Production Scheduler – Fresh Processing (TPC)

About the Role

Coordinates daily and weekly production schedules and finished-goods allocation for the Fresh Processing portion of the business. Ensures customer commitments are met by aligning demand priorities, raw material availability, production capacity, and shipping timelines. Works cross-functionally with Demand Planning/Sales, Raw Processing Operations, Cut Floor, Sausage Kitchen/Grinding, Shipping, Maintenance, and Quality to prevent shortages, avoid downtime, and manage last-minute changes.

Responsibilities

• Build, publish, and maintain daily and weekly production schedules, issuing revisions as conditions change and clearly identifying updates.
• Run a short daily scheduling review to confirm priorities, constraints, and ship/pick-up deadlines; document and communicate the “day plan.”
• Coordinate inter-department timing (cut → pack → ship) so orders with near-term load-outs are sequenced first.
• Compare customer demand against on-hand inventory and WIP; allocate finished product to orders while maintaining freshness expectations.
• Coordinate with Shipping to confirm product availability, staging readiness, and customer pickup/ship timing; proactively communicate expected completion times.
• Identify inventory discrepancies and drive corrective action with Production/Shipping to reconcile.
• Maintain the weekly “special claims cut/transfer” cadence for programs such as Prime, Organic, RWA, and GAP, communicating expected ship/transfer days.
• Validate scheduled items for special programs and escalate immediately when required items are missing.
• Coordinate special marking/holding requirements from harvest and communicate counts/availability to Production before cut begins.
• Initiate and track rework actions (e.g., return cases for rework, bone-out for grinds, re-code/convert) and ensure inventory corrections post-completion.
• Recommend feasible sequencing alternatives when the plant is behind schedule or capacity constrained; align changes with Shipping/Operations priorities.
• Coordinate substitutions or recodes to satisfy customer demand while protecting label/spec requirements.
• Stay informed about equipment constraints impacting schedule execution; coordinate with Operations on estimated return-to-service and adjust schedules accordingly.
• Promptly update stakeholders on impacts to ship dates and required schedule changes during downtime or staffing shortages.
• Maintain scheduling distribution groups to ensure coverage during absences and rapid dissemination of changes.
• Support Shipping/Operations during system issues that delay order close-out or paperwork accuracy; coordinate resolution and communicate status.

Scope of Duties

• Harvest-related scheduling coordination (harvest plan inputs, special marks/holds, and downstream impacts).
• Cut-floor/fabrication and transfer timing for customer programs.
• Sausage Kitchen/Grinding plan coordination (e.g., VC999, Raiser, Grinder) and changeover planning.
• Special claims & customer programs (e.g., Prime, Organic, RWA, GAP) with required cut/pack timing.
• Rework/inventory correction coordination to protect order fill-rate and freshness.
• Communication with transportation, shipping, and sales.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED preferred.
• 3-5 years of related experience; manufacturing/processing experience preferred.
• Strong cross-functional communication and ability to operate in a high-change environment with limited direction.
• Ability to read and interpret documents and procedure manuals in English.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Proficiency in basic mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to solve practical problems with limited direction and interpret instructions in written, oral, diagram, or other forms.

Skills

• Advanced Microsoft Excel competency (pivot tables, formulas, structured tables) for scheduling models, inventory/age reviews, and variance tracking.
• Ability to maintain and distribute controlled schedule versions through Microsoft Teams/Outlook with disciplined revision naming and stakeholder routing.
• Comfort working with production systems and reports (e.g., EOS reporting, downtime dashboards, inventory snapshots) to validate plan vs. actual and drive corrective actions.
• Basic data hygiene skills: validate inputs, reconcile discrepancies, and maintain a single source of truth for schedule assumptions and execution updates.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint).
• Ability to manipulate data in Excel, use formulas, and communicate via phone systems, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

• Regularly required to sit, walk, and stand.
• Frequently required to talk or hear, both in person and by telephone.
• Use hands repetitively to finger, handle, feel, or operate standard office equipment.
• Reach with hands and arms.
• In certain areas, may work near moving equipment.

Work Environment

Employee works under typical office conditions with a usually quiet noise level. In certain areas, may be exposed to moving equipment.