Planning & Procurement Manager

HR Consulting Solutions is a full service HR consulting and executive search firm that has been retained by Premier Candle Corporation to conduct a search for an experienced

Planning & Procurement Manager to lead manufacturing operations at their facility in Hickory, Kentucky

Premier Candle is a leading manufacturer of scented candles and home fragrance products. Formerly known as Mayfield Consumer Products, the company has undergone significant transformation and investment in recent years following the devastating tornado that impacted the facility and community in 2021. Today, Premier Candle is focused on rebuilding, modernizing operations, investing in people, and creating a culture centered on accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

The organization operates multiple production lines and continues to invest in automation, equipment upgrades, process improvements, and employee development to support long-term growth.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced planning and procurement leader who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and enjoys using data, collaboration, and thoughtful planning to improve production performance, material availability, inventory management, customer service, and overall operational efficiency.

Reporting directly to the Plant Manager, the Planning & Procurement Manager will lead all plant production planning, customer service coordination, material procurement, and related systems activities for the Hickory manufacturing facility. This position is responsible for developing and communicating production plans that balance customer requirements with plant capacity, material availability, operational constraints, changeovers, and cost considerations. The Planning & Procurement Manager will oversee material requirements planning (MRP) for both Premier-owned and customer-owned materials, manage the procurement of plant-purchased materials, monitor production performance and attainment, and proactively identify issues that could impact the production plan.

The Planning & Procurement Manager will also serve as a key point of contact with customers regarding production planning and actual performance and will provide leadership and direction to all personnel and activities within the Planning & Procurement Department.

• Develop, maintain, and communicate the weekly plant production plan based on customer requirements, material availability, plant capacity, operational constraints, and changeover considerations.
• Utilize thoughtful production planning to improve production performance, increase efficiency, and reduce operating costs.
• Monitor daily production, production performance, and attainment to ensure short-term and upcoming customer requirements can be achieved.
• Identify potential production constraints or scheduling concerns and communicate issues proactively to plant leadership.
• Ensure daily production information is accurately entered into customer systems according to required timing and reporting expectations.
• Lead daily plant and executive team discussions related to production performance, percentage of production requirements achieved (%
  PR), and attainment.

• Maintain and communicate plant capacity plans to support current and future production requirements.
• Analyze capacity, production performance, material availability, and other operational data to identify potential issues before they impact production.
• Partner with plant leadership to evaluate production constraints and develop solutions that support customer expectations and operational objectives.
• Utilize data from multiple systems to support effective production planning and informed decision-making.

• Manage MRP activities for both Premier-owned and customer-owned materials.
• Ensure materials are available to support production schedules while balancing inventory levels, cash considerations, storage capacity, and operational requirements.
• Manage the ordering of Premier-owned materials necessary to support production, including key raw materials such as wax.
• Monitor material availability and proactively communicate shortages, delays, or other concerns that could impact the production plan.
• Maintain a strong understanding of inventory levels and the financial impact of purchasing and production decisions.

• Serve as a key plant representative for customer meetings related to Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), production planning, and customer service.
• Provide customers with accurate and timely information regarding production plans, actual production performance, and potential issues.
• Build strong customer relationships through professional, responsive, and solutions-oriented communication.
• Navigate challenging customer situations effectively while working collaboratively toward solutions.
• Adapt…