Production Planner

Location:Fountain Valley, CA | United States 

Employment Type: Full-Time 

Reports To: Operations Manager / Production Manager

POSITION SUMMARY

Symtech Fire is seeking an organized and proactive Production Planner to coordinate manufacturing schedules, material requirements, and production activities to ensure customer orders are completed efficiently, accurately, and on time.

This position is responsible for balancing customer demand, material availability, labor capacity, and inventory levels while supporting production goals and delivery commitments. The Production Planner works closely with Operations, Production, Purchasing, Inventory Control, Engineering, Quality Assurance, and Sales to maintain an effective manufacturing schedule and minimize delays.

The ideal candidate has experience in production planning or manufacturing operations, strong analytical skills, and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Production Planning and Scheduling

•Develop, maintain, and communicate daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules based on customer orders, delivery commitments, material availability, and manufacturing capacity.

•Prioritize production orders according to customer needs, deadlines, and available resources.

•Coordinate with production supervisors to ensure schedules are realistic and achievable.

•Monitor production progress and adjust schedules to address material shortages, equipment downtime, changing priorities, or urgent orders.

•Identify potential bottlenecks and proactively resolve scheduling conflicts to minimize delays.

•Ensure work orders are released accurately and on time.

Material and Inventory Coordination

• Review material requirements to ensure raw materials, components, and supplies are available to support production schedules.

• Coordinate with Purchasing to address shortages, expedite critical materials, and prevent production interruptions.

• Monitor inventory levels and account for supplier lead times and upcoming production demand.

• Work with warehouse and inventory personnel to maintain accurate inventory records and material availability.

• Identify discrepancies between system inventory, material requirements, and actual production needs.

Customer Order Management

• Review customer orders and establish realistic production timelines and completion dates.

• Coordinate with Sales and Customer Service to communicate order priorities, scheduling changes, and delivery expectations.

• Track order progress and proactively communicate potential delays.

• Support expedited orders while minimizing disruptions to existing production schedules.

• Monitor past-due orders and help improve on-time delivery performance.

Manufacturing Coordination

• Evaluate labor availability, equipment capacity, and production constraints when preparing schedules.

• Coordinate with Engineering regarding product specifications, bills of materials (BOMs), engineering changes, and special manufacturing requirements.

• Account for required inspections, testing, and quality control activities when scheduling production.

• Participate in production meetings to review priorities, material shortages, scheduling conflicts, and upcoming requirements.

• Identify opportunities to improve workflow, reduce work-in-process inventory, and increase manufacturing efficiency.

ERP System & Data Management

• Maintain accurate production schedules, work orders, material requirements, and manufacturing data within the company's ERP/MRP system.

• Review system-generated material requirements, planned orders, and purchasing recommendations.

• Monitor open work orders, inventory levels, and upcoming material requirements.

• Identify and correct discrepancies in bills of materials, lead times, inventory records, and production data.

• Prepare and maintain reports to track production progress, material availability, scheduling performance, and on-time delivery.

• Use Microsoft Excel and other reporting tools to analyze data and support operational decisions.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve production planning, material flow, scheduling accuracy, and manufacturing efficiency.

• Support initiatives to reduce lead times, excess inventory, production delays, and past-due orders.

• Recommend improvements to planning procedures, reporting methods, and ERP/MRP system utilization.

• Collaborate with Operations, Purchasing, and Production to improve supplier coordination and resource utilization.

• Help establish standardized planning processes and performance metrics.

Education & Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent required.

• Associate's or bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.

• Two to three years of experience in production planning, manufacturing scheduling, inventory control, or a related manufacturing role preferred.

• Experience coordinating multiple production orders, material requirements, and delivery deadlines.

Technical Skills and Competencies

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including spreadsheets, formulas, and data analysis.

• Experience with ERP/MRP systems for production planning, scheduling, or inventory management.

• Understanding of manufacturing processes, bills of materials, work orders, and material requirements planning.

• Knowledge of production capacity, manufacturing lead times, inventory control, and supplier lead times.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Ability to analyze production data, identify scheduling conflicts, and resolve material shortages.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining accurate production

schedules and records.

• Proactive problem-solving skills and a strong sense of accountability.

• Ability to adapt to changing customer demands and production priorities while maintaining focus under pressure.

• Commitment to following through on deadlines and communicating potential issues before they affect customer deliveries.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in fire training equipment, industrial equipment, mechanical assembly, or related manufacturing environments.

• Familiarity with products involving multiple components, assemblies, and finished goods.

• Experience with demand forecasting, capacity planning, or material requirements planning.

• Understanding of purchasing processes, supplier coordination, and procurement lead times.

• Experience supporting inventory optimization, lean manufacturing, or continuous improvement initiatives.

Compensation and Benefits

• Starting salary of $65,000+ per year, depending on experience and qualifications.

• 401(k) retirement plan.

• Health insurance.

• Life insurance.