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Modern businesses rely heavily on data analytics and strong planning to ensure they meet goals and stay within budget, so it’s not surprising that brands across almost every industry seek production and planning staff. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of 2016, more than 320,000 individuals were employed in production, expediting and planning positions in industries as varied as motion picture, aerospace and retail supply chain.
While that’s good news for job seekers, it means more competition for the best candidates for employers. By implementing a strong production planner job description template, you can stand out from the crowd.
Online job postings garner the highest candidate response rates when they are easy to read and convey the right amount of information. Start with the production planner job description template below, and use the best practices tips to create a post that lets you find ideal applicants for your position.
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Production Planner Job Description Template
Job Summary:
We’re searching for a deadline-driven Production Planner motivated by the challenge of continuously improving sales forecasts and hitting organizational targets. You’ll play an integral role in developing department goals and controls in a fast-paced manufacturing environment devoted to turning out high-volume products
We’ll look to you to coordinate and expedite the flow of work and materials within or between departments according to daily and weekly production schedules. And because we value our people and their ideas, this role offers the opportunity to broaden your capabilities and grow technically while contributing to innovating solutions that can genuinely affect change.
Job Responsibilities:
- Create and maintain production, work, and shipment schedules and prioritize job orders for production optimization.
- Follow-up as required with all teams to expedite flow of materials and documents to meet production schedule and customer expectation.
- Complete status reports and data analysis to review and evaluate production progress, work in process, and raw material inventory and finished goods demand.
- Interact with shop floor management on a daily basis to resolve issues regarding manufacturing efficiencies or to provide additional information as requested from Manufacturing, Customer Service and Accounting.
- Develop and achieve departmental/company goals and controls. Make suggestions for improvement in areas of cost reduction, processes, quality and productivity.
- Confer with department supervisors to determine progress of work and completion dates; inventory levels, and solving production problems.
Job Skills & Requirements:
Preferred:
- Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet strict deadlines.
- Excellent communication skills, including good customer service/phone skills and flexibility for handling a wide range of activities.
- APICS certification
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field OR equivalent experience and evidence of exceptional ability.
- Understanding of ERP system and Microsoft Office products; strong computer skills.
- Minimum of 2 years previous planning experience
- Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills
What to Include in a Winning Production Planner Job Description Template
Job postings should be helpful —not a hindrance — to candidates. Draft your posting so the applicant knows something about the position, the company and what’s required for the job within a few minutes of looking at it. Consider starting with the production planner job description template, and always use list formats, subheadings and short paragraphs to make the posting easy to skim. The following sections are critical components of a successful job description.
Job Summary: Start with a quick hook that compels the reader to learn more. Provide a basic overview of the job, and include some information on why the position is critical to company success. Great summaries are candidate-centric; include information about how the position benefits the right person.
Duties & Responsibilities: After hooking the applicant, tell them more about the job itself. What are some main responsibilities that production planners attend to daily? Keep the list short: pare the essentials down to around eight critical duties. Going into too much detail can make the position seem mundane, and candidates might skip applying.
Skills: Next, tell the applicant exactly what’s required for a yes in the hiring process. Start with a company-mandated “must-have” list of skills and credentials. You can also include a list of preferred qualifications to help candidates gauge their appropriateness for the role.
Company Overview: End every job posting with some information about your brand. It’s nice to include perks, benefits and highlights of company culture, but don’t be afraid to get creative here. Include anything you think might sway applicants to choose your business over others.
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Production Planner Job Description Writing Do’s & Don’ts
- Do customize the production planner job description with information specific to your niche. Film production planners are very different from those who work in manufacturing, for example.
- Don’t use negative copy in your posting. Remember, you’re trying to sell a candidate on your position, so employ marketing writing best practices.
- Do include special shift or travel requirements. Candidates want to know what percent of time they might travel and how often you require late nights or weekend work.
- Don’t fill your post with jargon and abbreviations. Pepper a few key phrases into the post to support SEO, but always aim for an easy-to-read document.
- Do include an overview of benefits and pay. While most companies can’t list exact salaries, it’s a good idea to include averages or ranges when possible so candidates can see if an application is worth their time.
- Don’t list so many qualification requirements that most candidates think the job is out of reach.