Post job

What does a senior material planner do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
On this page

Senior material planner responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior material planner resumes:

  • Lead and support the training and maintenance of ERP and planning skills within the organization.
  • Manage OEM inventory to meet warranty and customer requirements.
  • Analyze BOM, run rates, and safety stock level to eliminate stock-out and ensuring appropriate material flow.
  • Re-Design the layout of WIP so all parts have an identify location.
  • Ensure master data accuracy within the ERP system and develop scorecard to track progress.
  • Collaborate with engineering, planning, scheduling and material control in coordinating material logistics for schedule maintenance projects.
  • Communicate with other Cameron facilities worldwide and outside vendors to obtain materials and services require to fulfill customer projects and orders.
  • Develop equipment forecasts according to repair BOMS to determine material requirements.
  • Implement KPI targets and tracking mechanism to monitor productivity.
  • Provide production and delivery KPI reporting matrix for operations and management personnel both internal and externally.
  • Assist with implementation and troubleshooting of BAAN production scheduling system.

Senior material planner skills and personality traits

We calculated that 13% of Senior Material Planners are proficient in Supply Chain, Material Planning, and Logistics. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Senior Material Planners that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Supply Chain, 13%

    Managed supply chain operations and improvements including supply demand planning, system and operation administration, finance reporting and administrative activities.

  • Material Planning, 7%

    Led material planning, purchasing recommendations, and materials management support to internal business partners in large-plan services and retail.

  • Logistics, 6%

    Collaborated with engineering, planning, scheduling and material control in coordinating material logistics for scheduled maintenance projects.

  • ERP, 5%

    Utilized Visual Manufacturing ERP software to manage production plans; inventory and materials management, part number and vendor maintenance.

  • Purchase Orders, 4%

    Managed all raw material inventories and created blanket purchase order releases, achieving timely production delivery.

  • On-Time Delivery, 4%

    Established Work-In-Process (WIP) and Finished Goods (FG) buffer quantities to improve on-time delivery performance.

Common skills that a senior material planner uses to do their job include "supply chain," "material planning," and "logistics." You can find details on the most important senior material planner responsibilities below.

Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior material planner to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "material recording clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, or managers and need to convey their company’s needs effectively." Senior material planners often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "maintain active communication between product management and customers to assure timely process of customer orders and new projects. "

Customer-service skills. Another essential skill to perform senior material planner duties is customer-service skills. Senior material planners responsibilities require that "material recording clerks may interact with customers in order to respond to problems or complaints." Senior material planners also use customer-service skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "collaborated with program management, design engineering, and production to meet customer delivery schedules. "

Detail oriented. senior material planners are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to senior material planner responsibilities, because "material and product inspecting clerks must pay attention to detail when checking items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot." A senior material planner resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "created and maintained detailed spread sheets on bom, mrb, dmr and rma inventory items to complement oracle system. "

Math skills. senior material planner responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "material recording clerks may need to calculate shipping costs or take measurements." This resume example shows what senior material planners do with math skills on a typical day: "inputted vendor performance data and min-max statistics for 3000 components. "

See the full list of senior material planner skills

Choose from 10+ customizable senior material planner resume templates

Build a professional senior material planner resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior material planner resume.
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume
Senior Material Planner Resume

Compare different senior material planners

Senior material planner vs. Production controller

A production controller is in charge of overseeing manufacturing operations, ensuring the workflow adheres to the quality standards, budgets, and deadlines. It is their duty to develop production and inventory control techniques, coordinate with managers to establish objectives and guidelines, review production plans and job orders, and supervise the supply chain operations. They also monitor every procedure, implement solutions in problem areas, and produce progress reports as needed. Furthermore, as a production controller, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with the production team while implementing the company's protocols and policies.

If we compare the average senior material planner annual salary with that of a production controller, we find that production controllers typically earn a $21,910 lower salary than senior material planners make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both senior material planner and production controller positions are skilled in logistics, erp, and production planning.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior material planners and production controller. For instance, senior material planner responsibilities require skills such as "supply chain," "material planning," "purchase orders," and "on-time delivery." Whereas a production controller is skilled in "control procedures," "respirators," "production schedules," and "mrp." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Production controllers earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $58,093. On the other hand, senior material planners are paid more in the automotive industry with an average salary of $83,919.The education levels that production controllers earn slightly differ from senior material planners. In particular, production controllers are 6.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior material planner. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior material planner vs. Production scheduler

A production scheduler is in charge of developing manufacturing schedules to achieve short and long term production goals. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing research and analysis to understand the extent of all procedures, identifying the needs of clients, and devising strategies for optimal operations. They must also monitor the company's resources and workforce to ensure that everything runs smoothly in adherence to all schedules, making changes only when necessary. Furthermore, as a production scheduler, it is essential to encourage the workforce to reach goals and deadlines, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Production scheduler positions earn lower pay than senior material planner roles. They earn a $25,668 lower salary than senior material planners per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Senior material planners and production schedulers both require similar skills like "erp," "on-time delivery," and "production planning" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior material planner responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "supply chain," "material planning," "logistics," and "purchase orders." Meanwhile, a production scheduler has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "mrp," "continuous improvement," and "production lines." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Production schedulers earn a lower average salary than senior material planners. But production schedulers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $51,443. Additionally, senior material planners earn the highest salaries in the automotive with average pay of $83,919 annually.production schedulers earn lower levels of education than senior material planners in general. They're 5.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior material planner vs. 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. They are also responsible for streamlining interdepartmental communication, monitoring job progress, and collaborating with project managers to collect relevant information about job status. This role requires specific skills and qualifications, including a high school diploma or an associate degree in food service, business management, and hospitality management, relevant work experience, and certifications in CCP, CPSM, or CPPB.

On average, expeditors earn lower salaries than senior material planners, with a $35,224 difference per year.By looking over several senior material planners and expeditors resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "logistics," "purchase orders," and "on-time delivery." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from senior material planner resumes include skills like "supply chain," "material planning," "erp," and "production planning," whereas an expeditor is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "cleanliness," "house training," and "team work. "

Expeditors make a very good living in the construction industry with an average annual salary of $46,040. On the other hand, senior material planners are paid the highest salary in the automotive industry, with average annual pay of $83,919.Most expeditors achieve a lower degree level compared to senior material planners. For example, they're 8.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior material planner vs. Maintenance clerk

A maintenance clerk typically works in an organization's maintenance department. As a maintenance clerk, your duties will include overseeing maintenance information, ensuring the department's smooth operation, and generating computer reports. Additionally, you will be responsible for maintaining and managing inventory records and answering telephone calls. Other duties that you will likely perform include preparing written and correspondence materials for personnel, providing or coordinating the response to personnel and customer inquiries, and tracking equipment for maintenance.

Maintenance clerks average a lower salary than the annual salary of senior material planners. The difference is about $43,508 per year.While both senior material planners and maintenance clerks complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like logistics, purchase orders, and inventory control, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A senior material planner uses "supply chain," "material planning," "erp," and "on-time delivery." Maintenance clerks are more likely to have duties that require skills in "customer service," "cleanliness," "sales floor," and "preventive maintenance. "maintenance clerks enjoy the best pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $38,812. For comparison, senior material planners earn the highest salary in the automotive industry.The average resume of maintenance clerks showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to senior material planners. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 8.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

Types of senior material planner

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse office and administrative jobs