Production Planner Associate

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain daily, weekly, or monthly production schedules for multiple product lines.
• Align production plans with: Customer orders and forecast demand, Raw material availability (e.g., natural oils, feedstocks), Plant capacity and operational constraints.
• Ensure schedules support seamless area-to-area balance and handoff.
• Maintain inventory levels of raw materials, intermediates, and finished goods.
• Cook with Procurement and Logistics to ensure timely material availability.
• Optimize inventory levels while minimizing excess and obsolescence.
• Partner with Operations to communicate schedule changes impacting the next 24–72 hours.
• Work with Customer Service / Sales to manage order priorities and delivery commitments.
• Collaborate with Maintenance to incorporate planned outages and equipment constraints into schedules.
• Act as the primary point of contact for daily production planning issues.
• Proactively identify and resolve scheduling conflicts, constraints, or disruptions.
• Adjust schedules in real-time to address: Equipment downtime, Supply interruptions, Urgent customer needs.
• Drive continuous improvement in: Schedule adherence, Throughput optimization, Inventory turns.
• Support implementation of best practices in planning and scheduling.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or related field required.
• Background in chemical, oleochemical, or process manufacturing strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of: Production scheduling principles, Capacity planning, Inventory management.
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP preferred – ECC or S/4HANA).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (data analysis, pivots, scheduling tools).
• Familiarity with MRP / production planning systems.

Key Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective communication and cross-functional collaboration.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Demonstrated ownership and accountability.