Senior Production Planner

Essential Responsibilities and Duties

• Own and maintain the Master Production Schedule (MPS), determining production sequencing, lot sizing, and order release timing, to support efficient utilization of plant capacity while meeting customer delivery commitments.
• Set backlog recovery strategy, tracking clear-to-build (CTB) status and establishing and directing action plans to resolve past-due orders.
• Lead capacity planning across key work centers to identify constraints and determine level-loading of shop floor schedules.
• Lead the operational review of Engineering Change Notices (ECNs), including evaluating inventory exposure, approving ERP effectivity dates, and directing phase-in/phase-out cut-overs.
• Participate in the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, translating the demand plan into an executable production schedule and identifying capacity gaps.
• Establish and maintain accuracy of MRP data, including lead times, yields, routings, and Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Monitor short-part lists and partner with Purchasing and Logistics to determine resolution paths for supply line disruptions.
• Monitor and partner with Purchasing to set safety stock, reorder points, and min-max parameters, balancing inventory carrying cost against stockout and line-down risk.
• Monitor and partner with Purchasing, Materials Manager, Operations, and Finance to establish inventory targets and turn objectives to approve exceptions to standard planning parameters.
• Serve as an operational point of contact between Sales, Customer Service, Procurement, and Shop Floor Leadership.
• Support Sales with customer quote requests by analyzing capacity and material lead times to establish and commit Available-to-Promise (ATP) delivery dates.
• Communicate schedule risks and constraints to internal teams and leadership as needed.
• Maintain open, two-way communication with the Production Manager on production schedule changes, ensuring any adjustments are reflected in the schedule and MRP data.
• Participate in daily/weekly production control meetings.
• Participate in continuous improvement projects.
• Provide work direction, training, and technical guidance to Production Planner(s); serve as the site escalation point for complex scheduling and material issues.
• Accountable for on-time delivery, schedule adherence, past-due backlog reduction, and inventory turn performance for the facility.

Minimum Qualifications

• A high school diploma or GED required;
• An Associate or Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or related field strongly preferred;
• 8+ years of experience in scheduling, production planning, or materials management within a manufacturing environment, including ownership of a master production schedule;
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (Epicor preferred);
• Strong Excel skills for calculations, tracking, and reporting;
• Ability to read and interpret BOMs, routings, and work instructions;
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.