Principal Production Planner

Waters Corporation is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. We collaborate with customers worldwide to advance medicine, ensure food and water safety, and improve patient outcomes.

About the role

The Senior Production Planner actively manages production schedules to support manufacturing and new product introduction plans. This role collaborates with Demand Planning, Purchasing, Production, Contract Manufacturers, Quality, and Operations Engineering to achieve plan attainment, delivery performance, inventory management, and product availability for Field colleagues and end customers. The product family includes analytical instruments, spares, and kits used for Liquid Chromatography and Supercritical Fluid Chromatography.

This hands-on position requires dynamic leadership, agility, tenacity, excellent interpersonal skills, problem-solving, critical thinking, and a compelling initiative to drive organizational success.

Responsibilities

• Manage production schedules using SAP APO to ensure on-time delivery of product to primary distribution centers.
• Ensure accurate and executable production plans accounting for capacity and lead-time constraints.
• Execute discrete production plans supporting forecasts, including issuing production orders, rework orders, and managing outstanding demand.
• Liaise with internal customers regularly to align on priorities, commitments, constraints, and recovery plans.
• Support new product development and introductions, ensuring successful transition to volume manufacturing.
• Review and approve Engineering Change Requests (ECRs) from a supply chain perspective and execute follow-up actions.
• Actively manage finished goods inventory pipeline at the plant level in line with KPIs.
• Develop initiatives to improve and optimize planning processes and systems, enhancing supply delivery and coordination of materials and resources.
• Manage Manufactured Inventory Targets in line with Annual Operating Plan (AOP) objectives.

Requirements

• BA/BS in Supply Chain or related field required.
• Minimum 4 years of experience in production planning and inventory management in a manufacturing environment.
• APICS CPIM certification or equivalent highly desired.
• Advanced proficiency with SAP APO and Microsoft applications.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and drive corrective actions.
• Strong leadership skills, self-directed, and ability to make independent decisions.
• Experience with New Product Introduction (NPI) processes.
• Familiarity with cGMP, ISO 9001:2015, and ISO 13485:2016 is desired.

Benefits

• State-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
• Onsite Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Physical Therapist, and a clinic with a dedicated nurse practitioner.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Team-oriented work environment.
• Competitive pay.