Production Planning Manager

Dawson; Ohio; On-site; USD 42,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits starting first of month

Office with kitchen and outdoor space

Direct hire opportunity

Close-knit warehouse environment

Job summary

Dawson is seeking a Production Planning/Inventory Coordinator in Gahanna, Ohio. The role focuses on maintaining the production schedule, readiness checklists, and ensuring materials are available and correctly tracked across ERP and inventory systems.

You will work closely with warehouse and purchasing teams in a fast-paced, on-site environment. The position offers a direct hire path, a collaborative office/warehouse setting, and benefits beginning the first of the month after hire.

Qualifications

• 2+ years in manufacturing coordination or related roles.
• Experience with production schedules and ERP/MRP tools.
• Strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• Willingness to work both at a desk and on the production floor.

Responsibilities

• Maintain the current production schedule and upcoming-run calendar.
• Build readiness checklists for scheduled production runs (7–14 days before a run).
• Confirm required materials are available in correct specs, lot status, and quantities.
• Identify shortages and risks early and propose actions with decision dates.
• Track changes to run size, timing, and materials.
• Prepare and maintain production and work orders.
• Update planning, inventory, and ERP/MRP systems on time.
• Record material consumption, finished goods, scrap, and transfers.
• Reconcile inventory differences between physical and system records.
• Maintain documentation across Airtable and spreadsheets.

Skills

Manufacturing coordination

ERP/MRP experience

Attention to detail

Strong communication

Spreadsheet proficiency

Cross-functional teamwork

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Tools

ERP systems

Inventory systems

Airtable

Job description

Consumer Packaged Goods

Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–4:30 PM

Onsite, Gahanna, Ohio

Direct Hire

What the Position Offers:

• Direct hire opportunity with a fast-growing company
• Benefits beginning the first of the month following the hire date
• Opportunity to work in a close-knit warehouse and office environment
• Nice office space with a kitchen and outdoor seating area
• Opportunity to play a key role in keeping production runs organized, accurate, and moving

What You'll Be Doing:

• Maintain the current production schedule and upcoming-run calendar
• Build and complete readiness checklists for scheduled production runs, beginning checks 7–14 days before a run when applicable
• Confirm required raw materials, packaging, film, lids, labels, pallets, cases, and other components are available in the correct specifications, lot status, and quantities
• Identify shortages, late deliveries, incorrect materials, and unresolved questions early and eliminate risks with recommendations and required decision dates
• Track changes to run size, timing, formulation, packaging, and materials
• Prepare, review, and maintain production orders and work orders
• Update production planning, inventory, and ERP/MRP systems accurately and on time
• Ensure material consumption, finished goods, scrap, returns, and transfers are recorded correctly
• Reconcile differences between physical inventory, system inventory, and production records
• Maintain accurate documentation across Airtable, spreadsheets, scheduling tools, ERP platforms, and other systems
• Run scheduled cycle counts for production materials and finished goods and investigate inventory variances
• Maintain inventory accuracy across production, staging, and warehouse locations
• Monitor minimum stock levels and flag reorder needs before they become urgent
• Coordinate pre-production staging for upcoming runs and ensure materials are clearly identified by production order or run
• Coordinate with warehouse personnel to receive, stage, move, and replenish materials
• Ensure unused materials are counted, labeled, returned to the correct location, and reflected in inventory
• Follow up with purchasing, vendors, and internal owners to expedite missing or delayed materials
• Create and maintain standardized pre-run, changeover, and post-run checklists
• Provide readiness reports outlining upcoming runs, confirmed materials, materials at risk or missing, required actions, owners, and escalations
• Track corrective actions through resolution and maintain a visible list of open production risks and constraints
• Document standard work for receiving, storage, staging, line-side supply, returns, and inventory updates
• Identify recurring causes of shortages, incorrect pulls, late staging, inventory variances, and incomplete transactions
• Recommend practical process improvements to reduce manual work and prevent repeat errors
• Support training for warehouse and production staff on staging, labeling, scanning, and inventory procedures

Who We're Looking For:

• 2+ years of experience in manufacturing coordination, production planning, inventory control, warehouse operations, or materials management
• Experience working with production schedules, work orders, inventory systems, or ERP/MRP tools
• Strong attention to detail and follow-through
• Comfortable working both at a desk and on the production floor
• Ability to organize competing priorities and communicate issues early
• Proficiency with spreadsheets and willingness to learn operational systems
• Ability to work cross-functionally with production, warehouse, purchasing, and quality teams
• Proactive and persistent approach to identifying and resolving issues
• Highly organized with strong follow-through
• Calm under pressure and able to communicate risks, facts, and potential solutions clearly
• Practical approach to developing simple, effective processes

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in food, chemical, packaging, consumer products, or regulated manufacturing
• Experience with cycle counting, barcode scanning, lot tracking, and material traceability
• Forklift certification or willingness to become certified
• Experience with Airtable, ERP systems, production scheduling tools, or inventory software
• Familiarity with Lean, 5S, or continuous-improvement practices

About Dawson

Dawson is a trusted staffing partner in Central Ohio. We help job seekers grow their careers with fast feedback, personalized support, and access to multiple employers through one application.