Lead Planner

Columbus McKinnon Corporation•Hartland, WI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Dorner Manufacturing, a Columbus McKinnon Organization, is growing, and we’re looking for people who want more than just a job—they want a workplace where they can thrive. Enjoy a culture that prioritizes your work-life balance, leaders who communicate openly, and a company committed to continuous growth and innovation. Discover a career where you can make a difference and still make time for what matters most, apply now! The Lead Planner is responsible for full production control of assigned product line. Schedules, tracks, coordinates, and expedites the flow of materials between suppliers, machines and production cells to ensure that customer requirements are met in a timely and cost-effective manner. This role leads the planning team, drives cross‑functional coordination, ensures data integrity within planning systems, and champions continuous improvement across the value stream. The Lead Production Planner plays a critical role in achieving key operational KPIs in safety, quality, delivery, inventory, and cost. Infrequent travel may be required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree from a college or university; or 5 years related experience and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.
5+ years of manufacturing scheduling and planning ERP system experience with a portion including support of complex assembled product.
Ability to solve practical problems in situations where only limited standardization exists.
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
Computer literacy and computer operational proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (primarily Excel).
Initiative to constantly identify and resolve all issues.
Sense of urgency combined with exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills to fix problems permanently.
Good communication skills to fully understand the needs of suppliers and customers both internally and externally.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals.
Ability to write reports and business correspondence.
Good interpersonal skills to enable the incumbent to effectively and intelligently deal with suppliers and internal technical personnel.

Nice To Haves

CPIM (Certified in Planning and Inventory Management) a plus.
Previous leadership experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage and maintain lead time, capacity, and schedule for assigned product.
Quote sales order delivery capabilities as required.
Communicate with customer service regarding order status and delivery capabilities.
Analyze production capacities and constraints, identifying opportunities for optimization and proposing adjustments to the production plan when needed to maximize throughput.
Provide production planning and schedule support to the warehouse as needed for assigned product lines.
Evaluate MRP and release work orders to fulfill requirements for assigned products.
Manage and monitor work orders, which includes maintaining work order and sales order due dates, accounting for substitutions, handling cancelled orders, returns, monitoring status, and addressing variances.
Establish and optimize planning standards across all product lines.
Establish and maintain standard work for Planners to follow.
Monitor and report out on inventory levels throughout the various stages of production (raw, WIP, Finished Goods) and develop standard work to align processes across multiple manufacturing locations.
Understand and refine system parameters to optimize inventory levels.
Work with Sales to provide inputs, anticipated demand, and ordering requirements.
Calculate and forecast inventory levels, working to optimize on hand balance.
Develop and implement inventory reduction plans and supplier forecasts.
Track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs), Inventory turns/on hand levels, Price Variance, etc.
Collaborate with Sales and Product Management to support launching new products and rationalizing existing offerings.
Implement ECNs and control inventory.
Update existing work instructions and assist with onsite training.
Upgrade team capability through standards, training, and best-practice adoption.