Optimizer Upstream​/Production Planner

Location:

Hamburg, DE, 20539

At Barry Callebaut, we are on a journey to transform the cocoa and chocolate industry. As the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, our actions truly shape the future of our industry. We are a business‑to‑business company, serving the entire food sector, from the cocoa bean to the finest chocolate product. We are a company with a purpose, we believe in doing well by doing good and reinvesting in the communities we operate.

We have a long‑standing commitment to sustainability and our goal is to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future. We are headquartered in Zurich, and have more than 12,000 passionate Employees working in more than 40 countries worldwide. We are very proud of who we are and what we do. And of course, we are always looking for talented people to help us make a positive impact on our industry and beyond!

The Production Planner (Schedule Optimizer Upstream) is a key local role responsible for planning and coordinating the full production process at the Hamburg factory— from cocoa beans to liquor, butter, and powder. This position ensures that production runs efficiently, cost‑effectively, and in alignment with central planning requirements. The role requires strong analytical skills, resilience under pressure, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic manufacturing environment.

• Develop and align the weekly production plan for the Hamburg factory based on requirements from the Central Planning team in France.
• Create, release, and monitor process orders in SAP.
• Ensure availability of all required resources, including capacities, materials, and personnel, and initiate corrective actions when needed.
• Plan and order necessary raw materials and packaging materials from suppliers.
• Coordinate production execution while monitoring tank and silo levels, incoming raw materials, and outgoing finished goods in close collaboration with Logistics.
• Monitor and manage inventory levels, including regular and cycle counts.
• Ensure compliance with key KPIs such as ATS, OTIF, costs, and inventory accuracy.
• Support cost‑efficient utilization of production assets.
• Act as backup for the Scheduling Optimizer Downstream.
• Oversee full production planning for the Hamburg manufacturing site.

• Completed commercial apprenticeship or equivalent vocational training.
• 4–6 years of practical experience in production planning or a similar role
  .
• Strong resilience and ability to perform under pressure and high workload.
• Fluent German and English (spoken and written).
• Strong communication skills and confidence in interacting with internal and external stakeholders.
• Very good IT skills, especially advanced Excel.
• Experience working with SAP R/3.
• Structured, reliable, and solution‑oriented working style

At Barry Callebaut, we are committed to Diversity & Inclusion. United by our strong values, we thrive on the diversity of who we are, where we come from, what we’ve experienced and how we think. We are committed to nurturing an inclusive environment where people can truly be themselves, grow to their full potential and feel they belong.#oneBC - Diverse People, Sustainable Growth.

If you want to learn more about Barry Callebaut, please find further information here .