Junior Planner / Production Coordinator

Junior Planner / Production Coordinator Manufacturing / Operations Department: Production / Supply Chain Reports To: Plant Manager Employment Type: Full-Time Location: On-Site — Manufacturing Facility Position Summary The Junior Planner / Production Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and coordinating activities related to planning work orders to meet customer delivery deadlines.

This role combines production planning responsibilities — building and managing the production schedule, reviewing material lead times, and scheduling orders based on available labor and materials — with hands-on production coordination duties such as monitoring the shop floor, coordinating between departments, and resolving day-to-day production issues.

The role works cohesively with production supervisors, operations colleagues, and customer service, and requires a thorough understanding of packaging manufacturing or a genuine willingness to learn about the products produced on site.

Key Responsibilities

Planning & Scheduling Review the production schedule and ERP system daily for new and released orders; plan, prepare, and control production schedules to ensure a controlled, timely flow of approved materials that meets production requirements. Schedule equipment and personnel and adjust schedules in response to material shortages, machine downtime, or priority changes; confirm material supply and demand and prepare work orders or purchase requests based on the master production schedule.

Support material requirements planning (MRP) by verifying inventory levels and flagging shortages to the Purchasing Manager. Track work-in-process (WIP) inventory and update ERP/MRP systems with accurate order status. Help prepare capacity and load reports to identify potential bottlenecks before they impact delivery.

Collaborate with procurement/purchasing on material and product delivery timelines for production, including occasional direct purchasing of materials to reduce work-in-process and raw material inventory levels. Collaborate with design on material substitutions and BOM audits. Work with maintenance to incorporate scheduled machine downtime into the production schedule.

Monitor labor hours against the production schedule to help ensure staffing levels align with workload. Production Coordination Serve as a daily point of contact between production, quality, maintenance, design, shipping and warehouse teams to keep jobs moving smoothly. Monitor shop floor progress against the schedule and communicate status updates to supervisors and Managers.

Check job packets and work order paperwork — including routing sheets and job travelers — for completeness and accuracy before releasing to the production floor. Track and report on key production metrics (throughput, downtime, scrap, on-time completion). Help troubleshoot and escalate production issues (equipment downtime, staffing gaps, material delays) to the appropriate team.

Support changeover and job sequencing to minimize downtime between production runs. Maintain accurate production records, logs, and documentation for audits and continuous improvement efforts. Team Collaboration Demonstrate strong communication skills with employees and colleagues to ensure operations run smoothly. Multi-task effectively and show a willingness to help and support other team members.

Maintain a positive attitude and adapt readily to changes in company policies and procedures. Promote a respectful and professional work environment at all times. Receive instructions and guidance from lateral and senior colleagues with an open mind. General Participate in daily production meetings and provide updates on schedule adherence and open issues.

Assist with root-cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives related to planning, scheduling, and OTD. Perform other duties as assigned to support production and planning operations.

Qualifications

High School diploma or GED required. Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, or a related field preferred (or equivalent work experience). 2+ years of experience in manufacturing, with ERP system experience. 3+ years of Excel experience, including VLOOKUP formulas, pivot tables, SUMIFs formulas, tables, and external references.

Basic understanding of production planning concepts (MRP, capacity planning, inventory management). Packaging industry experience preferred, not required; demonstrates a thorough understanding of packaging manufacturing or a strong willingness to learn about the products produced on site. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Comfortable spending time on the production floor as well as at a desk. Bilingual, English and Spanish, preferred but not required. Work Environment This role is based primarily on-site at the manufacturing facility, splitting time between an office/planning environment and the production floor. Standard manufacturing safety practices and PPE requirements apply.