Master Planner

Ardena

New Jersey

On-site

USD 72,000 - 85,000

Full time

6 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Flexible working arrangements

International environment

Professional development

Paid annual leave

Job summary

Ardena is seeking a Master Planner for its Somerset, NJ site to develop and manage a 45-day production plan. You will optimize equipment, labor, materials, and capacity while aligning with customer commitments.

Responsibilities include coordinating with Quality, Manufacturing, and Project Management to ensure GMP-compliant operations, leading weekly planning meetings, and supporting new product introductions and technical transfers.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Operations Management, Engineering, or related discipline; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
Minimum 5 years of production, master planning, or supply chain planning experience in a GMP-regulated pharmaceutical/CDMO environment.
Knowledge of GMP requirements, capacity planning, labor planning, production scheduling, and translating customer demand into executable production plans.
Strong analytical, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.

Responsibilities

Own and maintain the rolling 45-day production schedule, translating demand and constraints into an executable plan.
Coordinate with QC, QA, Analytical Services, and Manufacturing to incorporate release/testing into the plan.
Monitor bottlenecks and adjust schedules to meet batch release commitments and delivery dates.
Lead Ready-to-Execute (RTE) weekly meeting and act as planning liaison across departments.
Support new product introductions, tech transfers, and scale-up activities.

Skills

GMP knowledge

ERP/MRP experience

Advanced Excel

Cross-functional leadership

Problem solving

Production planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management

Tools

ERP/MRP system

Microsoft Excel

Job description

About Ardena

Ardena is a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and Contract Research Organization (CRO) specializing in precision medicine development. Ardena supports pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in bringing innovative, complex molecules from discovery to market.

The Ardena Group operates from five sites across Europe and the United States, employing more than 750 professionals. Ardena European sites are located in Oss and Assen (the Netherlands), Ghent (Belgium), and Pamplona (Spain). Ardena US facility is based in Somerset, New Jersey.

Ardena provides integrated services spanning drug substance development, drug product formulation, GMP manufacturing, bioanalytical services, clinical logistics, fill and finish, and CMC regulatory support.

Ardena is hiring a Master Planner to join the Supply Chain team at our Somerset (US) site. You will work in a regulated pharmaceutical environment, ensuring that all work meets GMP, GxP, and applicable ISO standards.

Role Summary

The Master Planner develops and manages the site’s 45-day production plan to optimize equipment, labor, materials, and capacity while ensuring schedules are realistic, executable, and aligned with customer commitments.

This role coordinates across Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Analytical Services, Manufacturing, Project Management, and Customer Program Teams to support on-time delivery, resource utilization, and GMP-compliant operations.

Essential Responsibilities

Production Planning & Scheduling

Own and maintain the rolling 45-day production schedule, translating customer demand, labor availability, equipment constraints, facility capacity, and manufacturing priorities into an executable plan that maximizes throughput and on-time delivery.

Continuously evaluate schedule risks, laboratory and quality bottlenecks, and release constraints; coordinate mitigation plans and schedule adjustments to keep batch release commitments and customer delivery dates on track.

Coordinate with QC, QA, Analytical Services, and Manufacturing to incorporate raw material sampling and release, in-process and finished product testing, batch record review, and final product disposition into the production plan.

Monitor for laboratory and quality bottlenecks and coordinate schedule adjustments and cross-functional alignment to keep final product disposition, batch release commitments, and customer delivery dates on track.

Lead weekly Ready-to-Execute (RTE) meeting, measuring project readiness in the short-term horizon.

Act as the primary planning liaison between Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Project Management, and Customer Program teams.

Communicate production priorities, schedule changes, and capacity risks to site leadership.

Support new product introductions, technical transfers, scale-up activities, and commercial launches through integrated planning.

Facilitate schedule review meetings to ensure alignment across departments.

Capacity & Resource Planning

Collaborate with Operations to develop finite production plans based on actual labor, equipment, and facility availability, while identifying resource constraints that may impact production commitments.

Maintain equipment scheduling updates and monitor equipment utilization to optimize manufacturing capacity and support finite production planning.

Support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) through schedule visibility, capacity analysis, and participation in production planning and capacity review meetings.

Metrics & Continuous Improvement

Monitor schedule adherence, capacity utilization, labor efficiency, throughput, and on-time delivery metrics.

Analyze production data and planning performance indicators to improve planning accuracy.

Lead initiatives to improve planning systems, processes, and workflow efficiency.

Support internal and external audits by providing planning records and scheduling documentation.

Assist with implementation and continuous improvement initiatives related to inventory control, warehouse operations, and ERP functionality and processes.

Act as the ERP system subject matter expert for planning-related data accuracy, troubleshooting, escalation, and GMP-compliant documentation practices.

Adhere to all EHS and cGMP site Requirements.

Complete all required training on time.

Success Measures

Production schedule adherence and On-time customer delivery performance

Labor and equipment utilization

Capacity plan accuracy

Reduction of schedule disruptions and bottlenecks

Successful support of GMP inspections and customer audits
This position is responsible for ensuring that customer demand, manufacturing operations, analytical testing, quality review, and final product release activities are synchronized into a single executable production plan that drives operational excellence and customer satisfaction.

Position Requirements

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Operations Management, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline preferred; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Experience

Minimum 5 years of production, master planning, or supply chain planning experience in a GMP-regulated pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, or CDMO manufacturing environment, including scheduling, capacity planning, ERP or MRP system use, and coordination of production, quality testing, and batch release activities.

Knowledge/Skills

Knowledge of pharmaceutical manufacturing operations, GMP requirements, capacity planning, labor planning, production scheduling, inventory management, and translating customer demand into executable production plans.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced CDMO environment while maintaining schedule accuracy and compliance.

Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.

Basic AI skills required to support improvement opportunities.

Physical Requirements

Individual may be required to sit, stand, walk regularly and occasionally lift up to 40 pounds.

Specific vision requirements include reading of written documents and use of computer monitor screen frequently.

Work Environment/Safety Conditions

Fast-paced, Performance driven, Customer focused

Collaborative and inclusive

Individuals primary workstation is located in the office area where the noise level is low.

Must wear safety glasses, in addition to other specified PPE, in all designated areas.

Must follow any applicable site safety requirements.

Successful candidates must demonstrate behaviors aligned with Ardena's WE CARE values: We Lead with Innovation, Enhance the Lives of Patients, Communicative, Accountability, Reliable, Excellent.

What Ardena Offers

Ardena is a science-driven and people-focused employer. Working at Ardena means contributing to pharmaceutical projects that support the availability, safety, and quality of medicines for patients worldwide.

Ardena offers an international working environment where employees are encouraged to develop their expertise, take ownership, and grow their careers across functions and locations.

Benefits And Perks At Ardena Include