Production planner vs master scheduler

The differences between production planners and master schedulers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a production planner and a master scheduler. Additionally, a master scheduler has an average salary of $77,733, which is higher than the $60,390 average annual salary of a production planner.

The top three skills for a production planner include customer service, MRP and ERP. The most important skills for a master scheduler are customer service, MRP, and program management.

Production planner vs master scheduler overview

	Production Planner	Master Scheduler
Yearly salary	$60,390	$77,733
Hourly rate	$29.03	$37.37
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	68,717	23,353
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a production planner do?

Production planners or schedulers are employees who take charge of the timeliness and accuracy of the production process. The planners develop production schedules which detail the tasks that need to be done to meet the set completion date. They emphasize the goods and materials necessary in the production phase. It is their job to make sure that the working space is well-maintained for optimal performance. They also manage the flow of information during production.

What does a master scheduler do?

A master scheduler is in charge of overseeing and developing a company's overall production schedule, ensuring quality and workforce adherence. Their responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients to determine their needs, developing daily schedules and objectives, disseminating scheduling notices, and conducting regular inspections to ensure the completion of projects in a timely and efficient manner. Furthermore, a master scheduler must produce progress reports and encourage workforce members to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Production planner vs master scheduler salary

Production planners and master schedulers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Planner	Master Scheduler
Average salary	$60,390	$77,733
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $81,000	Between $59,000 And $101,000
Highest paying City	Newark, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Energy	Energy

Differences between production planner and master scheduler education

There are a few differences between a production planner and a master scheduler in terms of educational background:

	Production Planner	Master Scheduler
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Production planner vs master scheduler demographics

Here are the differences between production planners' and master schedulers' demographics:

	Production Planner	Master Scheduler
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%	Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 7.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between production planner and master scheduler duties and responsibilities

Production planner example responsibilities.

Manage large supply base consolidations for both production parts and MRO items.
Manage customer accounts from small first time customers to large OEM's.
Manage and update inventory plan base on ABC and MTO statistic data.
Provide leadership and manage production JCL analyst team supporting and recovering of production job streams.
Track managed backlog dollars, OEM, finish product, and make to order specialty products.
Supervise NPI chip fulfillment process - manage wafer starts to meet internal qualification and board level build plan.

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Master scheduler example responsibilities.

Supervise NPI chip fulfillment process - manage wafer starts to meet internal qualification and board level build plan.
Facilitate production release of drawings, bills of materials, and QC specs.
Coordinate the flow of machine and electronic parts through the production process including QC.
Experience with the engineering change order (ECO) process including documentation and documentation control.
Create BOM's, standardize part numbers, and standardize part descriptions in the MRP software.
Develop, coordinate, and maintain CPM and EVM cost loaded schedules for various BRPH customers.

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Production planner vs master scheduler skills

Common production planner skills

Customer Service, 11%
MRP, 9%
ERP, 5%
Logistics, 4%
Continuous Improvement, 4%
On-Time Delivery, 4%

Common master scheduler skills

Customer Service, 8%
MRP, 6%
Program Management, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 5%
Microsoft Project, 4%
ERP, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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