Master Planner

alfalaval; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Alfa Laval in Houston, TX is seeking a Service Center Master Planner to develop and manage the master schedule for service, repair, and reconditioning operations. This role ensures efficient use of labor, materials, equipment, and capacity to meet customer delivery commitments while adapting to changing priorities.

You will work cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Sales and Leadership to drive schedule execution, provide visibility, and support ongoing

Qualifications

• Associate's degree in Supply Chain or related field and 3+ years of experience in production planning, master scheduling, manufacturing operations, or service operations planning.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or Business Administration preferred.
• Experience in a manufacturing, repair, refurbishment, or industrial service environment preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of MS Project or equivalent project management software.
• Lean methodologies and/or similar applications.
• Strong business acumen and operational decision-making capability.
• Detail oriented with strong problem-solving ability.
• Effective time management.
• Strong process orientation.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Growth mindset and adaptability to change.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the master schedule for service, repair, and reconditioning jobs.
• Balance workload, labor availability, materials, and equipment capacity to support customer delivery commitments.
• Coordinate priorities across operations, supply chain, and customer support teams to ensure execution of scheduled work.
• Monitor work-in-process (WIP) and drive resolution of delays impacting schedule performance.
• Generate daily, weekly, and monthly planning reports for operational and leadership review.

Skills

Lean methodologies

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Problem solving

Time management

Process orientation

Risk identification

Education

Associate's degree in Supply Chain or related field

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration preferred

Tools

MS Project

Job description

Every day, we get opportunities to make a positive impact - on our colleagues, partners, customers and society. Together, we're pioneering the solutions of the future and unlocking the full potential of precious resources. Trusted to act on initiative, we challenge conventional thinking to develop world-leading technologies that inspire progress in vital areas, including energy, food, water and shipping.

About the job:

The Service Center Master Planner is responsible for developing and managing the master schedule for manufacturing, repair, and reconditioning service operations. This role ensures efficient utilization of labor, materials, equipment, and capacity to meet customer delivery commitments while balancing changing priorities and operational demands.

The Master Planner works cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Sales, and Leadership to drive schedule execution, workflow visibility, and continuous improvement.

Currently, this is an onsite opportunity located in Houston, TX.

As a part of the team, you will:

Master Scheduling & Capacity Planning

Develop and maintain the master schedule for service, repair, and reconditioning jobs.

• Balance workload, labor availability, materials, and equipment capacity to support customer delivery commitments.
• Monitor backlog, forecasted demand, and shop capacity to identify constraints and proactively address resource shortages.
• Adjust schedules based on changing customer priorities, material availability, and operational disruptions.
• Optimize workflow and production sequencing to improve turnaround time and resource utilization.
• Analyze bottlenecks and recommend corrective actions to improve throughput and schedule adherence.

Work Order & Operational Coordination

• Coordinate priorities across operations, supply chain, and customer support teams to ensure execution of scheduled work.
• Monitor work-in-process (WIP) and drive resolution of delays impacting schedule performance.
• Ensure repair and service milestones are communicated and aligned across departments.
• Support escalation management for critical or high-priority customer jobs.

Reporting & Data Analysis

• Maintain accurate planning data within ERP and scheduling systems.
• Generate daily, weekly, and monthly planning reports for operational and leadership review.
• Analyze schedule performance, backlog trends, capacity utilization, and delivery metrics.
• Provide data-driven recommendations to improve planning accuracy, efficiency, and operational performance.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives through planning analysis and process optimization.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead or participate in planning, operations, and performance review meetings.
• Partner with leadership teams to support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) activities and long-range capacity planning.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Supply Chain, and Operations to support new programs, process improvements, and strategic initiatives.
• Promote standard work and planning discipline across the service center.
• Proactively communicate risks, changes and updates with relevant stakeholders
• Attend, participate and/or hold meetings as required (e.g. production, scheduling, kick-off, costing and close-out meetings).

What you know:

• You have an Associate's degree in Supply Chain or related field and: 3+ years of experience in production planning, master scheduling, manufacturing operations, or service operations planning.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration preferred.
• Experience in a manufacturing, repair, refurbishment, or industrial service environment preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of MS Project or equivalent project management software.
• Work experience with LEAN methodologies and/or similar applications.
• Strong business acumen and operational decision-making capability.
• Ability to proactively identify risks and implement scheduling solutions before impacts occur.
• Detail oriented with strong problem-solving ability.
• Effective time management.
• Strong process orientation.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Growth mindset and adaptability to change.

We care about diversity, inclusion and equity in our recruitment processes. We also believe behavioral traits can provide important insights into a candidate's fit to a role. To help us achieve this we apply Pymetrics assessments, and upon application you will be invited to play the assessment games.

At Alfa Laval, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive and dynamic workplace that values diverse perspectives and experiences. While we typically welcome applicants from all locations,