Master Production Scheduler

Location: Covington, LA (travel to plants as needed) |
Schedule: Full-time, on-site/exempt

An established manufacturing organization operating multiple production facilities is seeking a Master Production Scheduler to lead integrated scheduling efforts across its plants. This role is central to balancing customer demand, manufacturing capacity, material availability, and inventory targets, and serves as a key link between Operations, Procurement, Sales, Quality, Finance, and Logistics to drive strong operational and financial outcomes.

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve short- and mid-term master production schedules across multiple facilities
• Convert demand forecasts, customer orders, promotions, and inventory targets into executable production plans
• Balance capacity, labor availability, equipment uptime, and maintenance constraints to meet service, cost, and financial objectives
• Maintain rolling 8–12 week schedule visibility to support proactive planning and risk mitigation
• Incorporate sequencing and changeover considerations to reduce disruption, inefficiency, and cost
• Manage finished goods (FG), work-in-process (WIP), and excess & obsolete (E&O) inventory to optimize working capital while protecting service levels
• Establish and maintain safety stock targets based on demand variability, lead times, and production capabilities
• Identify inventory risks and recommend corrective actions related to shortages, excess, or obsolescence
• Evaluate and communicate the financial impact of inventory decisions, including carrying costs, write-offs, service-level trade-offs, and COGS implications
• Identify and communicate capacity constraints, bottlenecks, and production risks across facilities
• Develop mitigation plans for raw material or packaging shortages, equipment downtime, maintenance events, labor constraints, and demand volatility
• Perform scenario planning and trade-off analysis (cost vs. service vs. utilization) to support leadership decisions
• Maintain annual and rolling capacity models in partnership with Operations, Finance, and Quality
• Partner with Procurement to ensure timely availability of raw materials and packaging while minimizing expediting and premium freight
• Collaborate with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, and Regulatory to align schedules with production realities, asset reliability, food safety, and compliance requirements
• Support Sales and Customer Service by providing visibility into lead times, production constraints, and fulfillment capabilities
• Serve as a trusted planning partner to plant leadership and executive management
• Maintain strong understanding of manufacturing cost drivers, including labor, utilization, downtime, bottlenecks, sequencing, changeovers, yield loss, scrap, substitutions, and expediting
• Support S&OP processes by aligning production plans with budget vs. actual performance, forecast accuracy, demand variability, and scenario planning for promotions, LTOs, and seasonal demand
• Evaluate and recommend cost vs. service trade-offs, including overtime justification, backorder decisions, and opportunities for line consolidation or changeover reduction
• Quantify and communicate financial impact of promotional spikes, short-term demand shifts, and scheduling decisions
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to scheduling accuracy, forecast reliability, inventory turns, and throughput
• Support production stability and rework reduction efforts
• Participate in food safety and quality initiatives, including HACCP support as required
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, or CI tools to improve planning effectiveness and execution
• Develop, maintain, and report KPIs related to scheduling, inventory, service, and capacity
• Analyze root causes of performance gaps and communicate corrective actions
• Provide clear reporting to senior leadership highlighting risks, opportunities, trends, and performance drivers

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 5+ years of experience in production planning, scheduling, or supply chain roles
• Strong working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems and production planning tools
• Proven experience managing multi-site production schedules
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Willingness to travel to manufacturing facilities as needed

• APICS / ASCM, CSCMP, or similar professional certification (CPIM, CSCP, SCPro)
• Lean, Six Sigma, or…