Planning director resume examples from 2026
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How to write a planning director resume
Craft a resume summary statement
A well-written resume summary is basically an elevator pitch. You are summing up your skills and experience in a few sentences to wow recruiters, hiring managers, and decision makers into giving you an interview. Here are some tips to putting your best foot first with your resume summary:
Step 1: Start with your current job title, or the one you aspire to. Are you a passionate manager? A skilled analyst? It's a good starting point.
Step 2: Next put your years of experience in planning director-related roles.
Step 3: Now is the time to put your biggest accomplishment or something you are professionally proud of.
Step 4: Read over what you have written. It should be 2-4 sentences. Your goal is to summarize your experience, not recite your resume.
These four steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some planning director interviews.Please upload your resume so Zippia’s job hunt AI can draft a summary statement for you.
List the right project manager skills
Many resumes are filtered out by hiring software before a human eye ever sees them. A robust Skills section can let recruiters (and bots) know you have the skills to do the job. Here is how to make the most of your skills section:
- Look to the job listing. You often need to include the exact keywords from the job description. Take note of the skills listed for the job.
- Put all relevant hard and soft skills in your skills section.
- Be specific. If you are too broad, you may not be giving the best picture of your skills and leave the hiring manager uncertain of your abilities.
- Be up to date. Software names change and companies merge. Don't look out of touch by being careless.
- Be accurate. Spelling and even upper or lowercase can dramatically change meanings. Make sure you are correctly listing your skills.
Here are example skills to include in your “Area of Expertise” on a planning director resume:
- Project Management
- Financial Analysis
- Business Planning
- Data Analysis
- Customer Service
- Planning Process
- Direct Reports
- Executive Management
- ROI
- Strategic Plan
- Strategic Direction
- Pricing Strategy
- Demand Planning
- Hyperion
- Supply Chain Planning
- Logistics
- Cash Management
- Business Development
- Strong Analytical
- HR
- Real Estate
- Capacity Planning
- KPI
- Process Improvement
- Product Development
- Due Diligence
- Inventory Management
- ERP
- Financial Models
- Enterprise Resource Planning
Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.
How to structure your work experience
Your employment history is arguably one of the most important parts of your resume. It shows you have experience and foundation in your field to successfully master the planning director position. Here is how to most effectively structure your work experience:
- List your most recent experience first, followed by earlier roles in reverse chronological order. Employers care about your most recent experience the most.
- Start with your job title, company name, city, and state on the left. Align dates in month and year format on the right-hand side.
- Include only recent, relevant jobs.
How to write planning director experience bullet points
Your resume is your chance to show your biggest accomplishments. Don't just list your job responsibilities, instead take the opportunity to show why you're really good at what you do. Here is how you do that:
- Start with strong action verbs like managed, spearheaded, created, etc. Your goal is to show what you did and verbs will help demonstrate your contributions.
- Use numbers to quantify your achievements. Did you save time with a new report? Increase revenue? How large was the team you managed?
- Keep it concise. You're highlighting your achievements. Consider if all details you are sharing are relevant, or can be written more efficiently.
Here are examples from great planning director resumes:
Work history example #1
Supply Chain Manager
Motorola Solutions
- Deployed Six Sigma methods on Ford engine controller line and reduced field failure rate by 60%.
- Managed safety stock requirements, factory capacity, and excess material while supporting upside opportunities and mitigating forecast misses within lead-time.
- Served as a liaison between Corporate Human Resources organizations and Corporate Finance.
- Participated in the company wide Six Sigma/Malcolm Baldridge quality program.
- Linked floor stock inventory carousels to MRP eliminating manual posting transaction while improving ledger accuracy 200%.
Work history example #2
Account Director
Dell
- Maintained accurate forecasting through SalesForce CRM.
- Developed processes and analytics used to measure ROI for each marketing vehicle enabling optimization of the marketing mix and marcom scaling.
- Preferred Account Division Sales Representative of the Quarter, Q2 - 1997..
- Reported directly to the President and General Manager, Healthcare.
- Executed Business to Business Information Technology solution based sales to Healthcare and Life Science corporations.
Work history example #3
Manager Finance Planning And Analysis
American Express
- Developed clear methodologies and procedures to improve the financial integrity of the data and streamline the reporting process.
- Executed internal audits maintaining Sarbanes-Oxley compliance requirements prior to SOX legislation.
- Validated allocation rules during Essbase conversion project.
- Analyzed monthly results and provided updates to senior management using PowerPoint to identify and explain key performance indicators and variances.
- Provided ROI/spend efficiency data across teams and initiatives, communicated decisions and positioned funds were appropriate.
Work history example #4
Project Manager
Dell
- Experienced with Heavy Data Analysis, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, Oracle applications, and SQL is preferred.
- Managed deployment scheduling via SharePoint Project.
- Provided custom software and hardware solutions to customers who have configuration requirements beyond the scope of standard Dell offerings.
- Managed implementation of ITIL certified Release Management Process across multiple verticals including Manufacturing, IT & Operations.
- Optimized virtual desktop product features and sales processes through close relationships with key sales team members.
Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.
Add an education section to your resume
The education section should display your highest degree first.
Place your education section appropriately on your resume. If you graduated over 5 years ago, this section should be at the bottom of your resume. If you just graduated and lack relevant work experience, the education section should go to the top.
If you have a bachelor's or master's degree, do not list your high school education. If your graduation year is more than 15-20 years ago, it's better not to include dates in this section.
Here are some examples of good education entries for resumes:
Bachelor's Degree in business
California State University - San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA
1988 - 1991
Highlight your planning director certifications on your resume
Certifications are a great way to showcase special expertise or niche skills. Some jobs even require certifications to be hired.
Include the full name of the certification, along with the name of the issuing organization and date of obtainment.
Here are some of the best certifications to have on planning director resumes:
- Certified Planning Engineer (CPE)
- Certified Planner (AICP)
- Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
- AICP Certified Planners
- Program Management Professional (PgMP)
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Certified Economic Developer (CEcD)
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP)