Production Planner

GRIFOLS, S.A.•NC-Clayton, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Production Planner schedules daily work-in-process (WIP) inventories in a highly regulated healthcare manufacturing environment, supporting annual sales of more than $2 billion. The role selects materials, schedules production, and assigns quality testing in accordance with regulatory and quality requirements for intended markets while maximizing throughput. It requires knowledge of manufacturing interdependencies, constraints, and requirements so schedules can be managed efficiently and contingency plans developed quickly. The planner drives production in the assigned area and communicates operational requirements to customers and colleagues, coordinating daily between Production and Supply Planning. The position manages WIP inventory valued at more than $500 million, monitors inventory and production pace, and adjusts plans to support delivery performance, product-outdate objectives, and production targets. It also supports 24/7 manufacturing operations, uses SAP and OSM for planning and related transactions, and may train colleagues, contribute to cross-functional projects, and interact with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Planning, Procurement, and other stakeholders. The position may be filled at the Jr. Production Planner, Production Planner, Sr. Production Planner, or Production Planning Specialist level, commensurate with experience.

Requirements

A BS/BA degree in a relevant field for the listed planner levels; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered for Production Planner, Sr. Production Planner, and Production Planning Specialist.
Jr. Production Planner: 1 year of applicable experience in materials and/or manufacturing scheduling; proficiency in Excel and/or database management systems is required.
Production Planner: 3 years of related experience, including applicable materials and/or manufacturing scheduling experience or equivalent manufacturing experience.
Sr. Production Planner: 4 years of related experience, including applicable materials and/or manufacturing scheduling experience or equivalent manufacturing experience.
Production Planning Specialist: 5 years of related experience, including applicable materials and/or manufacturing scheduling experience or equivalent manufacturing experience.
Knowledge of manufacturing processes, manufacturing constraints, and cGMPs.
Knowledge of the SAP ERP system and Microsoft Office; stronger SAP Production Planning and Inventory Management expertise is specified for senior and specialist levels.
Ability to work in a constantly changing environment and shift plans and priorities daily to meet mid- and long-term objectives.
Strong communication, organization, logistics, multitasking, and decision-making skills.
Ability to exercise judgment within defined procedures and practices; independent decision-making is required for senior and specialist levels.
Ability to communicate information clearly, understand spoken and written information, interact with others, share sensitive information with diverse groups, and work with diverse groups to reach consensus.
Ability to travel frequently by driving to site locations, with occasional travel within the United States.

Nice To Haves

Biological or pharmaceutical environment experience is desirable, particularly for the Jr. Production Planner, and preferred for the other listed planner levels.

Responsibilities

Create weekly production schedules within work-center product, equipment, and labor capacity constraints to achieve delivery performance, maximize throughput, and meet product-outdate objectives.
Align production schedules with capacities in upstream and downstream departments.
Coordinate production equipment and manpower to meet throughput targets and the release plan while balancing project, validation, and maintenance schedules.
Monitor production pace and timelines, communicate status to managers and internal customers, analyze delays, and propose solutions.
Issue batch numbers, product codes, inspection lots (including additional testing when required), environmental monitoring inspection lots, and serialization information according to source-plasma specifications and intended-market regulatory requirements.
Control WIP inventory valued at more than $500 million in support of more than $2 billion in sales.
Combine intermediate materials from multiple sources and specifications correctly.
Monitor WIP inventory and track it to avoid expiration-related write-offs.
Manage inventory levels at each WIP stage to prevent shortages and excesses.
Select WIP to maximize throughput where inventory is excessive and ensure timely identification and destruction of excess WIP.
Monitor upstream and downstream production areas and proactively adjust plans based on supplying and receiving department performance.
Provide input to departmental priorities based on market or divisional needs and act as a Supply Chain liaison among Procurement, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Quality.
Establish departmental priorities based on market or divisional needs and act as a Supply Chain liaison among Procurement, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Quality.
Recommend changes to manufacturing equipment or personnel utilization to meet supply requirements.
Publish weekly and monthly site performance reports.
Use SAP for Production Planning, inspection-lot assignment, inventory-management transactions, and generation of weekly schedules; serve as a subject matter expert for SAP Production Planning information.
Use OSM to generate serialization information based on scheduled production orders and applicable quality criteria.
Support 24/7 manufacturing operations.
Assign inspection plans based on market destinations and non-routine activities.
Generate Production Planning training materials and provide training.
Schedule at least two key production areas: Fractionation, Purification, IGIV-C, Filling, or Packaging.
Handle independent assignments in at least two of the following areas: Deviations, Document Revisions, Quality Metrics, Change Control with Master Data Requests, Limbo, or Reagent.
Participate on cross-functional teams or lead medium-complexity projects with limited direct supervision.