Production Planner

Slate Auto•Warsaw, IN

About The Position

At Slate, we’re building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them. | WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR We are seeking a proactive, high-energy Production Scheduler to serve as the heartbeat of our automotive manufacturing operations. In this role, you aren’t just moving dates on a calendar; you are orchestrating the complex flow of a high-volume assembly environment. You will be responsible for creating and maintaining production schedules that balance customer demand, equipment capacity, and material availability. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who doesn't wait for a problem to arrive before solving it. You should be as comfortable wearing high-vis gear on the shop floor talking to team members as you are in a boardroom presenting schedule attainment metrics to senior management.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field is required.
3 to 6 years of experience in production scheduling or master planning, specifically within a high-volume automotive or Tier-1 supplier environment.
Technical Skills: Strong proficiency in ERP/MES systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle/NetSuite, Plex, FUUZ).
Expert-level proficiency in Microsoft Excel is required (lookups, complex formulas, pivot tables, and data visualization).
Exceptional interpersonal skills with the "grit" to communicate effectively in a fast-paced, high-pressure shop floor environment.
Deep understanding of Just-in-Time (JIT) and Just-in-Sequence (JIS) delivery models.
Experience with AIAG standards, including labeling and shipping requirements.
Familiarity with Theory of Constraints (ToC) and how to schedule around a "bottleneck" operation.
Proven ability to remain calm and analytical when production priorities shift mid-shift.

Responsibilities

Operational Scheduling & Coordination Develop and maintain a rolling production schedule that satisfies both primary OEM requirements and vital service demands.
Act as the primary bridge between Production Control, Manufacturing, and Service to ensure alignment on daily, weekly, and monthly output goals.
Anticipate potential bottlenecks or capacity constraints and proactively develop "Plan B" scenarios to maintain flow.
Lead daily "Tiers" or production stand-up meetings, providing clear direction on priorities and recovery plans.
Work Order Management & Systems execution Issue and manage Work Orders through the ERP/MES system (e.g., SAP, NetSuite, Plex, Fuuz), ensuring data integrity and timely closing of production signals.
Monitor production progress in real-time, adjusting schedules dynamically as machine downtime, quality holds, or material shortages arise.
Maintain a high degree of Excel flexibility; while we rely on our ERP, you must be able to build "offline" models, pivot tables, and trackers to solve complex problems on the fly.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication Interface with all levels of the organization—from providing clarity to shop floor operators to reporting schedule risks to senior leadership.
Collaborate with the Material Planning team to ensure the supply chain supports the current production sequence.
Work closely with the Quality and Engineering departments to schedule trials, new product introductions (NPI), and engineering change crossovers without disrupting customer shipments.
Demand & Capacity Optimization Analyze historical performance data and equipment OEE to refine scheduling logic and improve lead-time accuracy.
Support the transition of obsolete parts and new model year launches by managing the "run-out" and "ramp-up" schedules.
Continuous Improvement Identify opportunities to reduce changeover times and optimize batch sizes through lean scheduling principles.
Conduct root cause analysis on "missed" production targets and implement corrective scheduling actions to prevent recurrence.