Planner

Hydraulic Technologies USA, LLC•Rockford, IL

81d•$70,000 - $100,000•Onsite

About The Position

At Hydraulic Technologies, great planning drives everything we do. Every production schedule impacts customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, inventory performance, and business success. We're looking for a highly motivated Planner who thrives on solving complex challenges, balancing priorities, and keeping manufacturing operations running smoothly. If you enjoy working with data, collaborating across teams, and making decisions that directly influence production performance, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact every day. As a Planner, you'll serve as a critical link between customer demand, production capacity, material availability, and operational execution. You'll help ensure the right work is scheduled at the right time, resources are utilized effectively, and customer commitments are met.

Requirements

2+ years of experience in production planning, scheduling, supply chain, or manufacturing operations.
Strong understanding of MRP, production scheduling, inventory management, capacity planning, and replenishment strategies.
Experience with ERP/MRP systems and data-driven planning environments.
Strong analytical skills and advanced Excel capabilities.
Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in hydraulic, aerospace, automotive, or other high-mix manufacturing environments.
Experience with SAP, Power BI, and production scheduling tools.
Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Theory of Constraints (TOC), SIOP/S&OP, and inventory optimization practices.

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and communicate production schedules that align customer demand, material availability, labor capacity, and operational priorities.
Level-load production lines and work centers to improve workflow, reduce schedule disruptions, and support consistent execution.
Create and maintain production orders, planned orders, and planning signals within SAP and other business systems.
Monitor schedule performance and proactively adjust plans as customer priorities, capacity constraints, and operational conditions change.
Coordinate daily scheduling priorities with Operations to support on-time delivery and effective use of manufacturing resources.
Analyze demand, inventory levels, open orders, and production requirements to ensure materials are available when needed.
Identify shortages, supply risks, excess inventory, and constraints before they impact production or customer delivery.
Partner with Buyers and Operations to resolve material issues and maintain the right balance between inventory investment and availability.
Support inventory accuracy, replenishment processes, and planning discipline that improve schedule reliability and reduce firefighting.
Analyze backlog, demand, capacity, inventory, shortages, and production performance data to support informed decision-making.
Maintain accurate planning data and scheduling parameters within ERP systems.
Create reports and communicate schedule status, risks, and opportunities to key stakeholders.
Identify trends and opportunities to improve efficiency, lead times, and overall planning performance.
Work closely with Operations, Purchasing, Customer Service, Engineering, Quality, and Finance to align production plans with business priorities.
Participate in planning and production meetings to communicate priorities, resolve challenges, and drive accountability.
Support new product introductions, engineering changes, customer expedites, and continuous improvement initiatives.