Planner/Scheduler

Kelly Engineering has a GREAT opportunity for a Planner/Scheduler located in St. Paul, MN!

Job Summary:

Responsible for creating and maintaining the planning schedule 3 months and beyond for all manufacturing lines. In this role, the production planner will be required to gather and process information from a number of manufacturing inputs materials, equipment and resource availability, etc. to establish production plans that are achievable and in line with department goals and objectives. Ensures optimal utilization of resources to meet production demands.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Primary responsibility is to plan the utilization of employees, materials, and production capacity to schedule commercial activities and development projects on all manufacturing equipment 3 months out and beyond. This person would work closely with the Production Scheduler whose focus is limited to immediate production concerns. This job involves creating and posting a plan for each production line.

This critical activity requires the following:

• Identify/create/utilize long term planning tools.

• Match the required level of production with existing resources.

• Capture actual historical data to create future requirement scenarios.

• Identify critical production inputs followed by monitoring the results.

• Understand operational processes, pharmaceutical industry standards, and production limitations to ensure smooth execution and efficient changeover of equipment. This includes: - Providing granularity in planned activities to account for tasks like set up, run, tear down, cleaning, equipment release, etc.

• Collaboration with process subject matter experts to determine appropriate allocation of equipment time and employees for a given process.

• Proficiency in using the ERP system.

• Forecast future needs based on sales forecasts, customer orders and inventory levels then develop plans to address them.

• Create tools to efficiently analyze equipment capacity, material availability, and personnel necessary to meet upcoming demands.

• Maintain tracking details to accurately compare progress against the plans.

• Provide regular reports and updates on production performance identifying risks, constraints, opportunities and results.

• Own the production planning process while looking for continuous improvement opportunities to improve overall efficiency and performance.

• Cross functional Collaboration with Production Scheduler, Project Management, Materials Management, R D, Engineering, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Facilities teams.

• Strong communication skills and ability to clearly convey production plans, timelines, and constraints.

• Remediation of critical path items required to maintaining the production plans. This includes identifying and communicating key pre-production activities that are potential constraints such as material and labor availability and documentation requirements.

• Proficient use of proper scheduling tools like MS Project, Excel, and Word; Gantt charts, and ERP System.

• Efficiently use inventory management system to determine material availability

• Ownership of the production plans and ability to meet production goals.

• Collaboration with Production Managers and Supervisors to allocate labor resources.

• Exceptional organization and communication skills

• Act as liaison with current commercial team regarding production timing and planned delivery dates.

• Attend R D project meetings as needed/requested to convey production equipment and employee availability that may impact R D timing.

• Work with Engineering and Facilities to understand long term equipment installations and modifications to prevent significant impacts on production.

• Collaboration with Sales team on expected forecasted demand and subsequent production with regards to products.

• Facilitate meetings with key stakeholders to proactively: Address ongoing changes to key manufacturing inputs and development project scope changes that impact the production schedule.

• Articulate bottlenecks, critical path inputs, and future challenges involving the production planning.

• Elevate critical production planning information to upper management so financial implications can be quantified and addressed.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Project Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.

• 3+ years of experience in production planning or scheduling, preferably in the pharmaceutical or contract manufacturing industry.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret data and make sound decisions.

• Proficiency in production planning software and Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments.

• Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and regulatory requirements for pharmaceutical manufacturing.

• Detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Willingness to adapt to changing priorities and work flexible hours as needed.

• Proactive team player with a strong sense of ownership.

As part of our promise to talent, Kelly supports those who work with us through a variety of benefits, perks, and work-related resources. Kelly offers eligible employees voluntary benefit plans including medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, term life, whole life, accident insurance, critical illness, a legal plan, and short-term disability. As a Kelly employee, you will have access to a retirement savings plan, service bonus and holiday pay plans (earn up to eight paid holidays per benefit year), and a transit spending account. In addition, employees are entitled to earn paid sick leave under the applicable state or local plan. Click here ( for more information on benefits and perks that may be available to you as a member of the Kelly Talent Community.