Production Planner

Production Planner

We are searching for an experienced and dynamic Production Planner (preferably based in North America, but position is remote) to execute on a wide range of production planning activities to support our commercial operations and growth.

This role facilitates key functions including supply planning, detailed production scheduling, and ensuring supply & demand alignment while meeting strategic and business-related inventory targets. This position facilitates the entire production execution process including general communication with production plants, securing production slots, production prioritization, production readiness, and production execution.

In this role, you will:

Report to the VP Supply Chain, and be responsible for the initiation, management and coordination of production requirements, materials, inventory plans, and capacity planning for our company. This position provides planning input for business issues involving capacity, materials, and customer service. The position also provides support via problem solving and project initiation for supply constraints as they are identified and prioritized.

Your key responsibilities include:

• Develop and coordinate on production plans to support the business plans of LBDS while minimizing inventories, and operating expenses. (250+ SKUs; 10+ production sites)

• Collaborate with inventory and purchasing managers on the inventory management. This incorporates setting the inventory targets and safety stock levels; managing inventory mix to achieve working capital and customer service objectives; leading the obsolete and slow-moving management process; fully participating in the activities required to drive longer term inventory reductions and optimization.

• Collaborate with sales and customer service teams on demand forecasting.

• Recommend capacity changes, location, and timing when appropriate and advise production, inventory, and distribution consequences of alternative sales plans. Recommend actions when production, materials, and customer service imbalances exist.

• Support the budget process via supply planning and detailed productition planning.

• Support the production readiness process to ensure all technical, raw material, packaging, and label components are available at the production facility with necessary lead time for successful and timely production.

• Maintain effective communications with key stakeholders in a manner that is timely, complete, concise, and responsive.

To succeed in this role, you will need the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (preferably in supply chain management, or a related field)

• 5+ years planning, master scheduling and ERP experience (experience with short shelf-life products is preferred)

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel (including pivot tables and lookups)

• Excellent analytical skills

• Data visualization experience (Power BI/Tableau preferred)

• Ability to organize and prioritize work, demonstrate a sense of urgency and responsiveness while juggling multiple priorities.

• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills while being highly organized and detail oriented.

• Highly motivated, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a diverse, dynamic, and geographically dispersed interdisciplinary team.

• Ability to travel domestically and occasionally internationally as needed.

• Willingness to learn.