Senior Planner

Senior Planner

The Senior Planner is responsible for leading the planning and preparation of production programs to support the manufacture of industrial products. This role ensures alignment between customer demand, production capacity, material availability, inventory objectives, and business priorities. The Senior Planner monitors and maintains the master production plan, drives improvements in planning accuracy and production flow, and serves as a key cross-functional partner to support customer delivery commitments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning and preparation of production programs for assigned areas, ensuring schedules are created and maintained in a timely manner to support sales forecasts, customer orders, and operational priorities.
• Develop, analyze, and adjust production schedules to optimize material availability, labor utilization, equipment capacity, and inventory investment.
• Maintain ownership of work order control on the production floor, including schedule changes, order prioritization, and daily coordination with Production, Purchasing, Project Management, and other cross-functional teams.
• Proactively identify and expedite operations and/or materials that may delay the production schedule, adjusting plans as needed to support customer promise dates and business commitments.
• Analyze demand, capacity, inventory, and production performance data to identify constraints, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Prepare, review, and communicate daily, weekly, and monthly planning reports, ensuring accurate visibility to schedule performance, risks, and recovery actions.
• Maintain and present planning KPIs during Tier meetings and through appropriate reporting platforms, ensuring data accuracy and follow-up on corrective actions.
• Drive schedule adherence by monitoring production progress against the approved plan, identifying deviations, and coordinating timely corrective actions to support customer commitments.
• Support and coordinate annual inventory activities, cycle counts, and inventory accuracy initiatives as required.
• Participate in Gemba Walks, Kaizen events, and continuous improvement activities to improve planning processes, production flow, inventory control, and customer delivery performance.
• Provide guidance, training, and minimal supervision to planners, and other team members as needed.
• Lead or facilitate meetings with interdisciplinary groups to align priorities, resolve constraints, and achieve the monthly production plan.
• Serve as a key planning contact for escalations, schedule risks, material shortages, and customer delivery concerns.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 3–5 years of experience in production planning, material planning, supply chain, manufacturing, or a related operations role.
• Strong understanding of production scheduling, capacity planning, inventory control, and material flow in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience using ERP/MRP systems and Microsoft Office tools, including Excel.
• Ability to analyze data, identify constraints, communicate risks, and develop practical recovery plans.
• Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience leading planning reviews, Tier meetings, or cross-functional production meetings.
• Knowledge of continuous improvement, Gemba Walks, Kaizen events, and KPI management.
• Ability to mentor, train, and support planners.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to make sound decisions in a fast-paced production environment.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with Production, Purchasing, Project Management, Engineering, and Customer Service teams.

What We Are Looking For

We are seeking a proactive and…