Production Planner

Post Consumer Brands•Northfield, MN

68d•$61,205 - $85,688•Onsite

About The Position

The Production Planner is accountable for the establishment and the management of the production schedules for the entire sites including lines, flavor types, display pallets, and co-manufactured products within their portfolio. This includes the creation of production schedules that balance the competing needs of customer service levels, manufacturing efficiencies, and proper lead times while maintaining inventory levels within the range set forth through the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process. Primary responsibilities of the Production Planner are to prepare, plan, issue and control production schedules to meet ongoing and promotional demand. It is important to follow the standard processes, leverage technology and improve best practices to positively impact results. Support, implement, and maintain food safety and quality practices as required through SQF. Other key functions the position works with: Customer Solutions – to maintain service level targets on customer orders Master Supply Planning – to understand and implement the supply plans, to coordinate flavor type changes, and to problem solve and prioritize as needed to maximize customer service levels Demand Planning – to increase service levels through refinement and understanding of the demand signal Transportation - to coordinate loads to Co-Manufacturers, ensure availability when needed, minimize excess product movement, and schedule direct plant shipments Finance - to track and reconcile purchase orders with Co-Manufacturer invoices Material Planning - to assure production schedules and modifications are compatible with ingredient and packaging lead times and availability Operations – to create schedules as efficiently as possible for processing and packaging given current demand requirements, labor plans, promotions and service levels Other Production Planners – to coordinate production plans across networks, and to confirm and increase availability of required finished good and semi-finished good items Co-Manufacturing Planning – to coordinate production schedules and requirements across businesses

Requirements

Bachelor degree in Supply Chain, Business, Accounting or related field is preferred
Integrated planning systems training like ERP/DRP/MPS/MRP/CRP is required
Would prefer a minimum of 5 years of combined related experience operating in areas of inventory control, production scheduling, master planning, demand management, capacity management, materials management, or distribution resource planning; with preference in food processing/packaging
Strong knowledge of manufacturing systems and processes
Able to build relationships

Nice To Haves

Professional certification from APICS and/or ISM is desirable

Responsibilities

Develop and implement appropriate production strategies and best practices for a complex and evolving set of SKU’s across production sites, lines, flavor types, and promotions
Create and maintain long-term and daily production schedules that meet target customer service levels, are operationally efficient, maintain flexibility, and reduce risk of excess inventory
Responsively adjust production schedules to meet changing demands within the guidelines of lead times, labor planning, packaging and ingredient availability, production lock windows, and stated planning timelines
Communicate at multiple levels both inside and outside the organization to discuss causes and impacts of schedule changes, compare capacity and demand, and escalate risks for awareness and mitigation
Use Short Interval Controls on Key Performance Indicators to identify issues and make appropriate revisions within the production schedule. Escalate as needed for root cause analysis or cross-functional problem solving to pursue opportunities and resolve recurring issues
Align weekly and daily production schedules with the S&OP supply and network plans
Integrate with operations, warehousing and Co-Manufacturers to achieve operations efficiency through proper production sequencing and understanding of operational limitations
Demonstrate continuous improvement in the schedule sequencing, routing, labor planning, communication and/or the scheduling process
Provide recommendations to improve service and reduce costs through process improvements
Provide cross-functional leadership and expertise within the assigned production sites, lines and flavor types
All other duties as assigned