Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills. • Ability to manage competing priorities in a changing environment.

• Preferred Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree. • Experience in food manufacturing or consumer packaged goods. • Experience with JD Edwards. • Experience planning products with freshness or shelf-life requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.