Production Planner III

Guerbet; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Guerbet is seeking a senior Production Planner III to develop and optimize production and inventory strategies, translating forecasts and constraints into executable plans. You will lead cross-functional collaboration across Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, and Supply Chain in a highly regulated environment.

The role requires advanced analytical capabilities, strong business acumen, and the ability to influence decisions without direct authority while driving continuous improvement

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or related field.
• 7–10 years in production planning, master scheduling, or supply planning in regulated manufacturing.
• Advanced understanding of production planning, inventory management, and MRP/ERP systems.
• Experience leading complex planning activities and cross-functional alignment.

Responsibilities

• Lead integrated production schedules across multiple manufacturing areas.
• Own mid-term and long-term planning horizons and align with MPS and strategic objectives.
• Evaluate tradeoffs between service, inventory, capacity, and cost to inform decisions.
• Provide leadership during product launches, transfers, and major changes.
• Serve as escalation point for scheduling conflicts and supply risks.
• Lead site capacity modeling and utilization improvements.
• Conduct scenario planning and what-if analyses for risk mitigation.
• Identify bottlenecks and develop cross-functional corrective actions.
• Drive inventory optimization to improve working capital while maintaining service.
• Evaluate production strategies to improve schedule adherence and throughput.
• Facilitate planning alignment meetings with leadership teams.

Skills

Production planning

Forecasting

Cross-functional collaboration

ERP/MRP systems

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain or related field

Tools

SAP

Kinaxis

OMP

Job description

The Production Planner III serves as a senior planning professional responsible for developing and optimizing short-range, mid-range, and long-range production and inventory strategies to ensure reliable product supply while maximizing capacity utilization, inventory performance, and customer service levels. This role translates demand forecasts, business objectives, and operational constraints into executable production plans while proactively identifying risks and developing mitigation strategies.

The Production Planner III acts as a key liaison between Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Procurement, Materials Management, Finance, and Global Supply Chain organizations. The role provides leadership in capacity planning, scenario analysis, inventory optimization, and continuous improvement initiatives, while serving as a planning subject matter expert and mentor to less experienced planners. This position requires advanced analytical capabilities, strong business acumen, and the ability to influence cross-functional decisions within a highly regulated cGMP manufacturing environment.

YOUR ROLE

• Leads development and maintenance of integrated production schedules across multiple manufacturing areas, balancing demand requirements, inventory targets, capacity constraints, and business priorities.
• Owns mid-term and long-term planning horizons and ensures alignment between site execution plans, Master Production Schedule (MPS), and strategic business objectives.
• Independently evaluates tradeoffs between service, inventory, capacity, and cost to make planning recommendations.
• Provides planning leadership during product launches, process transfers, validation activities, shutdowns, and major business changes.
• Functions as the primary escalation point for complex scheduling conflicts, capacity constraints, and supply risks.
• Leads site capacity modeling and develops recommendations for labor, equipment, and facility utilization improvements.
• Conducts advanced scenario planning and what-if analyses to support business decision-making and risk mitigation.
• Identifies supply chain bottlenecks and develops corrective action plans with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Drives inventory optimization initiatives to improve working capital performance while maintaining service levels and regulatory compliance.
• Evaluates production strategies to improve schedule adherence, throughput, and inventory health.
• Facilitates planning alignment meetings with Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Procurement, and Supply Chain leadership.

YOUR BACKGROUND

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or related discipline; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 7-10 years of production planning, master scheduling, supply planning, or operations planning experience within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• Advanced understanding of production planning, inventory management, capacity planning, MRP/ERP systems, and supply chain operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex planning activities and resolving significant supply and capacity challenges.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with the ability to evaluate multiple business scenarios.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders and drive cross-functional alignment without direct authority.
• Demonstrated success leading continuous improvement initiatives and operational process changes.
• Advanced proficiency in ERP systems, planning tools, and data analysis.

Education, Experience, and/or Skill – Preferred

• APICS/ASCM CPIM, CSCP, or equivalent professional certification.
• Experience with SAP, Kinaxis, OMP, or other advanced planning systems.
• Experience supporting S&OP/IBP processes.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher certification.
• Experience in sterile manufacturing, fill-finish operations, or pharmaceutical supply chain environments.