Production Planner

Grifols•Clayton, NC

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Grifols is hiring a Production Planner in Clayton, North Carolina. The role schedules daily work-in-process (WIP) inventories and production across assigned areas in a highly regulated healthcare manufacturing environment. It ensures material selection, scheduling, and quality testing meet regulatory and market requirements while maximizing throughput and supporting product availability. The Production Planner coordinates production plans with capacity, labor, equipment, and upstream and downstream requirements. The role manages WIP inventory, monitors production progress, addresses delays, and communicates status and requirements to manufacturing teams, managers, and internal customers. It also acts as a Supply Chain liaison across Procurement, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Quality, and uses SAP and OSM for planning, inventory, inspection-lot, and serialization activities. The posting describes several levels—Jr. Production Planner, Production Planner, Sr. Production Planner, and Production Planning Specialist—with education and experience expectations varying by level. The role supports 24/7 manufacturing operations and may participate in or lead cross-functional projects. Work is primarily in an office environment, with frequent driving to site locations and occasional travel within the United States.

Requirements

For Jr. Production Planner: BS/BA degree in a relevant field and 1 year of applicable work experience in materials and/or manufacturing scheduling; proficiency in Excel and/or database management systems.
For Production Planner: BS/BA degree in a relevant field and 3 years of related experience; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
For Sr. Production Planner: BS/BA degree in a relevant field and 4 years of related experience; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
For Production Planning Specialist: BS/BA degree in a relevant field and 5 years of related experience; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
Applicable work experience in materials and/or manufacturing scheduling, or equivalent manufacturing experience, with experience in a biological or pharmaceutical environment preferred for the Production Planner, Sr. Production Planner, and Production Planning Specialist levels.
Knowledge of manufacturing processes, manufacturing constraints, and cGMPs.
Knowledge of SAP ERP and Microsoft Office; strong SAP Production Planning and Inventory Management expertise is specified for the Sr. Production Planner and Production Planning Specialist levels.
Ability to adapt plans and priorities in a constantly changing environment while meeting mid- and long-term objectives.
Strong communication, organization, logistical, multitasking, and decision-making skills.
Ability to exercise judgment within defined procedures and practices; independent decision-making is specified for the Sr. Production Planner and Production Planning Specialist levels.
Ability to communicate and understand information presented verbally and in writing, interact with others, communicate sensitive information to diverse groups, and work with diverse groups to reach consensus.
Ability to perform the stated occupational demands, including frequent sitting and hand movements, occasional walking, standing, bending, and twisting, and lifting and carrying up to 25 pounds.
Ability to drive frequently to site locations and travel occasionally within the United States.

Nice To Haves

Biological or pharmaceutical environment experience; the posting also identifies biological or pharmaceutical experience as desirable for the Jr. Production Planner level.
Co-op experience is identified as an example of desirable experience for the Jr. Production Planner level.
Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, constraints, and cGMPs across multiple production areas and the GT site for Sr. Production Planner and Production Planning Specialist levels.

Responsibilities

Create weekly production schedules within identified work-center capacity constraints, aligning plans with upstream and downstream departments.
Schedule production to meet delivery performance, maximize throughput, meet product outdate objectives, and balance production targets with project, validation, and maintenance work.
Coordinate equipment and manpower utilization to meet throughput targets and the release plan.
Monitor production pace and timelines, communicate production status to managers and internal customers, analyze delays, and propose solutions.
Issue batch numbers, product codes, product inspection lots, environmental monitoring inspection lots, and serialization information according to source plasma specifications and intended-market requirements.
Control and monitor WIP inventory, including combining intermediate materials from multiple sources and specifications, maintaining appropriate inventory levels, preventing expiration-related write-offs, and identifying excess WIP for destruction.
Monitor upstream and downstream production areas and adjust schedules proactively in response to supplying or receiving department performance.
Provide input on departmental priorities based on market and division needs; act as a Supply Chain liaison among Procurement, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Quality.
Recommend changes to equipment and personnel utilization to meet supply requirements.
Publish weekly and monthly site performance reports.
Use SAP for production planning, inspection-lot assignment, inventory management, and weekly schedule generation; 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 and assign inspection plans based on market destinations and non-routine activities.
Generate Production Planning training materials and provide training.
Demonstrate scheduling capability in at least two key production areas: Fractionation, Purification, IGIV-C, Filling, or Packaging.
Complete independent assignments in at least two of the following areas: Deviations, Document Revisions, Quality Metrics, Change Control with Master Data Requests, Limbo, or Reagent.
May participate in cross-functional teams or lead medium-complexity projects with limited direct supervision.
Regularly interact with Manufacturing Managers, Senior Supervisors, QA Product Line Managers, Supply Planners, Procurement staff, and the Director of Global Contracts.