Production Planner

The Richmond Group USA; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Richmond Group USA is assisting an established advanced materials manufacturer in Durham, NC to hire a Production Planner. This hands-on role focuses on balancing customer demand, capacity, material availability, inventory, and shifting manufacturing priorities to keep operations running smoothly.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 3–5 years of planning experience, with ERP/MRP, Excel proficiency, and a track record of improving production performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• 3–5 years of production planning, scheduling, materials, or supply chain experience within manufacturing.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems, production scheduling, inventory management, and purchasing.
• Strong Excel, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain production schedules to meet customer demand and on-time delivery.
• Own and maintain Master Production Schedule (MPS) and support MRP planning.
• Plan raw material requirements and manage inventory using safety stock, reorder points, Kanban, and other planning methods using lean methods.
• Create and manage purchase orders supporting production and inventory needs.
• Monitor daily manufacturing performance and adjust schedules around equipment downtime, expedited orders, engineering trials, and shifting priorities.
• Work closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Customer Service, and Finance to resolve shortages and keep production moving.
• Maintain accurate planning and inventory information within the ERP system and investigate inventory discrepancies.

Skills

Production planning

Production scheduling

Inventory management

Purchasing

Excel

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Industrial Engineering, Materials Management, or related discipline

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

NetSuite

APICS/ISM

Job description

Production Planner | Advanced Materials Manufacturing

We are seeking a Production Planner to join an established advanced materials manufacturer producing highly engineered optical films used across a variety of technical applications.

This is a hands‑on planning role for someone who understands how to balance customer demand, production capacity, material availability, inventory, and changing manufacturing priorities.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and maintain production schedules to meet customer demand and on‑time delivery requirements.
• Own and maintain the Master Production Schedule (MPS) and support MRP planning.
• Plan raw material requirements and manage inventory using safety stock, reorder points, Kanban, and other planning methods using lean methods
• Create and manage purchase orders supporting production and inventory needs.
• Monitor daily manufacturing performance and adjust schedules around equipment downtime, expedited orders, engineering trials, and shifting priorities.
• Work closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Customer Service, and Finance to resolve shortages and keep production moving.
• Maintain accurate planning and inventory information within the ERP system and investigate inventory discrepancies.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Industrial Engineering, Materials Management, or a related discipline.
• 3–5 years of production planning, scheduling, materials, or supply chain experience within manufacturing.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems, production scheduling, inventory management, and purchasing.
• Strong Excel, analytical, organizational, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to react quickly when production priorities change without losing sight of longer‑term requirements.
• Experience with NetSuite, Lean/Six Sigma, APICS/ISM certification, or advanced planning tools is a plus.

This is a good opportunity for a planner who enjoys being close to manufacturing operations, solving problems across functions, and improving the systems and processes behind production performance.