Production Planner/ Master Scheduler

Position Summary

The Adams Company is seeking an experienced Production Planner / Master Scheduler to manage and coordinate the flow of work from Engineering through Manufacturing, Outside Services, Quality, and Shipping. This position is responsible for developing and maintaining the master production schedule, balancing capacity across key gear and shaft manufacturing departments, coordinating outsourced operations, and driving on-time delivery performance.

The successful candidate will serve as a central communication link between Engineering, Purchasing, Production Supervisors, Quality, Customer Service, and Shipping to ensure jobs move efficiently through the facility while supporting customer commitments and production efficiency.

Primary Responsibilities

Production Planning and Scheduling

• Develop, maintain, and monitor the master production schedule for customer orders and internal production priorities.
• Plan and communicate workflow from Engineering release through internal and external production operations.
• Review job status, routing steps, material availability, labor capacity, and department constraints to maintain realistic production schedules.
• Identify bottlenecks and coordinate schedule adjustments to support customer delivery commitments.
• Balance work center loading to improve throughput, reduce idle time, and support overall shop efficiency.

ERP and Data Management

• Use Global Shop Solutions ERP to review, update, and monitor work orders, routers, due dates, work center queues, and labor reporting information.
• Maintain accurate scheduling information within the ERP system to support visibility across office and shop-floor teams.
• Generate and review reports related to backlog, job status, work center loading, delivery risk, and production priorities.
• Work with Engineering, Purchasing, and Production leadership to help ensure routers, job steps, and schedule dates reflect actual production needs.

Internal Communication and Coordination

• Drive clear daily and weekly production floor communication to ensure alignment on priorities, constraints, and schedule changes.
• Coordinate with Engineering on job release timing, technical questions, and routing readiness.
• Coordinate with Purchasing and outside service vendors to monitor outsourced process timing and return dates.
• Participate in production meetings and provide clear schedule updates to leadership and customer-facing teams.
• Work proactively with supervisors and department leads to resolve delays, resource conflicts, and priority changes.

Customer Delivery and Continuous Improvement

• Support on-time delivery performance by proactively identifying jobs at risk and developing recovery plans.
• Monitor customer scorecards and help drive corrective actions related to delivery performance.
• Recommend improvements to scheduling methods, work center visibility, production flow, and ERP data accuracy.
• Support continuous improvement efforts focused on lead time reduction, production efficiency, and schedule discipline.
• Help establish and maintain practical production metrics that improve accountability and decision-making.

Qualifications

Required

• 3 or more years of experience in production planning, master scheduling, manufacturing operations, production supervision, or a closely related role.
• Experience working in a manufacturing environment with multiple production steps and changing priorities.
• Strong understanding of production workflow, capacity planning, job status tracking, and schedule communication.
• ERP experience for work order review, schedule management, reporting, and production control.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively with office staff, supervisors, operators, vendors, and customer-facing personnel.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and general production reporting tools.

Preferred

• Experience with Global Shop Solutions ERP.
• Experience in gear manufacturing, shaft manufacturing, machining, precision manufacturing, or power transmission components.
• Experience using work center capacity, shop-floor priorities, and delivery requirements to build and maintain production schedules.
• APICS, CPIM, lean manufacturing, or related operations training are helpful but not required.

Desired Candidate Profile

• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple priorities.
• Able to communicate clearly and professionally with both office and shop-floor teams.
• Comfortable making schedule recommendations in a fast-paced production environment.
• Strong sense of urgency with the ability to stay practical, calm, and fact-based under pressure.
• Able to drive accountability, follow up on commitments, and maintain schedule discipline across departments.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on process flow, customer delivery, and efficiency.

Work Schedule and Employment Status

• Full-time position.
• Flexible hours are available, based on business needs and production coverage requirements.
• Regular interaction with office, shop floor, and outside service partners is expected.

Join us as a Production Planner/Master Scheduler to shape the future of manufacturing excellence! Your strategic mindset combined with technical expertise will be instrumental in driving operational success while fostering a culture of continuous improvement. We are committed to empowering our team members through innovation, collaboration, and growth opportunities—come be part of our journey!

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan

Application Question(s):

• Do you have 2 years of scheduling and planning experience?

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• Manufacturing: 2 years (Preferred)

Location:

• Dubuque, IA 52002 (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• Dubuque, IA 52002 (Preferred)

Ability to Relocate:

• Dubuque, IA 52002: Relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Work Location: In person