Strategic Production Planning & Operations Lead

Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.; Rockford (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company contribution

Competitive pay

Paid vacation and holidays

Career growth opportunities – we promo

Employee referral program

Job summary

Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. is seeking a Production Planning Manager for our Rockford, IL facility.

The role focuses on optimizing production schedules, managing inventory and materials, and coordinating procurement and logistics to meet customer needs while maintaining safety and quality standards. The successful candidate will lead supervisors and staff, drive improvements through kaizen events, and collaborate across functions to ensure efficient plant operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business or related field preferred.
• 5–8 years of production planning or related experience with leadership experience.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing process flow and ability to manage through complexity.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily production planning to meet customer orders cost-effectively while upholding safety and quality standards.
• Lead and develop supervisors and staff, manage recruitment, scheduling, and performance management.
• Coordinate procurement, material planning, inventory control, warehousing, and receiving.
• Oversee raw ingredients and packaging material procurement and coordination.
• Monitor WIP and finished goods inventory; manage levels to safeguard goals.
• Lead kaizen events, corrective actions, and audits.
• Maintain programs, spreadsheets and records; ensure data is current.
• Track and report KPIs set by the organization.

Skills

Leadership & team management

Production planning & scheduling

Microsoft Office proficiency

Education

Undergraduate degree in business or related curriculum

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. is seeking a Production Planning Manager for our Rockford, IL facility.

The role focuses on optimizing production schedules, managing inventory and materials, and coordinating procurement and logistics to meet customer needs while maintaining safety and quality standards. The successful candidate will lead supervisors and staff, drive improvements through kaizen events, and collaborate across functions to ensure efficient plant operations.