Retail Demand & Manufacturing Planner

Role Summary JOB DESCRIPTION Retail Demand & Manufacturing Planner role is accountable for converting retail demand into a stable, executable manufacturing plan while protecting customer service, plant stability, and total network This role manages the end-to-end planning process for key retail customers by reviewing customer-provided forecasts, actual POS demand, open orders, inventory availability, manufacturing capacity, and delivery requirements. This position serves as the critical link between retail customer demand signals and plant execution. The Planner will work closely with manufacturing teams, materials, customer service, logistics, and supply chain leadership to ensure orders are planned, produced, and delivered on time and in full to high-value customers. The role requires a network mindset - evaluating not only individual plant capacity, but also broader network capability to determine the optimal location to run customer orders. This position will support SIOP discipline, Lean planning principles, schedule adherence, constraint visibility, and proactive issue escalation. In addition, the role will have bandwidth to support smaller ad hoc projects as a program/project manager, ensuring timely execution, clear ownership, and early communication of risks or delays. Responsibilities Core Responsibilities Retail Demand Planning & SIOP Alignment Review customer-provided forecasts, actual POs trends, open order demand, and customer priorities to build a clear demand picture Translate forecast and POs information into executable supply plans and manufacturing schedules aligned with SIOP principles Partner with Sales, Customer Service, Operations, and Materials teams to ensure demand changes are visible, understood, and reflected in planning decisions Identify demand shifts, forecast gaps, customer order risk, and capacity constraints early enough to drive corrective action Support the SIOP cadence by providing clear inputs on retail demand, capacity outlook, order coverage, inventory exposure, and delivery risk Recommends network production placement, level-loading, and order prioritization decisions; escalates trade-offs for leadership approval when service, cost, capacity, or plant feasibility conflict. Ensure retail schedule decisions support SQDCCP performance and do not create avoidable safety, quality, labor, freight, or customer risk. Manufacturing Scheduling & Plant Execution Partner directly with plant manufacturing teams to convert retail demand into realistic daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules Monitor schedule adherence and work with operations to resolve gaps impacting customer delivery Ensure production schedules are balanced, executable, and clearly communicated to manufacturing, materials, and logistics teams Drive proactive communication when schedule changes, capacity constraints, material shortages, or operational bottlenecks place customer delivery at risk Executes planning discipline through the ASD Lean Operating System, including SQDCCP visibility, Tiered Management, visual controls, PDCA problem solving, and standard work Network Capacity & Order Optimization Evaluate total network capacity - not just single-plant capacity - to determine the best manufacturing location for customer orders Identify opportunities to shift, level-load, or rebalance demand across the network to improve service, reduce bottlenecks, and optimize throughput Partner with manufacturing and supply chain leadership to highlight capacity constraints, open capacity, and recommended order placement decisions Support scenario planning for customer demand changes, surge volume, promotional activity, or short-term capacity disruptions Customer Delivery & OTIF Performance Own planning execution required to support on-time, in-full delivery performance for high-value retail customers Track customer orders from demand signal through manufacturing execution and delivery readiness. Identify late, at-risk, short, or unfulfilled orders and coordinate cross-functional action to protect customer commitments Work closely with customer service, logistics, operations, and materials teams to ensure customer priorities are visible and fulfilled Support root cause analysis for missed shipments, partial deliveries, schedule misses, or customer service failures Lean Planning, Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement Apply Lean principles to create stability, reduce firefighting, and improve flow across the retail order fulfillment process Use standard work, visual management, and daily/weekly planning cadence to improve schedule discipline and execution visibility Identify process gaps in forecasting, scheduling, order management, capacity planning, and customer delivery execution Support continuous improvement projects that improve planning accuracy, delivery reliability, inventory alignment, and manufacturing flow Escalate issues with clear problem statements, impact, root cause, countermeasures, and timing Supporting planning/process improvements, Lead or support smaller ad hoc projects tied to planning, customer service, retail execution, inventory alignment, or process improvement Build project timelines, track deliverables, identify risks, and communicate status to stakeholders Ensure action items have clear owners, due dates, escalation paths, and measurable outcomes Highlight project delays, roadblocks, or resource constraints early to ensure timely resolution Support cross-functional initiatives requiring coordination between operations, materials, supply chain, customer service, logistics, and commercial teams Leadership Expectations Acts as the daily connection point between customer demand, manufacturing execution, and delivery performance Operates with urgency, accuracy, and ownership in support of high-value retail customer commitments Uses data, SIOP discipline, and Lean problem solving to drive proactive planning - not reactive firefighting Builds strong working relationships with manufacturing, materials, customer service, logistics, sales, and leadership teams Communicates clearly and early when customer delivery, schedule adherence, or capacity is at risk. Demonstrates strong follow-through, project ownership, and accountability for execution Balances customer service needs with operational feasibility, capacity constraints, and network optimization Maintains a continuous improvement mindset focused on service, schedule reliability, and process discipline Challenges reactive order-by-order decision-making by using data, standard work, and network-level thinking to protect customer commitments and manufacturing stability. Qualifications QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Operations Management, Business, Industrial Engineering, or related field preferred 5+ years of experience in production planning, manufacturing scheduling, supply chain planning, materials management, customer planning, or related manufacturing role Experience supporting retail, high-volume, customer-facing, or make-to-order / make-to-stock manufacturing environments preferred Strong understanding of SIOP, demand planning, production scheduling, capacity planning, and inventory flow Experience working with customer forecasts, POs data, open orders, inventory availability, and manufacturing schedules Ability to evaluate capacity across multiple manufacturing locations and recommend practical execution plans Strong ERP/MRP knowledge and ability to work with planning parameters, work orders, demand signals, and production schedules Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel and planning/reporting tools. Demonstrated ability to manage priorities, communicate risks, and coordinate cross-functional action Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement experience preferred Strong communication skills with the ability to work with plant teams, customer service, logistics, sales, and leadership Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, high-visibility customer service environment Position Impact This role is critical to ensuring the company delivers a high level of customer service to its most important retail customers. Success will be measured by how effectively the Scheduler/Planner converts customer forecast and POs demand into executable manufacturing schedules, optimizes available network capacity, protects on-time and in-full delivery, and drives proactive issue resolution. The position directly impacts customer satisfaction, schedule stability, manufacturing efficiency, inventory alignment, and retail fulfillment performance. By applying SIOP discipline, Lean planning principles, and strong cross-functional coordination, this role helps create a more reliable, responsive, and customer-focused supply chain.