Material and Production Planner

LotusBakeries•Mebane, NC

14d•Onsite

About The Position

The Material and Production Planner owns production planning and material replenishment activities for Plant Mebane, ensuring timely and efficient delivery of products by balancing customer demand, production capacity, material availability, inventory levels, and overall supply chain costs. This position reports to the Planning & Materials Manager and works fully onsite at Plant Mebane. The expected work hours are 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Minimal domestic travel is expected.

Requirements

5-7 years of experience in planning or purchasing
Bachelor's Degree in an analytical discipline
Experience working in an ERP system (SAP, Oracle, etc.)
Experience working with vendors to make and execute delivery plans
Experience with primary and tertiary packaging materials
Math and analytical thinking
Advanced understanding of MRP planning concepts
Materials management and warehouse fundamentals
Advanced knowledge of Excel. Able to use Formulas, pivot tables, and import text files to spreadsheets.
Problem solving and decision making
Accountability and responsibility
Flexibility and willingness to adjust with shifting responsibilities in a growing environment
Customer focus (internal and external)
Interpersonal skills and conflict management
Entrepreneurship and “hands on” mentality
Strong communication & collaborative skills
Creative and out of the box thinking
Continuous improvement mentality
Organizational skills
Team Spirit, Open Dialogue, Passion
Ownership of the production plans success
Strong safety awareness

Nice To Haves

APICS CPIM/CSCP preferred
Experience with Macros a plus
Experience in food and CPG is a plus

Responsibilities

Develop and manage daily production schedules for Plant Mebane, balancing customer demand, production capacity, material availability, and operational efficiency to achieve service, inventory, and cost objectives.
Create and execute material replenishment plans utilizing MRP outputs, demand forecasts, inventory targets, supplier lead times, and business requirements to ensure material availability while optimizing working capital.
Create, release, maintain, and manage purchase orders in SAP to support production requirements and inventory replenishment strategies.
Monitor open purchase orders, supplier commitments, and material deliveries, proactively resolving shortages, delays, and supply risks to minimize production disruptions.
Collaborate with suppliers, Procurement, and internal stakeholders to develop delivery schedules, expedite critical materials, and improve overall supplier performance.
Analyze inventory performance, including Days on Hand (DOH), inventory turns, excess and obsolete inventory, and warehouse capacity utilization, driving initiatives that improve working capital and operational efficiency.
Monitor production results and schedule adherence, adjusting plans and priorities as needed to support changing customer demand and manufacturing requirements.
Serve as the primary liaison between Production, Quality, Procurement, Warehouse, Logistics, and Sales, communicating priorities, resolving issues, and ensuring alignment across the supply chain.
Own the creation, management, accuracy, and closure of production orders in SAP while maintaining planning parameters, master data, and system integrity to support effective planning and execution.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives and supply chain projects through data analysis and cross-functional collaboration to improve service levels, inventory performance, operational efficiency, and total supply chain cost.