Production Planning & Client Relations Manager

Hutchinson•Grand Rapids, MI

About The Position

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: · Oversee daily customer service operations including order entry, scheduling, updates, and issue resolution. · Collaborate with Production, Planning, Purchasing, and Logistics teams to align customer orders with production capacity and material availability. · Lead weekly and daily production planning meetings; communicate priorities and constraints to internal stakeholders. · Monitor order progress and proactively address delays, bottlenecks, or capacity conflicts. · Ensure accurate input and maintenance of customer purchase orders, forecasts, and delivery requirements. · Analyze customer demand patterns to support forecasting and production planning. · Improve processes involving order management, communication flow, and production schedule visibility. · Manage escalations, customer complaints, and service recovery actions. · Generate and review key customer and production planning metrics. · Maintain strong relationships with key accounts to understand expectations and future requirements. · Support continuous improvement initiatives related to lead times, schedule adherence, and customer satisfaction. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: · Directly supervise the Customer Service team across multiple sites · Responsible for staffing, performance management, training, and development of team members. · Refer to the Organizational Chart for detailed reporting structure.

Requirements

Strong understanding of production planning, scheduling, and manufacturing processes.
Excellent communication and customer relationship-management skills.
Ability to balance customer expectations with operational capabilities.
Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
Leadership mindset with the ability to motivate and guide teams.
High attention to detail and time-management skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Knowledge of ERP/MRP systems.
Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or related field (preferred).
3–5+ years of experience in customer service within a manufacturing environment.
Experience in production planning or scheduling strongly preferred.
Prior supervisory or team-lead experience recommended.
Proficiency in ERP/MRP systems (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar).
Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, reporting).
Familiarity with CRM platforms and customer portals.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.

Nice To Haves

APICS CPIM or CSCP certification (preferred).
Six Sigma Yellow/Green Belt (a plus).
Customer service or supply chain-related certifications recommended.

Responsibilities

Oversee daily customer service operations including order entry, scheduling, updates, and issue resolution.
Collaborate with Production, Planning, Purchasing, and Logistics teams to align customer orders with production capacity and material availability.
Lead weekly and daily production planning meetings; communicate priorities and constraints to internal stakeholders.
Monitor order progress and proactively address delays, bottlenecks, or capacity conflicts.
Ensure accurate input and maintenance of customer purchase orders, forecasts, and delivery requirements.
Analyze customer demand patterns to support forecasting and production planning.
Improve processes involving order management, communication flow, and production schedule visibility.
Manage escalations, customer complaints, and service recovery actions.
Generate and review key customer and production planning metrics.
Maintain strong relationships with key accounts to understand expectations and future requirements.
Support continuous improvement initiatives related to lead times, schedule adherence, and customer satisfaction.
Directly supervise the Customer Service team across multiple sites
Responsible for staffing, performance management, training, and development of team members.