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JOB DESCRIPTION - SCHEDULER / PLANNER
Position Details:
Department Production
Reports to VP Brewery Operations
FLSA Status Salary, Exempt
Location Salt Lake City, Utah
Position Summary:
The Scheduler / Planner coordinates production schedules, material availability, inventory targets, and production orders across brewery operations from wort production to finished goods. This role translates sales forecasts, customer demand, inventory position, shelf-life requirements, and operating capacity into practical production and material plans that keep brewing, packaging, warehousing, and distribution aligned. The Scheduler / Planner is a hands-on cross-functional partner who monitors execution, communicates constraints early, and adjusts plans when demand, materials, equipment, or staffing conditions change. Success in this role requires disciplined ERP data management, strong analytical judgment, advanced skills with Excel, and the ability to balance service, freshness, efficiency, and inventory objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
Production Scheduling & Execution
- Develop, publish, and maintain finite production schedules for brewing, packaging, and related operations based on demand, capacity, labor, equipment availability, and material constraints.
- Convert sales forecasts, customer orders, inventory levels, and shelf-life requirements into executable short- and mid-range production plans.
- Monitor daily schedule performance, identify risks or deviations, and coordinate timely recovery plans with Brewing, Packaging, Warehouse, Quality, Maintenance, and Sales departments.
- Communicate schedule changes, priorities, constraints, and expected impacts clearly to affected departments and external partners.
- Maintain an appropriate planning horizon and frozen schedule window to improve stability while preserving the flexibility needed for business-critical changes.
Materials Planning & Inventory Management
- Regularly monitor stock levels for raw materials, ingredients, packaging components, and supporting supplies to meet the production schedule without creating unnecessary inventory or obsolescence.
- Use forecasts, open orders, lead times, minimum order quantities, safety-stock levels, and shelf-life data to maintain healthy inventory positions.
- Identify shortages, excess inventory, slow-moving materials, and freshness risks; recommend actions and escalate constraints before they affect production or customer service.
- Coordinate material staging and movement requirements across production, warehouse, and distribution activities.
- Monitor distributor and in-state order requirements, inventory levels, and replenishment needs as assigned.
ERP / MRP & Data Management
- Create, release, update, and close production orders accurately in the company's SAP-based ERP platform (Orchestrated Beer) where applicable.
- Maintain accurate planning parameters, bills of material, lead times, yields, order quantities, and other master data that influence schedule and material requirements.
- Reconcile planning data with actual production, inventory, and sales activity; investigate discrepancies and coordinate corrections with the appropriate owners.
- Build and maintain planning reports, dashboards, and data tools using Microsoft Excel and other approved systems.
Sales & Operations Planning Support
- Support the Sales and Operations Planning process by preparing demand, supply, inventory, capacity, and service-level information for review.
- Partner with Sales, Finance, Operations, and Supply Chain stakeholders to evaluate forecast changes, promotions, product transitions, new products, and discontinuations.
- Provide scenario analysis and recommendations that clarify trade-offs among service, cost, capacity, inventory, and freshness.
Continuous Improvement & Cross-Functional Coordination
- Champion consistent scheduling and planning practices, standard work, and disciplined use of planning systems and tools.
- Lead efforts to improve workflow, handoffs, and communication across departments that affect schedule attainment and material readiness.
- Measure and report key planning metrics such as schedule attainment, service level, forecast accuracy, inventory health, material shortages, production order accuracy, and plan stability.
- Use data and structured problem-solving to identify root causes, improve processes, and verify that corrective actions deliver measurable results.
- Participate in operational meetings and special projects, providing clear ownership, follow-through, and timely status updates.
Qualifications & Requirements:
- Age: Must be 21 years of age or older.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Logistics, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
- Experience: Five or more years of progressive experience in production planning, scheduling, operations, logistics, inventory control, or distribution, preferably in food, beverage, consumer packaged goods, or high-volume manufacturing.
- ERP / MRP: Demonstrated experience using ERP or MRP systems is required. SAP Business One and Orchestrated Beer experience is strongly preferred.
- Software: Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and proficiency with Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and database or reporting tools.
- Analytical Capability: Strong numerical, reasoning, and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret demand, inventory, capacity, and production data.
- Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to record details accurately and work positively with people across functions and levels.
- Work Style: Self-motivated, organized, adaptable, and able to manage competing priorities and make sound decisions under pressure.
Physical & Environmental Demands:
- Work Setting: Regular work in an office environment with frequent time in active brewery, warehouse, and packaging areas.
- Production Environment: Ability to work around moving equipment, forklifts, noise, temperature variation, wet surfaces, and normal food and beverage manufacturing conditions while following required safety practices.
- Mobility: Ability to walk, stand, sit, and use stairs as needed to verify production status, inventory, and material readiness throughout the facility.
- Schedule Flexibility: Ability to adjust work hours occasionally to support production changes, inventory issues, month-end activity, or other operational needs.
Core Competencies:
- Planning Discipline: Builds realistic, stable plans and keeps systems, assumptions, and priorities current.
- Business Judgment: Balances customer service, freshness, cost, capacity, and inventory when recommending a course of action.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: Creates alignment without relying on direct authority and follows through on commitments.
- Sense of Urgency: Surfaces risks early and responds quickly when production or material conditions change.
- Attention to Detail: Maintains accurate orders, dates, quantities, and planning data that others can rely on.
- Continuous Improvement: Uses data, standard work, and root-cause thinking to strengthen planning and operating performance.