Sr. Production Planner

About the role

The Senior Production Planner III leads advanced production planning and scheduling activities to ensure optimal material flow, on-time delivery, and efficient use of manufacturing resources. This role develops and executes production plans aligned with customer demand, capacity constraints, and inventory targets while driving continuous improvement across planning processes.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and execute the Master Production Schedule (MPS) to meet customer demand and on-time delivery targets.
• Translate forecasts and customer orders into detailed production and work order plans.
• Balance demand and supply while considering capacity, labor, tooling, and material constraints.
• Monitor schedule adherence and adjust plans to address changes in demand, shortages, or production issues.
• Prioritize and release work orders in alignment with business objectives.
• Partner with Engineering, Program Management, Supply Chain, and Operations to ensure material readiness, capacity availability, and schedule alignment for NPI programs.
• Support first article builds, pilot runs, and customer milestone schedules.
• Analyze inventory levels and drive initiatives to optimize inventory turns while preventing stockouts.
• Participate in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and demand planning meetings.
• Communicate risks, schedule impacts, and mitigation strategies to stakeholders.
• Track and report KPIs such as on-time delivery (OTD), schedule attainment, inventory turns, NPI milestone adherence, and forecast accuracy.
• Lead and support process improvement initiatives related to planning, scheduling, NPI execution, and system optimization.
• Improve ERP/MRP data integrity including BOMs, routings, lead times, and safety stock parameters.
• Develop and document standard work procedures for planning processes.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in production planning and ERP/MRP systems.
• Mentor and provide guidance to junior planners.
• Support training efforts and promote best practices within the planning team.
• Identify supply chain and production risks and develop contingency plans.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory standards, and customer requirements.

Qualifications

• APICS-CPIM 3 of 5 modules completed
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills
• Strong knowledge of purchasing and planning principles and procedures
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems. Epicor a plus
• Able to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Able to work independently and collaboratively with a team
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in business, supply chain management or related field
• Minimum 5 years of experience in material, demand, and production planning