Senior production planner vs production planner

The differences between senior production planners and production planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior production planner and a production planner. Additionally, a senior production planner has an average salary of $81,198, which is higher than the $60,390 average annual salary of a production planner.

The top three skills for a senior production planner include production planning, ERP and logistics. The most important skills for a production planner are customer service, MRP, and ERP.

Senior production planner vs production planner overview

	Senior Production Planner	Production Planner
Yearly salary	$81,198	$60,390
Hourly rate	$39.04	$29.03
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	67,432	68,717
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a senior production planner do?

Senior production planners decide on items to be manufactured and their quantities based on carefully researched consumer demand forecasts. The production planners analyze data to revise staff schedules to reach the agreed quota in the manufacturing process. They find solutions for internal material concerns like quality checking and transfer issues. Also, they make sure that the products at the end of the manufacturing phase pass their quality standards.

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.

Senior production planner vs production planner salary

Senior production planners and production planners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Production Planner	Production Planner
Average salary	$81,198	$60,390
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $102,000	Between $44,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Newark, CA
Highest paying state	Idaho	Washington
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Health Care	Energy

Differences between senior production planner and production planner education

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

	Senior Production Planner	Production Planner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Senior production planner vs production planner demographics

Here are the differences between senior production planners' and production planners' demographics:

	Senior Production Planner	Production Planner
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 66.9% Female, 33.1%	Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 7.2% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between senior production planner and production planner duties and responsibilities

Senior production planner example responsibilities.

Manage forecast product as required by customer needs, including VMI and KANBAN programs.
Manage cost effective inventory levels for purchase & manufacture assemblies through ERP maintenance of WIP, safety stock & lead-time settings.
Set up reverse logistics supply chain to manage customer returns enabling timely replacement or repair to customers satisfying contractual agreements.
Manage customer requirements including factory schedules/production, planning and order integrity by directing manufacturing and logistics to optimize supply chain availability.
Reconcile inventory and make sure the allocated inventory is flushed out against work orders in process (WIP).
Perform key tasks, including BOM accuracy and shipment of materials that enable successful transfer of tools to volume manufacturing.

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.

Senior production planner vs production planner skills

Common senior production planner skills

Production Planning, 5%
ERP, 5%
Logistics, 4%
Lean Manufacturing, 4%
Capacity Constraints, 4%
Purchase Orders, 4%

Common production planner skills

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

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Senior Production Planner vs Production Planner

Updated January 8, 2025

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