Planner
About the role
This role leads inventory strategy, configuration management, and production planning for advanced robotic manipulation systems in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment.
Responsibilities
Develop and enforce inventory control policies and procedures, and drive inventory accuracy through structured cycle count programs, root cause analysis, and corrective actions.
Optimize inventory levels and reduce excess and obsolete (E&O) material through proactive lifecycle management, disposition strategies, and demand-aligned replenishment.
Design and implement new inventory strategies that scale with program growth, evolving manufacturing requirements, and multiple product lines.
Own Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and Manufacturing Change Orders (MCOs) across supported programs, ensuring accurate and timely implementation into production.
Create and maintain Manufacturing Bills of Materials (BOMs) with full configuration accuracy and traceability across all robotic manipulation systems.
Set up and maintain Bills of Distribution and Sourcing Rules, partnering with engineering on master data, routings, and resource rates to ensure accurate planning inputs.
Create finite capacity production schedules that account for equipment, labor, and material constraints to maximize throughput and meet build commitments.
Develop detailed build schedules and release work orders through their complete lifecycle, with particular emphasis on early New Product Introduction (NPI) programs.
Develop and maintain short-term and medium-term capacity models, identify bottlenecks through constraint analysis, and drive actions to resolve them.
Perform sequence optimization to minimize changeovers and maximize manufacturing throughput in a high-mix environment.
Build and maintain KPI dashboards to track inventory, planning, and schedule performance, and use data-driven insights to guide decisions and improvements.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to enhance planning processes, inventory accuracy, and production efficiency.
Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and logistics teams to ensure effective supply plan execution and manufacturing readiness.
Support master production scheduling by performing finite scheduling, releasing work orders, and maintaining accurate capacity models for robotic manipulation systems.
Lead velocity planning and inventory efforts, including inventory strategy development, replenishment optimization, and E&O management for high-mix product lines.
Support NPI planning for next-generation platforms by creating and maintaining BOMs, managing ECOs/MCOs, and ensuring production readiness for new programs.
Own root cause corrective action (RCCA) for inventory accuracy, including cycle count program design and systemic accuracy improvements across multiple facilities.
Prepare and present planning and inventory insights in weekly planning reviews with operations leadership, highlighting risks, constraints, and mitigation plans.
Essential Skills
- Bachelor’s degree, or a minimum of 2 years of professional or military experience.
- Knowledge of supply chain management concepts, including forecasting, planning, sourcing, optimization, and logistics, or equivalent experience.
- Experience working in high-volume manufacturing environments, preferably with complex or high-mix products.
- Experience with reporting and data visualization tools such as QuickSight, Tableau, Power BI, or comparable business intelligence platforms.
- Knowledge of Six Sigma tools and Lean techniques and the ability to apply them to drive continuous improvement.
- Experience in stakeholder and communication management, including cross-functional collaboration with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams.
- Experience with engineering change management processes, including ECOs and MCOs, and hands-on experience with BOM management.
- Proficiency with ERP systems and supply chain planning tools, including experience with modules related to procurement, inventory, and production planning.
- Experience with scheduling, inventory control, procurement, and production planning in a manufacturing environment.
- Ability to perform finite capacity scheduling, including consideration of equipment, labor, and material constraints.
- Experience with inventory control and NPI planning, including lifecycle management and readiness for new product launches.
- Experience designing or improving cycle count programs and leading root cause corrective action (RCCA) initiatives for inventory accuracy.
- Exposure to NPI environments, including creating BOMs, managing ECOs/MCOs, and preparing manufacturing for new product introductions.
- Comfort working in fast-paced, high-ownership teams where ambiguity is common and decisions must be made quickly.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to dive deep into data and processes to identify constraints and improvement opportunities.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Experience with SQL for querying data and supporting analytical and reporting needs.
- APICS certification such as CPIM (Certified in Planning and Inventory Management) or CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), or progress toward these certifications.
- Experience with Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) or equivalent ERP platforms for procurement and planning.
- Familiarity with SAP or similar enterprise resource planning systems.
- Experience in high-mix, low-volume advanced manufacturing environments, particularly with complex electromechanical or robotics products.
- Experience designing or improving cycle count programs and leading root cause corrective action (RCCA) initiatives for inventory accuracy.
- Exposure to NPI environments, including creating BOMs, managing ECOs/MCOs, and preparing manufacturing for new product introductions.
- Comfort working in fast-paced, high-ownership teams where ambiguity is common and decisions must be made quickly.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to dive deep into data and processes to identify constraints and improvement opportunities.