Production Planner

Aston Carter • Sacramento, CA

1d • $40 - $45 • Onsite

About The Position

The Production Planner, External Planning, develops and maintains production and capacity plans with external manufacturing partners to support product availability, appropriate inventory levels, and customer service. The role translates demand into executable schedules while accounting for materials, manufacturing capacity, product shelf life, and cost. It works closely with Demand Planning, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality/Food Safety, Logistics, and Customer Service to monitor execution, identify supply constraints, and recommend adjustments. The role also contributes planning data and scenario analysis to the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process and supports continuous improvement across the external manufacturing network.

This is a contract-to-hire position based in Sacramento, California, and is fully onsite. The stated pay range is $40.00–$45.00 per hour. The position is anticipated to close on November 20, 2026.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Business, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• At least 1 year of experience in production planning, supply planning, scheduling, or related supply chain work.
• Experience coordinating production with manufacturers and using ERP or production planning systems.
• Ability to analyze demand, inventory, capacity, and production data using Excel or comparable reporting tools.
• Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and cross-functional coordination skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with co-manufacturing or external manufacturing networks.
• Experience with food, beverage, CPG, or shelf-life-sensitive products.
• Experience with IBP/S&OP and advanced planning or ERP tools such as SAP.
• Experience using syndicated market or consumption data and business intelligence tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Knowledge of product lifecycle planning, promotions, innovation launches, product transitions, and SKU rationalization.
• APICS CPIM, CSCP, or another relevant supply chain certification.
• Experience supporting forecasting process improvements, system implementations, or advanced analytics capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop, update, and execute production and capacity plans for external manufacturing partners, aligning schedules with demand, inventory targets, material availability, and IBP priorities.
• Coordinate production scheduling, sequencing, and product mix with co-manufacturers, accounting for capacity, lead times, shelf-life requirements, and cost and service trade-offs.
• Maintain short-, medium-, and long-range supply plans; evaluate feasibility and recommend adjustments in response to changing demand or manufacturing conditions.
• Monitor supply risks, including material shortages, capacity constraints, quality holds, and aging inventory; develop scenarios and recommend mitigation actions or production reallocations.
• Serve as a day-to-day planning contact for co-manufacturers by confirming production commitments, communicating schedule changes, and following up on execution gaps.
• Coordinate with Procurement, Quality/Food Safety, Logistics, Warehousing, and Customer Service to support material readiness, product release, and timely product availability.
• Track schedule attainment, service levels, inventory health, waste, and other key performance indicators; investigate variances and support corrective actions with partners.
• Provide capacity, constraint, and supply plan information to Demand Planning, Commercial teams, and IBP discussions to support cross-functional decisions.
• Improve planning processes, data accuracy, reporting, and system use to strengthen visibility and execution across the external manufacturing network.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, subject to eligibility.
• Critical illness, accident, and hospital coverage, subject to eligibility.
• 401(k) retirement plan with pre-tax and Roth post-tax contribution options, subject to eligibility.
• Voluntary life and AD&D insurance for the employee and dependents, subject to eligibility.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage, subject to eligibility.
• Health Spending Account (HSA), subject to eligibility.
• Transportation benefits, subject to eligibility.
• Employee Assistance Program, subject to eligibility.
• Time off/leave, including PTO, vacation, or sick leave, subject to eligibility.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level