Summary:
This position is responsible for developing, maintaining, and executing production schedules to meet customer demand while optimizing manufacturing capacity, labor utilization, material availability, and delivery performance.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Serve as primary coordination point between Manufacturing, Procurement, Engineering, Quality, and Commercial teams to ensure customer commitments are achieved.
- Monitor production progress, manage schedule changes, identify capacity and material constraints, and drive actions necessary to support on time delivery, backlog reduction, and efficient plant operations.
- Develop, maintain, and communicate daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules to support customer demand and business objectives.
- Translate customer demand, forecasts, and backlog requirements into executable production plans.
- Coordinate production schedules across all manufacturing departments to maximize throughput and on-time delivery performance.
- Monitor schedule attainment and production performance; adjust schedules as needed to address changing customer priorities, labor availability, equipment constraints, material shortages, and operational issues.
- Review backlog and customer demand on a regular basis and develop recovery plans to improve delivery performance.
- Collaborate with Procurement, Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, and Commercial teams to ensure material availability and production readiness.
- Identify capacity constraints and recommend actions to improve throughput, resource utilization, and schedule attainment.
- Release, prioritize, and maintain production orders within the ERP system.
- Monitor inventory levels, work-in-process (WIP), and finished goods inventory to support production requirements and customer commitments.
- Lead regular production planning meetings and communicate schedule priorities, constraints, and risks to key stakeholders.
- Respond to customer expedites, production disruptions, and significant schedule changes while minimizing operational impact.
- Coordinate implementation of Engineering Change Notices (ECNs) and ensure timely integration into production schedules.
- Support new product introductions, sample builds, and customer launch activities through effective planning and scheduling.
- Track and report key performance indicators including backlog, schedule attainment, on-time delivery, capacity utilization, and inventory levels.
- Continuously evaluate planning and scheduling processes and recommend improvements that enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
- Support annual budgeting, capacity planning, workforce planning, and long-range demand planning activities as required.
- Other job activities as assigned.
Essential Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Experience:
- Associate Degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, Manufacturing, or related field preferred; 3+ years of experience in production planning, scheduling, manufacturing operations, materials management, supply chain or another related field preferred. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
- Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and production planning processes.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify constraints and develop practical solutions.
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to work effectively across Manufacturing, Procurement, Engineering, Quality, Sales, and Customer Service functions.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Outlook, and Teams.
- Ability to interpret production schedules, inventory reports, forecasts, and customer demand requirements.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
- Ability to make decisions and adjust priorities in response to changing customer requirements and operational conditions.
- Self-motivated with the ability to work independently while maintaining strong collaboration with cross-functional teams.
- Experience with capacity planning, inventory management, scheduling, or demand planning is preferred.
- Experience in an electronics or high-mix manufacturing environment is preferred.
Equipment Used:
- Computers, scanners, RFID systems, etc.
Personal Protective Equipment/Clothing Required (PPE):
- Safety glasses and hearing protection as required.
- ESD smock and grounding equipment as required.
Physical Demands:
(Not Applicable, Occasionally [1-33%; 0-2.5 hrs./day], Frequently [33-66%; 2.5-5.5 hrs./day], Constantly [>66%; 5.5+ hrs./day])
Physical Abilities
- Stand – Frequently
- Walk – Frequently
- Sit – Frequently
- Climb – Not Applicable
- Crawl – Not Applicable
- Squat – Not Applicable
- Kneel – Not Applicable
- Bend – Not Applicable
- Twist – Not Applicable
- Use of Hands/Fingers – Frequently
- Reach Outward – Frequently
- Reach Above Shoulder – Frequently