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.
Senior production planner responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior production planner resumes:
- 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.
- Upgrade MRP reporting, creating system to track comprehensive information about FSD units and work in progress (WIP).
- Assist with facility ERP system implementation.
- Implement kanban replenishment methods for components both purchase and manufacture.
- Manage customer requirements including factory schedules/production, planning and order integrity by directing manufacturing and logistics to optimize supply chain availability.
- Analyze and implement actions to improve on time delivery and other KPI metrics.
- Set up KPI's to monitor improvements in inventory levels, safety stock levels and material lead times.
- Direct process and production improvement activities in an FDA regulate work environment.
Senior production planner skills and personality traits
We calculated that 5% of Senior Production Planners are proficient in Production Planning, ERP, 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 Production Planners that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Production Planning, 5%
Appointed by management to develop and conduct new employee production planning training which maintained business continuity.
- ERP, 5%
Assisted with facility ERP system implementation.
- Logistics, 4%
Established supplier reusable/returnable packaging and freight logistics program, resulted in annual savings of approximately $50K.
- Lean Manufacturing, 4%
Directed Lean Manufacturing processes to complete necessary components to fulfill demands as determined by various facilities.
- Capacity Constraints, 4%
Planned weekly production schedule based on customer demand, forecasts, material availability and capacity constraints.
- Purchase Orders, 4%
Review material/purchase orders due date to ensure late deliveries are expedited in accordance with production schedule requirements.
"production planning," "erp," and "logistics" are among the most common skills that senior production planners use at work. You can find even more senior production planner responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior production 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 production planners often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "coordinated all operational functions to ensure effective customer communication and order on-time delivery. "
Customer-service skills. Another essential skill to perform senior production planner duties is customer-service skills. Senior production planners responsibilities require that "material recording clerks may interact with customers in order to respond to problems or complaints." Senior production planners also use customer-service skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "work as a single point of contact between manufacturing and program management for customers like boeing, raytheon, and cobham. "
Detail oriented. senior production planners are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to senior production 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 production planner resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "worked on detailed analysis & development of intended bill of materials to ensure optimal input to production planning programs. "
Math skills. For certain senior production planner responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of a senior production planner rely on this skill, as "material recording clerks may need to calculate shipping costs or take measurements." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what senior production planners do: "created and executed the reporting of delivery statistics and instituted corrective actions where needed. "
The three companies that hire the most senior production planners are:
- Twin City Fan Companies107 senior production planners jobs
- Church & Dwight Co.13 senior production planners jobs
- Honeywell5 senior production planners jobs
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Senior production planner vs. Material coordinator
A material coordinator is in charge of processing requisitions and ensuring that all departments receive necessary goods and materials within a company. Aside from this, they must maintain positive engagements with vendors, suppliers, and business partners, negotiate contracts, manage schedules of deliveries, and prioritize cost-efficient goods. It is also a material coordinator's responsibility to keep an accurate record of inventory, secure sensitive data, and coordinate with all departments to ensure that all transactions are efficient and precise.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior production planner are more likely to require skills like "production planning," "lean manufacturing," "capacity constraints," and "on-time delivery." On the other hand, a job as a material coordinator requires skills like "production schedules," "data entry," "shipping receiving," and "mrp." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Material coordinators earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $41,571. On the other hand, senior production planners are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $79,837.The education levels that material coordinators earn slightly differ from senior production planners. In particular, material coordinators are 4.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior production planner. Additionally, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior production 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.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that senior production planner responsibilities requires skills like "production planning," "erp," "lean manufacturing," and "capacity constraints." But an expeditor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "cleanliness," "house training," "team work," and "good communication."
Expeditors earn a lower average salary than senior production planners. But expeditors earn the highest pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $46,040. Additionally, senior production planners earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $79,837 annually.In general, expeditors achieve lower levels of education than senior production planners. They're 6.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior production planner vs. Planning coordinator
As planning coordinators, there are certain skills that this job requires to accomplish their responsibilities. They mostly work at the non-profits and health care facilities. Working as planning coordinators, it is expected that your communication skills are good, excellent customer service skills, and detail-oriented. Moreover, as a planning coordinator, part of their job is to focus on patient care, treatment plans, and medical records. This job is complex, and it's not limited to patient care but also managing financial statements and providing good customer service throughout.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior production planner is likely to be skilled in "lean manufacturing," "capacity constraints," "purchase orders," and "material availability," while a typical planning coordinator is skilled in "patients," "insurance benefits," "data entry," and "rehabilitation."
Planning coordinators make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $54,780. On the other hand, senior production planners are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $79,837.Most planning coordinators achieve a similar degree level compared to senior production planners. For example, they're 1.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior production 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.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior production planners and maintenance clerks, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior production planner might have more use for skills like "production planning," "erp," "lean manufacturing," and "capacity constraints." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of maintenance clerks require skills like "cleanliness," "sales floor," "preventive maintenance," and "plumbing. "
Maintenance clerks enjoy the best pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $38,812. For comparison, senior production planners earn the highest salary in the health care industry.In general, maintenance clerks hold lower degree levels compared to senior production planners. Maintenance clerks are 5.7% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of senior production planner
Updated January 8, 2025











