Production Planner

The Production Planner is responsible for developing and maintaining production plans that support customer demand, inventory objectives, and manufacturing capacity requirements. This role utilizes Oracle Manufacturing, Demantra, and related planning systems to translate demand forecasts into executable production schedules while ensuring material availability, on-time delivery, and efficient inventory management.

The Production Planner works closely with Procurement, Manufacturing, Engineering, Program Management, and Supplier Partners to balance customer requirements with operational constraints and drive continuous improvement across the supply chain

Key Responsibilities

Production Planning & Scheduling

• Develop and maintain production plans and schedules based on customer orders, forecasts, inventory targets, and capacity constraints.
• Execute MRP and evaluate supply and demand signals within Oracle Manufacturing.
• Convert demand requirements into production schedules that support customer commitments and operational objectives.
• Manage planning exceptions, expedite critical orders, and resolve supply-demand imbalances.
• Monitor and maintain planning parameters, forecast consumption, lead times, and item planning attributes within Oracle. 

Material & Inventory Management

• Analyze shortages and coordinate corrective actions with suppliers, buyers, and manufacturing teams.
• Ensure material availability to support production requirements while minimizing excess and obsolete inventory.
• Monitor inventory health, safety stock levels, and strategic inventory initiatives.
• Support phase-in/phase-out activities, engineering changes, and product transitions. 

Oracle & Planning Systems

• Utilize Oracle Manufacturing and Demantra planning tools to maintain accurate planning data.
• Review planning reports, DRP workbench outputs, demand forecasts, and exception messages.
• Maintain planning attributes including sourcing strategies, split percentages, forecasting parameters, and item master data.
• Conduct system analysis and recommend improvements to planning processes and data integrity. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Buyers, Manufacturing Supervisors, Program Managers, Engineering, and Operations leadership to align production plans.
• Participate in S&OP, PSI, Monthly R&O, NPI, ECR, and production readiness reviews.
• Communicate schedule risks, shortages, and recovery plans to stakeholders.
• Coordinate production priorities to support customer commitments and business objectives. [

Continuous Improvement

• Support Lean, Kaizen, and continuous improvement activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning accuracy, inventory turns, schedule attainment, and on-time delivery.
• Develop and maintain standard work, planning metrics, and process documentation.
• Drive root cause analysis for recurring supply chain and planning issues. 

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of production planning, supply chain, manufacturing planning, or materials management experience.
• Experience working within Oracle Manufacturing, Oracle ERP, or comparable ERP systems.
• Strong understanding of: 
  • MRP/MPS processes
  • Production scheduling
  • Inventory control
  • Forecast management
  • Supply chain planning
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Oracle Manufacturing 11i/Fusion environments.
• Experience with Demantra or advanced planning systems.
• APICS/ASCM CPIM certification.
• Experience supporting high-mix manufacturing environments.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, FBS, or continuous improvement methodologies.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• On-Time Delivery (OTD)
• Schedule Attainment
• Production Plan Adherence
• Inventory Turns
• Working Capital Performance
• Forecast Accuracy
• Material Shortage Reduction
• Excess and Obsolete Inventory Reduction
• Customer Request Date Performance

Core Competencies

• Strategic Planning
• Attention to Detail
• Data Analysis
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Decision Making
• Sense of Urgency
• Continuous Improvement Mindset
• Customer Focus
• Risk Management

Systems Used

• Oracle Manufacturing
• Oracle MRP / DRP Workbench
• Demantra Planning
• Microsoft Excel
• Power BI (where applicable)
• Microsoft Teams and SharePoint