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Senior planner skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Aaron Golub,

Alessandro Rigolon

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical senior planner skills. We ranked the top skills for senior planners based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 12.9% of senior planner resumes contained project management as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a senior planner needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 senior planner skills for your resume and career

1. Project Management

Here's how senior planners use project management:

Exemplified successful negotiating, vendor management and project management skills resulting in greater customer satisfaction in delivery on access products.
Collaborate with Project Management, Facility Management and Lease Transactions teams on all real estate decisions justifications.

2. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how senior planners use customer service:

Managed department Key Performance Metrics to ensure monthly perfect order, customer service, operations and demand variability targets are achieved.
Ensured performance to the master production schedule to achieve division objectives for customer services, inventory levels, and configuration management.

3. Autocad

Here's how senior planners use autocad:

Created well plans using Compass, AutoCAD, and Microsoft Excel software.
Involved in international residential planning projects CAD: AutoCAD, AutoCAD Land Responsibilities include staff management and client presentations.

4. Logistics

Logistics is a complete organization and implementation of a problem. Logistics are often considered in a complex business operation, as some works need detailed plannings. Logistics are also used in military action.

Here's how senior planners use logistics:

Incorporated blanket orders with service centers in order to facilitate 24-hours logistics on raw material replenishment.
Key contributor to the Lean Logistics implementation project resulting in significant freight savings.

5. MRP

MRP is an abbreviation of Material Requirements Planning and refers to the control system which is implemented in the planning and management of the activities related to manufacturing. Through MRP, manufacturers can easily schedule the production and it can also be used for inventory. MRP systems are mostly software-based but the process can also be carried out manually.

Here's how senior planners use mrp:

Assisted management during manufacturing resource planning (MRP) system implementation and corporate merger.
Assisted production control supervisor with implementation of Visual Manufacturing MRP II system.

6. Critical Path

A critical path is the longest estimated sequence of interrelated activities from the beginning to the end of the project that must be completed on time to ensure that the project is completed by the due date. The critical path indicates the minimum estimated time it will take to complete the entire project within a project schedule.

Here's how senior planners use critical path:

Worked closely with engineering on critical path components, recommending alternative COTS items meeting engineering specifications to maintain schedule.
Perform analysis to identify and ensure accuracy of critical path and EVMS analysis.

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7. GIS

A geographic information system (GIS) is a tool for capturing, storing, manipulating, analyzing, managing and presenting various forms of geographic data.

Here's how senior planners use gis:

Participated in an GIS feasibility study.
Assisted with the design and implementation of performance reports and GIS tracking for the Nassau Bay TIRZ district.

8. Regional Planning

Here's how senior planners use regional planning:

Coordinate information share with County, neighboring Town/Village/City municipalities and regional planning organizations on inter-related projects and studies.
Prepared and conducted monthly presentations to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Board and Regional Planning Commission.

9. Master Plan

Here's how senior planners use master plan:

Evaluated current zoning ordinances to determine revisions required per the Comprehensive Master Plan.
Supported master planning activities to prioritize material throughput during production phases.

10. ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is computer software used by major corporations and organizations for conducting their management and accounting tasks efficiently. ERP systems bind different business processes with each other allowing smoother flow of data between them resulting in swift project assessment and completion.

Here's how senior planners use erp:

Developed ordering model which became the template for replenishment purchasing for ERP implementation.
Develop and implement process improvements in SAP - ERP system as super user for Material Master, BOM, and reporting.

11. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how senior planners use business development:

Identified and pursued business development opportunities, assembled and managed consultant teams, and prepared individual proposals and qualifications packages.
Supported Business Development team with developing high level client accounts.

12. Purchase Orders

Here's how senior planners use purchase orders:

Monitored open purchase orders to ensure on-time deliveries and address supply concerns when necessary.
Create Purchase orders, process inventory transactions, filing and departmental organization.

13. Production Planning

Production planning is the planning of manufacturing in an industry or company. It uses resources like materials, employees, and production capacity, to serve customers. Production planning can be used in combination with production control into production and control planning.

Here's how senior planners use production planning:

Collaborated with Corporate Supply Chain team to improve production planning, inventory, transportation, and distribution management strategies.
Participated in design, development, and implementation of new and /or improved computer-based inventor and production planning systems.

14. Sigma

In Greek alphabets, sigma is the 18th letter that means "to sum up". In statistics, the lower case symbol of sigma is the unit of measurement for standard deviation which is used to assess the variability in a given set of data. While the upper case symbol is for summation notation means to add up all the given numbers in the data set.

Here's how senior planners use sigma:

Created vendor meeting process, defined roles and responsibilities by leveraging Lean Six Sigma methodology.
Lean Sigma process improvements: Improved Customer Satisfaction to 99.5% by decreasing product shortages and increasing availability to 94%.

15. Primavera

Primavera is a business project portfolio administration software. It includes risk analysis, project management, scheduling, opportunity management, collaboration, resource management, and control capabilities. It integrates seamlessly with other business software such as Oracle and SAP's ERP systems. Primavera has been targeted to effectively compromise digital business assets through fixable software security flaws.

