Production & Purchasing Planner

Rarekind; Newcastle-Maitland; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Rarekind is seeking an experienced Production & Purchasing Planner in the Beresfield operation to join a well‑established international manufacturing business in Australia. You will translate demand into a practical production plan, secure materials and packaging, and manage supplier risk to keep production on track.

You’ll work at the intersection of production planning, purchasing, inventory and supplier coordination, reporting to the Demand & Supply Manager.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in production planning, purchasing, supply coordination, or a similar role within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of production planning, inventory and material availability.
• Experience working with SAP or a comparable ERP system.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills with proactive risk management.
• Attention to detail around PO, inventory, production requirements and delivery dates.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage a rolling three-month production plan across bulk and packaged manufacturing.
• Translate demand into achievable production plans considering capacity, forecasts and lead times.
• Identify planning risks and communicate impacts across Planning and Operations.
• Raise and maintain purchase orders for raw materials, components, and packaging.
• Monitor supplier confirmations and adjust PO dates as supply conditions change.
• Expedite late or critical materials to protect the production schedule.
• Maintain visibility of production materials and packaging holdings.
• Prepare and distribute weekly material shortage reports.
• Identify materials at risk and coordinate corrective action with suppliers and internal teams.
• Escalate shortages with priorities and recommended actions and support contingency planning.

Skills

Production planning

Purchasing

Supply coordination

SAP

Excel

Power BI

Stakeholder communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analytics

Education

Qualification in Supply Chain, Procurement, Business, or related

Tools

SAP

Power BI

Job description

• Own production planning and material availability for a busy manufacturing operation.
• Critical role connecting production, purchasing, suppliers, and supply planning.
• Join an established business where your planning and commercial judgement directly impact customer service and operational performance.

Keep production moving. Keep materials flowing. And bring the planning discipline to make it happen.

Some planning roles are about updating spreadsheets and chasing purchase orders.

This one is about making sure the right materials are available at the right time to keep a manufacturing operation running.

Our client is a well-established international manufacturing business with a strong presence in Australia. As part of its continued focus on supply, service, and operational efficiency, they’re looking for a Production & Purchasing Planner to join their Beresfield operation.

This is a hands‑on role sitting at the intersection of production planning, purchasing, inventory, and supplier coordination. You’ll be responsible for translating demand into an achievable production plan, ensuring materials and packaging are available, and identifying and managing supply risks before they impact production.

You’ll report to the Demand & Supply Manager and work closely with Manufacturing, Procurement, Customer Service , Demand Planning , and suppliers.

You’ll need to be organised, analytical, commercially aware, and comfortable making decisions when priorities change.

This isn’t simply about placing orders. It’s about understanding what the operation needs, anticipating where things could go wrong, and taking action to keep production and customer supply on track.

What You Will Be Responsible For:

• Developing and managing a rolling three-month production plan/Scheduling across bulk and packaged manufacturing.
• Translating demand requirements into achievable production plans, considering capacity, forecasts, lead times, and material availability.
• Identifying planning risks and communicating potential impacts across Planning and Operations.
• Raising and maintaining purchase orders for raw materials, components, and packaging.
• Ensuring order quantities and delivery dates align with production requirements.
• Monitoring supplier confirmations and adjusting purchase-order dates as supply conditions change.
• Expediting late or critical materials to protect the production schedule.
• Maintaining visibility of drums, IBCs, containers, packaging, and other production‑material holdings.
• Preparing and distributing weekly material and packaging shortage reporting.
• Identifying materials at risk of impacting production and coordinating corrective action with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Escalating unresolved shortages with clear priorities, impacts, and recommended actions.
• Supporting contingency planning for material, transport, and production disruptions.
• Working closely with Manufacturing, Procurement, Customer Service, and Supply Planning to resolve supply and service risks.
• Participating in daily operations and integrated planning discussions as required.
• Supporting essential site activities, including delivery coordination and other trained operational coverage.
• Identifying opportunities to improve planning, purchasing, reporting, and inventory processes.
• Using SAP, Excel, Power BI, and other systems to improve visibility, accuracy, and decision‑making.

What You’ll Bring:

• Proven experience in production planning, purchasing, supply coordination, or a similar role within a manufacturing or operational environment.
• Strong understanding of production planning, purchasing, inventory, and material availability.
• Experience working with SAP or a comparable ERP system.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving capability, with the ability to identify shortages, prioritise competing requirements, and manage supply risks.
• Excellent attention to detail, particularly around purchase orders, inventory, production requirements, and delivery dates.
• Strong supplier management and stakeholder communication skills.
• The ability to work collaboratively across Production, Procurement, Supply Chain, and Customer‑facing functions.
• Strong Excel and Microsoft Office capability, with experience using data to support operational decisions.
• A proactive approach and the confidence to follow up, expedite, accelerate, and resolve issues before they become production problems.
• A practical and adaptable approach to changing priorities in a busy manufacturing environment.
• Qualification in Supply Chain, Procurement, Business, or a related discipline (highly regarded).
• Experience with Power BI, data analytics, or similar reporting tools (highly regarded).
• An interest in using emerging technologies, including AI, to improve planning and business processes.

What’s On Offer:

• A genuinely important role within an established manufacturing operation.
• The opportunity to influence production continuity, inventory, supplier performance, and customer service.
• Exposure across the full planning and supply chain function rather than a narrow purchasing role.
• A collaborative environment with strong interaction across Manufacturing, Procurement, Supply Planning, and Customer Fulfilment.
• The opportunity to improve systems, processes, reporting, and planning capability.
• A role where your ability to anticipate problems and take action will have a visible operational impact.
• The stability and resources of an established international organisation, combined with the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution locally.

If you’re an experienced planner, buyer, supply chain professional, or manufacturing coordinator who enjoys being close to the operation, solving problems, and keeping things moving, this is an opportunity to step into a role with real responsibility and impact.

BH-62243