Sr Production Planner

Headquartered in Lakeville, Minn., Post Consumer Brands, a business unit of Post Holdings, Inc., is dedicated to providing people and their pets with delicious food choices for every taste and budget. The company’s portfolio includes beloved brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats®, PEBBLES®, Grape-Nuts® and Malt-O-Meal® cereal, and Peter Pan® peanut butter, as well as Rachael Ray® Nutrish®, Kibbles ‘n Bits® and 9Lives® dog and cat food. As a company committed to high standards of quality and to our values, we are driven by one idea: To make lives better by making delicious food accessible for all. For more information about our brands, visit www.postconsumerbrands.com and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news.

Post Consumer Brands recently acquired several iconic pet food brands, venturing into a new market while remaining true to our purpose to provide delicious and accessible food that our consumers love. We’re always searching the center store for the next exciting product to add to our portfolio, and right now, we’re growing and need passionate, driven individuals with diverse perspectives to help us reach greater heights. That’s where you come in. Join a team where your voice is not only heard but valued. Make a real impact on brands enjoyed by millions of people and their pets.

At Post Consumer Brands, we take pride in our longstanding legacy of making one of every five breakfast cereals families eat daily. Today, we’re just as focused on our future as we expand our grocery business with different shelf-stable foods, including snacks and peanut butter. We are committed to providing accessible and delicious food for families, and we’re always searching the center store for the next exciting product to add to our portfolio. As we soar to new heights, we need creative, determined individuals from all walks of life to join our team, where your unique perspective and ideas are acknowledged and valued. Be a part of a company that empowers you to make a difference that’s evident on grocery store shelves and families’ tables across North America.

Post Consumer Brands in Battle Creek, Mich., the cereal capital of the U.S., is the company's largest manufacturing plant and home to about 600 team members. When you join the team here, you'll be helping to produce some of the most iconic cereal brands, including Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, PEBBLES cereal, Grape-Nuts and Honeycomb cereal. The Battle Creek plant is also unique as it is home to the original barn where C.W. Post started the Postum cereal company in 1895. The Battle Creek team has deep community roots, supporting the city's Cereal Festival, local elementary schools, and hosting several on-site volunteer events throughout the year.

OVERVIEW: 

Under the direction of the Materials Manager or Production Planning Supervisor the Sr. Production Planner is accountable for the establishment and the management of the production schedules for assigned production lines and flavor types within his/her portfolio.  The creation of production schedules balance the competing needs of customer service levels and manufacturing efficiencies while maintaining inventory levels within the range set forth through the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process.  This role takes a leadership position in identifying key actions to consider to take advantage of opportunities and/or to mitigate risk to our business.  The incumbent is expected to serve as subject matter experts, super user, training developer or trainer within this area of expertise.  The Sr. Production Planner is also responsible for supervising Plant Supply Chain temporary staff and summer interns. Primary responsibilities of the Sr. Production Planner are to prepare, plan, issue and control production schedules.  It is important to follow the standard processes and leverage technology to positively impact results.  Support, implement, and maintain food safety and quality practices as required through SQF.  Other key functions the position works with:

• Customer Solutions – to maintain service level targets
• Master Supply Planning – to satisfy the production plan needs
• Transportation - to minimize excess product movement and schedule direct plant shipments
• Material Planning - to assure production schedules and modifications are compatible with

packaging lead times and availability

• Operations – to create schedules as efficient as possible for both processing and packaging

given current demand requirements and service levels

 Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Develop and implement appropriate production strategies. Create and maintain production schedules that ensure high customer service levels and manufacturing efficiencies.
• Generate a frozen and slushy production schedule each day within the stated time-fence according to policy
• Schedule a complex array of SKU’s across multiple production lines through scheduling best practices and lean principle applications
• Executes production plan to align with network plan set forth from the S&OP Supply Plan
• Integrate with operations to achieve operations efficiency, sequence production schedules to maximize operations efficiency, expedite operations that delay schedules and alter schedules to meet unforeseen conditions
• Communicate causes and impacts of schedule changes to master supply planning, material planning, labor planning and operations. Follow escalation procedures to improve service, quality of work and reduce costs through process or execution improvements and establish approval for change
• Demonstrate continuous improvement in the schedule sequencing, routing and/or the scheduling process
• Coordinate activities to pursue opportunities and resolve issues. Document, communicate and follow-up on action plans
• Provide recommendations to improve service, quality of work, and reduce costs through process or execution improvements
• Provide cross-functional leadership and expertise within the assigned production lines and flavor types
• Track and report Key Performance Indicators on significant supply variances, perform root cause analysis and make the appropriate revisions within the production schedule
• Act as subject matter expert, super user, training developer or trainer as assigned
• Supervise temporary and seasonal employees as requested

Leadership Competencies: customer focus, drive for results; action-oriented; problem solving, planning, timely decision making, informing, organizing, conflict management, interpersonal savvy

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor degree in Supply Chain, Business, Accounting or related field is preferred
• Integrated planning systems training like ERP/DRP/MPS/MRP/CRP is required
• Professional certification from APICS and/or ISM is desirable

EXPERIENCE:

• Would prefer a minimum of 8 years of combined related experience operating in areas of inventory control, production scheduling, master planning, demand management, capacity management, materials management, or distribution resource planning; with preference in food processing/packaging
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing systems and processes
• Able to build relationships

Post Holdings provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, status as a covered veteran and any other category protected under applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws.