Senior Production Planner

Job Title: Senior Production Planner
Salary: $95-$120K DOE plus 5% bonus  
Location: Bellingham, MA
Duration: PERM
Shift: M-F 1^st Shift (8 hour day) starting between 7am-9am

Position summary:
We are looking for a Senior Production Planner who thrives in complexity, ambiguity, and fast-changing industrial environments. This role is critical for bringing structure, visibility, and control to a manufacturing operation where processes are still evolving and operational maturity is a work in progress.
You will be the only planner on site, working closely with production, supply chain, maintenance, and customer service teams, while coordinating with a remote planning support team operating with a 6-hour time difference. This requires strong ownership, independence, and hands-on problem-solving skills.
The ideal candidate is someone who learns quickly, is comfortable rolling up their sleeves, and is not afraid to dive deep into systems, data, and shop-floor realities to make things work.
Key Responsibilities:
Production Planning & Scheduling

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve short-, mid-, and long-term production plans in a complex manufacturing environment
• Translate demand forecasts, customer orders, and operational constraints into feasible and executable production schedules
• Balance competing priorities such as machine capacity, material availability, changeovers, lead times, and service levels
• Actively manage and replan in response to disruptions, breakdowns, quality issues, or last-minute demand changes
• (Act as the primary planning authority on site in a dynamic environment).

Structure & Process Optimization

• Bring structure and clarity to a planning environment with limited standardization and high operational variability
• Identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and planning gaps, and propose pragmatic improvements
• Gradually design, document, and implement planning processes, standards, and routines where they do not yet exist
• Act as a key contributor in the journey toward more mature and optimized planning practices

Systems & Data (D365)

• Take hands-on ownership of the planning setup and data within Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365)
• Independently explore, understand, and configure system functionalities to support planning needs
• Ensure data accuracy (BOMs, routings, lead times, capacities, calendars, etc.) in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders
• Serve as the on-site link between operations and remote system or planning support

Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with production, logistics, procurement, maintenance, and quality teams on a daily basis
• Act as a trusted planning partner for plant management and operational leadership
• Coordinate effectively with remote planning support, managing time-zone differences and ensuring clear handovers
• Communicate clearly and decisively under pressure, especially when trade-offs and prioritization are required

Firefighting & Continuous Improvement

• Be comfortable operating in a highly dynamic environment
• Quickly assess situations, set priorities, and take action when things do not go according to plan
• Combine short-term problem solving with a long-term improvement mindset
• Use data and facts to drive decisions, while remaining pragmatic and execution-focused

Required Experience & Qualifications:

• Extensive experience as a Production Planner or Senior Planner in a complex industrial manufacturing environment (8/10 years of experience)
• Proven track record of working in environments with low structure and evolving processes
• Solid hands-on experience with ERP systems, ideally Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365)
• Ability and willingness to self-learn systems without extensive local support
• Strong analytical skills combined with practical, shop-floor-oriented thinking
• Experience working with remote teams or shared services is a strong plus

Key Competencies & Mindset:

• Fast learner who can quickly understand complex processes and systems
• Highly structured thinker who can create order out of chaos
• Strong prioritization skills and ability to make decisions under pressure
• Proactive, independent, and comfortable taking full ownership
• Hands-on mentality: not afraid to dive into data, systems, or operational details
• Resilient and adaptable in a constantly changing environment
• Clear communicator who can align stakeholders with different perspectives

Key Soft Skills for a Senior Production Planner:
1. Clear and effective communication
Essential for coordinating with production, logistics, purchasing, quality, and both internal and external stakeholders. Strong communication ensures alignment across all functions involved in the production plan.
2. Fast and pragmatic problem solving
The production environment is full of unexpected events (machine downtime, material delays, order changes). The planner must quickly identify issues, propose immediate solutions, and implement corrective actions.
3. Strong analytical skills
Critical for reading production data, assessing capacity and constraints, forecasting, and making fact?based decisions.
4. Organizational skills and priority management
Managing multiple inputs simultaneously (orders, materials, capacities, disruptions) requires strong organization and the ability to prioritize under pressure.
5. Attention to detail
Even small scheduling errors can cause major delays. Accuracy and precision are essential.
6. Flexibility and adaptability
The Senior Planner operates in complex, dynamic, and often unpredictable environments. The ability to adapt quickly to changes is crucial.
7. Teamwork and cross?functional collaboration
The role acts as a hub among departments. Collaborative skills are vital to ensure smooth communication and efficient workflows.
8. Interpersonal skills and stakeholder management
Strong relational abilities, empathy, and the capacity to mediate between different stakeholders are essential.
9. Decision?making under pressure
The planner must make timely decisions, often without complete information, with direct operational impact.
10. Ownership, autonomy, and a proactive mindset
This is a highly responsible role requiring full ownership of the planning process, independence, and a hands?on, proactive approach to challenges.