How to hire a manufacturing planner

How to hire a manufacturing planner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step manufacturing planner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a manufacturing planner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new manufacturing planner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a manufacturing planner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The manufacturing planner hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A manufacturing planner's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, manufacturing planners from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents manufacturing planner salaries for various positions.

   Type of Manufacturing Planner	Description	Hourly rate
   Manufacturing Planner	Material recording clerks track product information in order to keep businesses and supply chains on schedule. They ensure proper scheduling, recordkeeping, and inventory control.	$22-42
   Inventory Control Lead	An Inventory Control Lead oversees supplies in an organization, aiming to meet market demands and avoid oversupply. They perform regular inspections and assessments, review invoices and other documentation, monitor product distribution operations, and produce regular progress reports... Show more	$13-34
   Expeditor	The role of expeditors is to ensure the timely and efficient preparation and delivery of food. To accomplish this task, they also perform other duties, including managing inventory levels, managing supply requisition, and coordinating with subcontractors... Show more	$13-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • BOM
   • Shop Floor
   • Engineering Drawings
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Production Schedules
   • Production Planning
   • Logistics
   • Production Control
   • Inventory Control
   • Material Availability
   • Inventory Management
   • Manufacturing Resource Planning
   • Purchase Orders
   • Engineering Changes

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the kanban system for the entire plant, consisting of rubber, nylon, and metal compounds.
   • Manage inventory levels for commodities of raw materials.
   • Monitor WIP ensuring products are complete in order to meet require customer due dates.
   • Reduce WIP costs and negative inventory by eliminating errors in BOMs and material transactions.
   • Update BOM for existing test plans, and create and populate BOM for new (production) planning.
   • Document all BOM requirements such as raw material, hardware and any other supplies necessary to produce the product.

   More manufacturing planner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your manufacturing planner job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A manufacturing planner salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a manufacturing planner in Utah may be lower than in California, and an entry-level manufacturing planner usually earns less than a senior-level manufacturing planner. Additionally, a manufacturing planner with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average manufacturing planner salary

   $65,109yearly

   $31.30 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level manufacturing planner salary

   $47,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average manufacturing planner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$89,833	$43
   2	New York	$74,462	$36
   3	Massachusetts	$69,910	$34
   4	Washington	$69,166	$33
   5	Oregon	$64,889	$31
   6	Ohio	$63,411	$30
   7	Texas	$61,887	$30
   8	Florida	$61,882	$30
   9	Maryland	$61,798	$30
   10	Louisiana	$61,218	$29
   11	Minnesota	$60,877	$29
   12	New Jersey	$59,670	$29
   13	Arizona	$57,909	$28
   14	Colorado	$57,020	$27
   15	South Carolina	$55,037	$26
   16	Alabama	$54,404	$26
   17	Kansas	$53,370	$26
   18	Iowa	$52,874	$25

   Average manufacturing planner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Micron Technology	$103,605	$49.81	5
   2	Joby Aviation	$97,789	$47.01	14
   3	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$90,152	$43.34	23
   4	Mattson Technology	$88,909	$42.74
   5	Schlumberger	$86,951	$41.80	3
   6	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$78,935	$37.95	84
   7	Reckitt Benckiser	$78,678	$37.83	2
   8	Blue Origin	$77,026	$37.03	89
   9	Spirit AeroSystems	$76,758	$36.90
   10	Amazon	$75,447	$36.27	142
   11	Bosch Security Systems Inc	$74,764	$35.94
   12	Safran	$74,611	$35.87	36
   13	Continental Automotive Systems	$74,578	$35.85
   14	LMI Aerospace	$72,473	$34.84
   15	FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA	$71,184	$34.22	55
   16	Emerson	$69,618	$33.47	51
   17	General Dynamics	$68,182	$32.78	60
   18	Parker Hannifin	$67,738	$32.57	50
   19	Cardinal Health	$67,550	$32.48	73
   20	Raytheon Technologies	$66,818	$32.12	66

4. Writing a manufacturing planner job description

   A good manufacturing planner job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a manufacturing planner job description:

   Manufacturing planner job description example

   Blackstone Talent Group, an award-winning technology consulting and talent agency is seeking a 6H6GI3-Manufacturing Planner 3 - 67F-Systems & Test to join our team at our client’s site in El Segundo, CA.
   
   Develop, implement and maintain various manufacturing plans, Bill of Materials, work instructions and illustrations to define and document as-built configuration
   Develop manufacturing concepts and strategies to support business objectives Develop and integrate suppliers, processes, materials, data and technology to meet manufacturing and delivery requirements Review and approve supplier data to ensure manufacturing related requirements are met Develop tooling requirements based on manufacturing and engineering requirements Manage tools from initial design to end of use disposition Investigate and resolve manufacturing related issues Perform producibility assessments for part or product designs Provide producibility input to design, manufacturing processes and manufacturing technologies to meet cost and schedules Develop integrated work statements and sequencing of events to support delivery commitments Draft, update and review processes and procedures to support business and regulatory agency requirements Work under general direction This position requires the ability to obtain a US Security Clearance for which the US Government requires US Citizenship as a condition of employment. An interim and/or final U.S. Top Secret Clearance Post-Start is required.
   Basic Qualifications (Required Skills/Experience):
   3+ years of experience using Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) 3+ years of experience managing Manufacturing Engineering tasks such as bill of material development, tooling coordination and work instruction development
   Preferred Qualifications (Desired Skills/Experience):
   Bachelor' s degree or higher in Engineering Field 3+ years of experience in satellite design, fabrication and test 3+ years of experience in engineering design or manufacturing engineering Experience as a Manufacturing Planner
   
   Typical Education/Experience:
   Education/experience typically acquired through advanced education (e.g. Associate) and typically 3 or more years' related work experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience (e.g. Bachelor+1 years' related work experience, 5 years' related work experience, etc.).
   
   Blackstone Talent Group is a division of Blackstone Technology Group, a global IT services and solutions firm that implements technological solutions across commercial industry verticals and the US Federal Government. Blackstone’s global talent augmentation practice was founded in 1998. Blackstone Talent Group has offices in San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Colorado Springs, and Washington, DC. We specialize in providing clients the best talent across a variety of industries and sectors.
   
   EOE of Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabilities

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find manufacturing planners for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any manufacturing planners they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level manufacturing planners with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your manufacturing planner job on Zippia to find and recruit manufacturing planner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit manufacturing planners, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new manufacturing planner

   Once you have selected a candidate for the manufacturing planner position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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