Production Planner

Oterra; Mount Pleasant (WI); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Oterra is seeking a Production Planner to own scheduling across multiple machines and plants, ensuring on-time, in-full delivery and optimized inventory to meet customer demand.

You will maintain a rolling 4–6 week PPDS horizon, coordinate with cross-functional teams, manage WIP, and release floor orders while driving continuous improvement with RCA and CI actions. Strong SAP and Excel skills required.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED with 2+ years Production Planning experience.
• Bachelor’s Degree preferred; APICs Certification preferred.
• ERP system experience—SAP preferred; Intermediate to Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.

Responsibilities

• Own schedules for machines, processes and production activities to meet customer requirements.
• Maintain 4–6 week PPDS horizon and proactively communicate capacity shortfalls.
• Ensure adequate WIP to support production and optimize inventory turns.
• Communicate information flow to production floor and cross-functional teams.
• Release orders to the floor as needed.
• Drive root cause analysis (RCA) and CI actions for identified issues.

Skills

System skills

Math skills

Logical reasoning

Lean methodology

Communication skills

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Bachelor’s Degree preferred

APICs Certification preferred

Tools

SAP

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Outlook

Teams

Job description

Oterra is the global leader in naturally sourced colors for food, beverages, dietary supplements, and pet food. With over 140 years of expertise, we believe nature got it right the first time. Join our fast-growing, international team and help us make natural, healthy food accessible worldwide.

Oterra is the global leader in naturally sourced colors for food, beverages, dietary supplements, and pet food. With over 140 years of expertise, we believe nature got it right the first time. Join our fast-growing, international team and help us make natural, healthy food accessible worldwide.

Accountabilities

Job Description

• Ownership of schedule(s) for all assigned machines, processes and production activities within the plants ensuring we optimize equipment and maximize utilization throughout in order to meet customer requirements. Responsible for customer on-time/in full performance as well as optimal inventory level metrics.
• Ensure adequate Work In Process (WIP) to support finished good production—maximizing inventory turns. Leverage rework to mitigate disposal of aging stock. Optimize inventory investment in relationship to plant efficiency and scrap rates.
• Communicate/coordinate information flow to the production floor/cross-functional teams to ensure alignment as needed.
• Maintain rolling 4-6 week schedule for the Production Planning/Detailed Scheduling (PPDS) horizon to ensure aligned visibility for material flow to support line/work center requirements. Proactively communicate/manage capacity shortfalls.
• Monitor/action slow moving materials.
• Provide availability dates for customer/sales requests based on end to end supply chain parameters when needed.
• Maintain SOPs/training documents and provide back up support as needed for other scheduler or plant coordinator roles.
• Maintain Visual Performance Board(s)
• Maintain reporting and drive Root Cause Analysis (RCA) cross-functional meetings and Continuous Improvement (CI) actions for identified issues (significant or recurring).
• Order/transfer materials to managed site location in timely manner to support production. Proactively identify/communicate material shortfalls to ensure no impact to rolling 7 day schedule.
• Manage/adjust inventory as required to ensure accuracy.
• Release orders to the floor as needed.

Qualifications

Required Education

• High School Diploma or GED with 2+ years Production Planning experience
• Bachelor’s Degree Preferred
• APICs Certification Preferred

System Capability

• ERP system experience—SAP preferred
• Intermediate to Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• Ability to leverage Word/Powerpoint/Outlook/Teams

Skills Required

• Strong system skills
• Excellent math skills
• Solid logic skills with inference capability
• Lean Methodology experience preferred
• Excellent oral/written communication skills

Other Skills

• Willingness to be open to change
• Ability to look at various viewpoints and draw conclusions utilizing good judgment
• Strong attention to detail
• Collaborative/professional demeanor
• Excellent organizational and multi-tasking skills
• Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Willingness to dig in to drive necessary improvements

Additional Information

What We Offer

At Oterra, we take care of our people – because when you’re supported, you can do your best work. Our benefits are designed to support your health, your future and your life outside of work:

• Health & Well-being: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus life and disability insurance.
• Financial Security: A retirement savings program with 401(k), company match, and bonus program.
• Time for You: Paid holidays, vacation time, and personal/sick days each year.
• Engagement in the Workplace: Monthly employee engagement events and team celebrations
• Growth & Empowerment: A collaborative culture that encourages career growth and professional development opportunities

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Oterra is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmitive Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, ancestry, national origin, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status (unless required by the applicable law or government contract), disability or protected veteran status or any other status or characteristic protected by law. Oterra is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are committed to building a team that represents diverse and inclusive backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Oterra will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.