Sr. Production Planner

Florida Crystals / ASR Group•Buffalo, NY

About The Position

The Sr. Production Planner is a critical role on the Distribution Team, providing analysis, decision-making, and planning to support the order fulfillment process. This role is responsible for translating the organization's overall planned needs into manageable increments based on machine capacities, labor availability, machine availability, and other operational constraints. A key aspect of this role involves actively participating in Distribution projects, inter-departmental projects, and contributing to corporate strategic goals. This position can also serve as a backup to the Distribution Manager and offers developmental leadership opportunities.

Requirements

Minimum of 5 years experience in Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Planning or related field
SAP experience required
Previous project management, process improvement, and / or project execution experience.
Proficiency with MS Office required
Decision maker with strong analytical and negotiation skills
Strong leadership, organizational and communication skills in a cross-functional role.
Attention to detail with the ability to multitask and prioritize
Customer and Stakeholder focused
Excellent interpersonal relationship skills focusing on teamwork and collaboration within all levels of the business
Ability to derive solutions, provide recommendations and make decisions with limited information
Self-motivated, enthusiastic and proactive
Ability to quickly learn inter-departmental business processes
Demonstrated ability to understand issues, develop plans and set metrics to measure progress towards goals
Able to handle day to day tactical concerns while staying on course with long term strategic targets

Nice To Haves

MS degree preferred
APICS certification a plus

Responsibilities

Conduct analysis and provide recommendations for Supply Chain cost-reduction and continuous improvement opportunities.
Lead or participate in project teams to plan and execute Strategic Initiatives.
Develop and/or improve Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) including cross-functional process mapping and streamlining activities.
Lead effort to incorporate advanced scheduling tools and optimize production planning process.
Allocate available sugar by deciding which lines run based on machine availability, customer priority and product profitability.
Create weekly production plan that will maximize line efficiency and order fulfillment, while mitigating replenishment freight expense.
Review Open Orders daily, identify inventory deficits, and adjust production plan as required, with a focus on order management and service levels.
Determine inventory location for products being made; retain in refinery warehouse or ship to 3PL warehouses.
Facilitate scheduling tradeoffs (efficiency / order completeness) when existing production and inventory capacity cannot meet customer demand.
Create and maintain production orders in SAP per production schedule.
Review actual vs planned production, communicate significant supply gaps and risks to Operations, Customer Service and Planning, and coordinate resolutions.
Serve as the primary contact for Customer Service inquiries related to order fulfillment status.
Collaborate with MRP / Purchasing on packaging requirements to accomplish production schedule.
Consult with Distribution Manager on customer order placement to address trade-offs of 3PL inventory consumption vs direct from manufacturing plant shipments.
Coordinate execution of planned downtime (equipment overhauls / capital projects) across Operations and Planning.
Coordinate reverse logistics tasks for non-conforming products.
Support Planning on new product rollout by conducting capacity analysis, components planning, risk assessment and implement action plans.