Mgr, Planner

About the role

The Planning Manager is responsible for leading all site planning activities to ensure production schedules, material availability, and capacity plans support customer commitments and operational objectives. This role manages production planning, master scheduling, inventory optimization, and cross-functional coordination with Operations, Procurement, Engineering, Program Management, and Quality.

Responsibilities

• Planning & Scheduling
  Lead the site’s production planning and master scheduling processes.
  Determine and maintain executable production schedules that balance customer demand, capacity, labor, and material constraints.
  Drive schedule adherence and production stability while managing demand changes and prioritize work orders based on customer commitments and business priorities.

• Materials Planning
  Partner with Procurement to ensure timely material availability.
  Identify and mitigate material shortages before they impact production.
  Lead shortage management and recovery activities.
  Maintain inventory levels while balancing service levels and working capital.
  Drive excess and obsolete inventory reduction initiatives.

• Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP / S&OE)
  Support monthly S&OP and weekly S&OE processes.
  Communicate supply risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
  Support revenue forecasting through schedule visibility.

• Continuous Improvement
  Improve planning processes through Lean principles and data-driven decision making.
  Standardize planning work instructions and best practices.
  Improve forecast accuracy, schedule stability, and inventory performance.

• Leadership
  Lead, coach, and develop the site’s planning team.
  Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
  Facilitate daily production planning meetings and material reviews.
  Lead cross-functional recovery plans for late orders and supply disruptions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years of manufacturing planning or supply chain experience.
• 3+ years of leadership experience.
• Experience in complex manufacturing environments (high-mix, low-volume preferred).
• Strong knowledge of ERP/MRP systems (Oracle, SAP, Epicor, Costpoint, or similar).
• Experience with capacity planning, production scheduling, and inventory management.
• Advanced Excel and data analysis skills.
• Strong communication and cross-functional leadership abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• APICS CPIM: Certification in Planning and Inventory Management or ASCM CSCP: Certified Supply Chain Professional.
• Strategic thinking: Experience supporting business in Sales and Operations Planning to help drive executable manufacturing plans and facilitate action plans around supply constraints and recommended mitigation strategies.
• Customer-focused mindset: Collaborates with key stakeholders, gains commitment to meet timelines and influences others without direct authority.
• Driver and Goal Oriented: With limited guidance, identifies tasks needed to support desired outcomes, and challenges potential delays to drive necessary actions for results.
• Organized: Demonstrated ability to stay organized with multiple responsibilities and deadlines.
• Good decision making and problem-solving skills.
• Detail-oriented.
• Time management and workload prioritization capabilities are key.
• Flexible: Comfortable working in an adaptive environment with limited guidance from manager.
• Possesses a positive questioning attitude who is able and willing to dive into the why.

Benefits

Mercury offers a variety of benefits for team members including: bonus opportunities (or special incentives for sales positions); health, life and disability insurance; company-paid holidays and time off; 401(k) retirement plan; discounted employee stock purchase plan; tuition reimbursement; and access to professional development and personal wellness platforms including LinkedIn Learning, Headspace, Aaptiv and Virgin Pulse. Team members at the Director or Vice President level are also eligible to receive annual stock-based awards.

Mercury offers a 9/80 alternative work schedule that provides employees more opportunity for work/ life balance (available based off location).