The Production Planning Manager is responsible for developing the production plan for customer and internal demand by effectively balancing supply and demand for product. The qualified individual will determine production requirements based on plant capacity and production specifications. Focus areas of this role include production capacity across facilities, status of open production orders, current inventory (surplus included), inventory turns, obsolescence, lead times, publication schedules, new product launch schedules, seasonality, and made to order vs. planned demand. Strong collaboration with Operations, Procurement, Customer Experience, and Merchandising will be critical in meeting business goals.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Motivate, lead, coach, and develop the production planning team, helping them grow in every aspect.
• SME of the forecasting software.
• Analyze supply and demand at the item, customer, and master schedule levels, determine out-of-balance conditions, identify alternatives through internal team facilitation, and recommend actions for approval.
• Coordinate and plan materials requirements for new product requests, including the review of bill of materials (to include fabricated and procured components)
• Review all pertinent information to analyze and ensure that the manufacturing facility selected for production meets the tactical needs of the company
• Assess impact of current labor capacity against future demand and communication of that information across operations
• Perform supply demand analysis each month and proactively share any concerns or findings with relevant stakeholders
• Develop reporting of appropriate metrics, including forecast accuracy, and gather data to support management in evaluating current capacities, forecasting future capacities, financial planning, and highlighting areas for improvement.
• Maintain sufficient in-stock levels by providing effective replenishment requirements pertaining to key events such as: seasonal trends, promotions, new item launches, non-repeated purchases, and regular turn business.
• Support and actively participate in monthly inventory review meetings which review service levels, inventory strategy, and corporate inventory targets
• Communicate with team members at all levels within the organization and create an environment where improvement can flourish, a strong team approach is developed, and team members feel empowered to suggest and take actions to improve workflows.

Skills:

• Energizing leader whose goal is to serve others.
• Strong problem solving and analysis skills.
• Ability to manage complexity and resolve conflicts that arise from balancing multiple priorities.
• Stress resistant (able to work under pressure).
• Ability to work across the organization and collaborate.
• Strong written & verbal communication skills.
• Self-motivated and action oriented.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple assignments (basic project management skills).

Experience:

• Computer proficiency related to MS Office Applications, ERP, and planning software.
• College Degree or related experience preferred.
• Experience in supply chain management, master scheduling, inventory control, merchandising, replenishment planning preferred.
• Knowledge of supply chain processes and procedures including manufacturing planning, demand, and replenishment processes preferred.