Master Production Planner/Scheduler

Job Description

This role oversees end-to-end production planning and master scheduling within a fast-paced manufacturing environment. The Master Scheduler develops and maintains production schedules, balances customer demand with available capacity, and ensures that delivery commitments are consistently met. The position uses data-driven analysis to optimize workflow, enhance schedule adherence, and support continuous improvement across production, materials, and capacity planning.

Responsibilities

• Develop, manage, and maintain master production schedules that support both project-based and recurring production work.
• Monitor short-term and long-range capacity requirements across manufacturing operations to ensure resources align with demand.
• Build and maintain scheduling flexibility to accommodate changing customer demands while minimizing disruptions to committed production schedules.
• Coordinate production priorities with cross-functional teams to maximize efficiency and resource utilization.
• Analyze workload distribution across critical production areas and identify potential capacity constraints.
• Implement planning strategies that create capacity reserves to support fluctuating order volumes and urgent customer requirements.
• Evaluate production performance and recommend schedule adjustments when necessary to maintain service levels.
• Execute and review Material Requirements Planning (MRP) processes to ensure timely procurement of raw materials and components.
• Support inventory planning by aligning material availability with production demand and minimizing shortages or excess stock.
• Collaborate with Sales, Customer Service, Purchasing, and Operations teams to understand customer requirements and delivery expectations.
• Proactively identify scheduling risks that could impact on-time delivery and develop mitigation strategies.
• Monitor production progress against the plan and communicate schedule changes and impacts to key stakeholders.
• Coordinate daily shop floor production sequencing and work order releases to keep operations running smoothly.
• Utilize scheduling and planning tools, including ERP systems, to prioritize manufacturing activities and optimize workflow.
• Track schedule attainment metrics and analyze variances between planned and completed production activities.
• Apply analytical and problem-solving skills to improve planning processes and overall operational effectiveness.
• Participate in process improvement initiatives focused on forecasting accuracy, communication, scheduling efficiency, and production performance.
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology, reporting tools, and automation to enhance planning capabilities and decision-making.
• Use Microsoft Office and other analytical tools to prepare reports, analyze data, and communicate insights to stakeholders.
• Support purchasing, logistics, and inventory management activities as they relate to planning and scheduling requirements.

Essential Skills

• Proven experience in production planning, scheduling, manufacturing operations, or a related discipline, with a minimum of three years of experience.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent organizational abilities with exceptional attention to detail in managing complex schedules and data.
• Ability to analyze complex data sets and make informed, data-driven decisions.
• Experience tracking and managing scheduling metrics and performance indicators, including schedule attainment and capacity utilization.
• Demonstrated problem-solving and critical-thinking capabilities in a manufacturing context.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple departments in a fast-paced manufacturing setting.
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems for planning, scheduling, and material management.
• Practical knowledge of production planning, production scheduling, and material planning processes.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications for data analysis, reporting, and communication.
• Experience with scheduling and planning tools, including MRP and related systems.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Business, Supply Chain, Project Management, or a related field is preferred.
• Experience with data visualization and analytical tools such as Power BI is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with advanced planning systems, ERP platforms, or AI-driven planning tools is a plus.
• supply chain, logistics, purchasing,