Here's how senior planners use primavera:

Managed training, application enhancements, monitoring and standardized reporting for the Work Management System, Primavera Scheduling and user training.
Developed discipline schedules and performed schedule integration across all disciplines using Primavera Project Planner.

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What skills help Senior Planners find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on senior planner resumes?

Dr. Aaron Golub

Director and Associate Professor, Portland State University

Public engagement and communication skills, project management, skills in understanding and engaging with diverse communities, graphic design and visual communication skills, written communication, GIS, excel and quantitative analysis, survey and interview skills.

What soft skills should all senior planners possess?

Alessandro Rigolon

Assistant Professor, University of Utah

- Working with others collaboratively (including people from other fields)

- Communicating with residents and elected officials effectively

- Dealing with conflict among different interest groups during planning processes (e.g., developers vs. environmentalists). Conflict arises quite often, both for specific projects (e.g., a proposed development) and citywide plans (e.g., affordable housing plan).

- Developing and maintaining relationships and trust with community-based organizations, which often support community engagement activities for projects and plans

- Being committed to equity and inclusion

- Being able to work across political jurisdictions (e.g., for projects or plans spanning more than one city)

What hard/technical skills are most important for senior planners?

Alessandro Rigolon

Assistant Professor, University of Utah

- Geographic Information Systems

- Basic statistical skills

- Some graphic design expertise, including the use of Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and/or Photoshop. Also, ArcGIS StoryMaps are increasingly used by planning agencies to share ongoing results of planning processes

- Some skills in platforms to collect online data for public engagement process, such as ArcGIS Survey123

- Some of the above skills related to applied fields (e.g., architecture), like reading site plans and building plans

- More rarely, AutoCAD and other similar Computer-Aided Design programs

- Good writing is really important but sometimes overlooked

- Capacity to design and manage complex public engagement processes, some of which might last more than one year

What senior planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Daniel Trudeau

Professor of Geography, Macalester College

Accumulating experience in leadership skills (decision making, project management, communication, team building) is worthwhile because these are universally valued in work and non-work settings. You don't have to work in a supervisory role to get experience with these skills either. People can gain leadership experience through volunteer work, peer mentoring, as well as through employment opportunities. I recommend connecting with organizations in which you are or have been involved to create an opportunity (a specific role, for a specific time) to work on one or more leadership skills.

Additionally, becoming aware of leadership skills and how and when to use them is valuable too. I recommend reading and reflection exercises in order to personalize your education and develop a plan to build strengths and capabilities in the constellation of leadership skills. There are plenty of free resources available on the topics of emotional intelligence and strengths psychology to build an education program. Separately, developing competencies in basic programming languages - JavaScript, Python - is worthwhile. These are helpful tools in the world of work. Even if you don't plan on using them, knowing how they work is an asset on its own and can strengthen an individual's ability to work with others.

What type of skills will young senior planners need?

Laird Christensen Ph.D.

Director of MS in Resilient and Sustainable Communities, Prescott College

Preparing students for life in a time of climate crisis means, in some cases, training them for jobs that don't even exist yet. We've already seen this, in recent years, with agencies suddenly looking for Resilience Analysts, Global Climate Change Liaisons, and Climate Equity Coordinators. So we need to provide an evolving set of skills and knowledge that prepares our graduates, not only for positions like these, but for whatever the next essential profession turns out to be. Whether students end up working in mitigation or adaptation, resilience planning, or community organizing, there are some foundational skills that I believe they can count on.

In our MS program, this begins with understanding the science of climate change and how to anticipate locally specific needs, based on what climate models suggest about the road ahead. We make sure that students know how to measure progress toward sustainability and resilience; that they acquire the skills needed to engage a range of stakeholders as a part of policy development; that they learn to integrate lessons about energy, food systems, land-use policies, and social equity by applying what they learn locally, on the ground. It's a lot easier to transpose lessons from one community to another than to struggle to apply concepts that have been learned only in the abstract.

Beyond that foundation, some students choose from skills-based courses such as GIS and Resilient Infrastructure and Transportation Systems, while others may be better served by developing their chops in Grant Writing or Alternative Dispute Resolution. We adjust our courses to stay relevant as circumstances change: not only are lessons from the coronavirus being incorporated into courses like Community Health and Emergency Management and Communication, but even our Ecological Design course has begun asking students to reimagine and plan public spaces for a world in which pandemics are likely to become more common. If you want to know what skills are going to be essential, just keep an eye on the news and ask, "What would I need to know to be most useful here?"

Do you want to know more?

List of senior planner skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a senior planner resume and required skills for a senior planner to have include:

Project Management
Customer Service
Autocad
Logistics
MRP
Critical Path
GIS
Regional Planning
Master Plan
ERP
Business Development
Purchase Orders
Production Planning
Sigma
Primavera
On-Time Delivery

Level Planning
Community Development
Data Analysis
Inventory Management
Earned Value Management
Customer Satisfaction
Material Availability
Economic Development
Technical Assistance
Development Projects
Process Improvement
Customer Orders
Supply Chain Planning
Inventory Control
Staff Reports
ISO

Gross Margin
Customer Demand
BOM
Product Line
WIP
Material Planning
P6
Master Production Schedule
QA
Sketch
Kanban
Work Breakdown Structure
R
Production Control

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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