Production Planner

Springfield Creamery, the makers of "Nancy's Probiotic Foods", located in Eugene, Oregon, is seeking a Production Planner.

As a family owned and operated legacy company, Springfield Creamery is a premier producer of nationally established products. If you share the same commitment to healthy food and good work with great people, we would love to talk to you!

Position Summary

The Production Planner owns the plan that runs the plant. This role turns sales forecasts, customer orders, and inventory positions into a weekly and daily production schedule across all lines. The planner procures the milk, and works with team members to ensure other ingredients, packaging and people are in place to execute. The goal is a stable, predictable week for the plant.

Schedule

This is a salaried, exempt position. Core hours are Monday–Friday, days, with flexibility to cover schedule changes, weekend production questions, and plan adjustments as needed. Periodic early or late presence on the floor is expected to stay connected to shift execution.

Key ResponsibilitiesDemand & Production Planning

• Build and publish the weekly production schedule by line and shift, with a rolling 4week outlook.
• Translate sales forecasts, customer orders, and promotions into production requirements by SKU.
• Sequence runs to minimize changeovers, allergen and flavor transitions, and sanitation impact while meeting ship dates.
• Plan around shelf life and code dates: keep finished goods fresh and minimize aged or expired inventory.
• Plan new product launches and line trials (e.g., pouch launches) with R&D, Operations, and Sales, including first-production dates and ramp-up.
• Own schedule changes: evaluate the impact, communicate changes clearly, and keep one current version of the plan.

Milk Procurement & Supply Coordination

• Own fluid milk procurement: calculate milk requirements from the schedule, place milk orders with suppliers, and coordinate receiving volumes and timing.
• Provide Procurement with ingredient, culture, fruit prep, and packaging requirements from the schedule; Procurement owns purchasing. Flag potential shortages early.
• Coordinate with Procurement on supplier lead times, minimum order quantities, and delivery dates; reconcile them against production dates and raise conflicts before they become downtime.
• Coordinate with Logistics/Shipping so production supports truck schedules, distributor orders, and customer delivery windows.

Inventory Management

• Maintain accurate finished goods, WIP, ingredient, and packaging inventory positions; set and manage target inventory levels by SKU.
• Lead cycle counts and inventory reconciliation with the warehouse; investigate and resolve variances.
• Identify slow-moving, short-dated, or obsolete inventory and recommend actions to reduce write-offs.

Capacity & Labor Planning

• Coordinate planned downtime with Maintenance (PMs, repairs, capital project tie-ins) and Sanitation so it is built into the schedule, not added on top of it.

Communication & Plan Execution

• Run a short weekly planning meeting with Production, Procurement, Logistics, QA, and Maintenance to lock the upcoming week.
• Communicate the daily plan and any changes to Shift and Department Supervisors in a consistent, standard format.
• Use Redzone (or equivalent) data to track plan attainment and feed actual line performance back into planning assumptions.
• Escalate supply, capacity, or service risks to leadership early, with options and a recommendation.

Systems, Data & Reporting

• Maintain master data that planning depends on: bills of materials, run rates, batch sizes, pack configurations, and lead times.
• Report weekly KPIs: schedule attainment, fill rate / on-time shipment, inventory days on hand, shortages, and write-offs.
• Continuously improve planning tools and processes; move the plant from reactive to planned.

Food Safety & Compliance

• Build food safety requirements into the schedule: allergen sequencing, sanitation windows, hold-and-release timing, and organic/grass-fed segregation.
• Support traceability and mock recalls with accurate lot, usage, and production records.
• Follow all GMPs, SQF requirements, and plant policies when on the production floor.

QualificationsRequired

• 3+ years of production planning, scheduling, or supply planning experience in food or beverage manufacturing.
• Advanced Excel skills (lookups, pivot tables, modeling); comfort working with large data sets.
• Working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems and inventory control practices.
• Understanding of shelf life, lot control, and traceability in a perishable food environment.
• Strong communication skills; able to hold a plan under pressure and explain trade-offs clearly.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage competing priorities across departments.

Preferred

• Experience in dairy manufacturing
• Experience planning organic and/or specialty (grass-fed, protein) product lines.
• Experience with new product launches and coordinating supplier lead times for packaging and ingredients.
• APICS/ASCM certification (CPIM or CSCP) or equivalent training.
• Familiarity with Redzone or similar production performance systems.
• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, operations, business, or a related field.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus.

Physical / Work Environment

• Primarily office-based, with regular time on the production floor, warehouse, and coolers.
• Production areas include noise, moving equipment, wet floors, cold temperatures, and cleaning chemicals.
• PPE required on the floor; must comply with all plant safety and GMP standards.

Pay: From $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Referral program
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person