How to hire a service planner

How to hire a service planner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step service planner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a service planner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new service planner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a service planner do?

Post a service planner job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The service planner hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect service planner also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of service planners.

   Type of Service Planner	Description	Hourly rate
   Service Planner	Material recording clerks track product information in order to keep businesses and supply chains on schedule. They ensure proper scheduling, recordkeeping, and inventory control.	$19-37
   Production Control Clerk	Production control clerks will need to possess skills in data, entry, drafting customer supports and orders, dealing with production workers, and handling material inventory records. Also, clerical skills are a plus... Show more	$12-24
   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... Show more	$17-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Complaints
   • Data Entry
   • Customer Service
   • Delivery Dates
   • Purchase Orders
   • MRP
   • Customer Orders
   • Safety Stock
   • RAN
   • Data Collection
   • ERP
   • Sales Orders
   • DOT
   • AS400

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create budgets, select sites, negotiate contracts, manage logistics, oversee food and beverage, and coordinate vendors
   • Generate MRP on a monthly basis; run weekly selective MRP to include any addition requirements receive.
   • Review inventory and plan releases for assign accounts using customer's spreadsheets, EDI or MRP releases.
   • Generate shop order paperwork including Kanban pull card system and manual shop orders base upon customer demand.
   • Use of a RF scanner and floor jack.
   • Assist pickers with picking and RF scanner issues.

   More service planner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your service planner job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A service planner salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, service planners' average salary in wyoming is 50% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level service planners earn 49% less than senior-level service planners.
   • Certifications. A service planner with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a service planner's salary.

   Average service planner salary

   $56,421yearly

   $27.13 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level service planner salary

   $40,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average service planner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$74,706	$36
   2	New York	$67,145	$32
   3	Virginia	$63,312	$30
   4	Idaho	$62,317	$30
   5	Ohio	$59,639	$29
   6	Connecticut	$57,589	$28
   7	Georgia	$57,500	$28
   8	Tennessee	$56,241	$27
   9	Arkansas	$54,507	$26
   10	Florida	$54,252	$26
   11	Washington	$54,147	$26
   12	North Carolina	$54,065	$26
   13	New Jersey	$53,813	$26
   14	Wisconsin	$51,401	$25
   15	Alaska	$50,817	$24
   16	Colorado	$50,522	$24
   17	Texas	$50,280	$24
   18	Arizona	$49,386	$24
   19	South Carolina	$48,699	$23
   20	Kansas	$47,772	$23

   Average service planner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	LinkedIn	$86,942	$41.80	2
   2	Tesla	$76,934	$36.99	5
   3	YKK AP America	$68,936	$33.14
   4	Vierbicher	$68,722	$33.04
   5	Praxair	$68,684	$33.02
   6	Walmart	$65,693	$31.58
   7	Fresh Express	$65,536	$31.51	3
   8	Lexmark	$64,144	$30.84
   9	NJ Transit	$56,297	$27.07
   10	Honda	$54,708	$26.30	1
   11	ASSETS INC	$54,658	$26.28
   12	Ameriprise Financial	$54,424	$26.17	2
   13	City of Jacksonville	$54,213	$26.06
   14	Samsung Telecommunications America General LLC	$54,065	$25.99
   15	ABM Industries	$53,462	$25.70	11
   16	Womack Machine Supply	$53,329	$25.64
   17	Long Beach Transit	$53,182	$25.57
   18	Markem-Imaje	$53,156	$25.56
   19	Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County	$52,418	$25.20
   20	Sound Transit	$51,835	$24.92

4. Writing a service planner job description

   A job description for a service planner role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a service planner job description:

   Service planner job description example

   Under direction of the Customer Service Supervisor, the Customer Service Planner provides analytical and customer service support to assigned customers for assigned products; from the creation of a short-term statistical forecasts of consumer demand through product delivery to customers. The objective of this position is to develop and execute inventory plans that will enable Chiquita to meet sales and service objectives for the Fresh Express business. This position interacts daily with customers, field sales, brokers, production/distribution centers, and transportation organizations to obtain information needed for accurate forecasting.
   
   Directly interface with the customer to create the daily base and promotional customer forecasts by customer, SKU, and location, performing required quality assessment of the forecast data to ensure completeness and accuracy.
   
   Use available forecasting tools and run necessary suggested vs. actual reports to accurately forecast customer demand, by SKU, by day with a target accuracy of 80%.
   
   Collection of quantitative and qualitative data to support forecasting. This includes historical demand, expansion of distribution, new customers, price changes, promotion plans, etc.
   
   Modeling the impacts of demand factors as seen in historical data to call out base history from incremental business.
   
   Review statistical forecasts with Sales, Commercial Operations, and Product Marketing; make modifications as necessary.
   
   Validation with the customer of promotion items, duration of promotion and depth of trade allowance as well as forecasted quantities for promotions.
   
   Review of the forecasts and develop the appropriate post promotional analysis necessary to improve forecast accuracy.
   Help manage inventory levels by directly selling product to customers. Customer Service Duties (45%) Input orders through various means: PRMS, EDI, I-Trade, Food Link, E-Fax, e-mail, phone, etc., reviewing variances between the retail and food service customer forecasts and actual orders and respond to significant variances, as appropriate. Facilitate/coordinate transportation arrangements to help insure timely communication and product delivery. Manage the customer relationship process, providing Fresh Express customers with a high level of service as defined by: delivery as ordered, on-time, and invoiced accurately. Responsible for resolving issues relative to customer service and satisfaction in the most cost effective manner possible; adjusting customer orders, as appropriate based on available inventory. Validate customer pricing; base and promoted consistent with SOX requirements. Manage OS&D's and approve credits & deductions. Promote customer adherence to order management guidelines at targeted levels. Release invoices and perform administrative filing. Responsible for the input of data into several "off-line" reports / data bases which capture critical customer service and quality information related to product rejections, product quality defects, and customer / consumer complaints. Position Skills & Qualifications Desired Ability to effectively communicate internally and externally. Excellent interpersonal skills, problem solving and selling skills. Intermediate MS Office skills. Ability to work with multiple internal and external groups to achieve company objectives. Position Experience Qualifications 3+ years customer service experience, preferably within a consumer products company. AS400/MRP experience. Demand planning / forecasting experience preferred. Supply chain dynamics. Food industry and/or produce, especially value-added salad category a plus. ERP systems. PRMS and Logility. Order management or forecasting functions. Position Education & Training Preferred Associate Degree or equivalent experience. Job Posted by ApplicantPro

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find service planners for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any service planners they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level service planners with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your service planner job on Zippia to find and recruit service planner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with service planner candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new service planner

   Once you've selected the best service planner candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a service planner?