Formulation and Production Planner

Job Summary

This role manages finished goods planning and accurate formulation to meet product specifications. Collaborate across teams to improve inventory accuracy, quality, productivity, and reduce waste while supporting production efficiency and scheduling.

Responsibilities

Formulate finished goods and intermediate jobs accurately to meet product specifications and labeling requirements, adjusting formulations promptly with input from Finishing, R&D, and Quality Control to resolve out-of-specification issues

Collaborate with Formulations teams, Finishing Supervisors, QC lab, and R&D staff to address concerns about inventory levels, availability, service, and quality

Take ownership of potential problem jobs by documenting actions, establishing accountability, tracking progress, and providing daily updates to cross-functional leadership and operational teams

Collect and analyze data on returns & rejections (R&Rs), adjustments, and first pass quality issues to inform continuous improvement efforts

Monitor and utilize restricted inventory in blend off or aged status appropriately, tracking levels and reporting causes to Finishing Leadership

Maintain accurate written and electronic inventory records by accounting for all inventory usage, including bulking, product requests, loss, or damage

Track and report job formulation metrics, R&Rs, adjustments, and raw material/intermediate inventory levels as directed by the Manufacturing Manager

Develop and implement new departmental reports to support data-driven decision-making

Lead initiatives to maximize production capacity and reduce finishing jobs, helping to control late orders and overtime within targets

Identify improvement opportunities by collecting, tracking, measuring, and analyzing data to enhance formulation efficiency and departmental performance

Challenge existing business practices and initiate projects to improve processes, procedures, and performance based on data-backed recommendations

Be available off-shift and on weekends for adjustments, R&Rs, and problem resolution to maintain production flow

Create, adjust, and manage manufacturing schedules and orders to align with production needs

Support formulation and adjustment jobs at the Kalamazoo Finishing Center during the 3rd shift

Collaborate with the Continuous Improvement (CI) team to develop and maintain a live planning tool for Singapore operations

Work closely with the Customer Experience team to support order fulfillment

Maintain, update, and create bulking and packaging instructions to ensure clarity and compliance

Required competencies and certifications

Bachelor’s degree in a related field with at least 2-3 years of Production planning and scheduling experience

Proficient in MS Office tools and ERP database query and navigation

Demonstrated problem-solving skills applied to production and formulation challenges

Strong verbal and written communication skills to effectively collaborate across teams

Flexibility to manage frequently changing priorities and assignments in a dynamic production environment

Consider Us Your Partner for Success

Headquartered in Kalamazoo, MI, Kalsec is a global company that provides a full portfolio of high quality, natural food and beverage ingredients for savory food and brewed beverage applications. With over 1,500 products and deep in-house expertise, we are uniquely positioned to provide solutions for your natural taste and sensory, food protection, colors and hops needs. And since our ingredients are derived from natural sources we can help you create products that meet the expectations of today's most label-conscious consumers.

Sixty years after our founding we remain a family owned business that takes pride in providing our customers with industry recognized high quality natural ingredients, expertise and superior service.'

As a certified B Corp, we also meet the highest recognized social and environmental standards. This represents our commitment to making ethical and sustainable decisions that serve consumers, customers, employees, communities and the environment.