Buyer - Planner III

Warn Industries, Inc.; Oregon (WI); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Warn Industries, Inc. is seeking a Buyer Planner III to align sales forecasts, demand, and inventory with manufacturing capacity to develop executable production schedules.

The role balances procurement responsibilities with production execution, serving as a liaison across Demand Planning, Operations, Engineering, and Sourcing. The position requires advanced planning skills, ownership of the MPS, capacity planning, and inventory optimization across multiple product lines and plants.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to translate forecasts and customer orders into executable production plans.
• Strong analytical skills and data-driven decision making.

Responsibilities

• Convert forecasts, orders, and safety stock into Master Production Schedules (MPS) and work orders.
• Level-load schedules to balance capacity and maximize throughput.
• Assess capacity impacts and material availability for schedule changes.
• Perform RCCP and CRP to identify bottlenecks and capacity needs.
• Maintain planning parameters in JDE (safety stock, reorder points, buffering).
• Monitor WIP, inventory velocity, DOS, turns, and SLOB to optimize inventory.
• Run and analyze production plans to achieve objectives across product lines.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Demand alignment

Tools

JDE

MPS

RCCP

CRP

Job description

Salary Range: $75,000.00 To $95,000.00 Annually

Position Title:

Buyer Planner III

Reports To:

Director of Manufacturing Operations

Senior Manager Supply Chain

Staff Accountability:

None

EEO:

2

FLSA:

Exempt

The Warn Group believes that every team member plays a significant role in our success. We enable our customers with the tools they need to work and play outdoors. This position description is designed to outline the primary duties of the role, qualifications, and job scope. Just as we do not want our customers to be limited in the outdoor space, we do not want to limit our team members nor the organization to just the work that is identified. It is our expectation that each team member will serve their customers wherever, whenever necessary to ensure the success of our endeavors.

Position Summary:

The Buyer Planner III aligns sales forecasts, customer demand, inventory requirements, manufacturing capacity, and component availability to develop and maintain executable production schedules. While the role includes tactical purchasing responsibilities for assigned product lines, the primary focus is optimizing factory throughput, balancing inventory investment, and supporting efficient production execution. This position serves as a key liaison between Demand Planning, Operations, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Strategic Sourcing while providing guidance and mentorship to Buyer Planner I and Buyer Planner II team members. Performs advanced production planning and scheduling activities required to attain production objectives across multiple product lines and manufacturing operations. Assignments are highly complex and involve ownership of the Master Production Schedule (MPS), capacity planning, inventory optimization, and material flow management.

Essential Functions:

• Convert sales forecasts, customer orders, and safety stock requirements into executable Master Production Schedules (MPS) and production work orders.
• Level-load production schedules to balance machine, labor, and line capacity while maximizing throughput and operational efficiency.
• Evaluate schedule change requests and determine impacts to capacity, material availability, inventory levels, and customer lead times.
• Conduct Rough-Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP) and Capacity Requirements Planning (CRP) to identify bottlenecks, resource constraints, and future capacity requirements.
• Maintain and optimize planning parameters within JDE, including safety stock levels, reorder points, buffer stock strategies, and lot-sizing rules.
• Monitor work-in-process (WIP), inventory velocity, Days of Supply (DOS), inventory turns, and excess and obsolete inventory (SLOB) to support inventory optimization goals.
• Run and analyze