Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Input Planner

🎯 Role Definition

The Input Planner (also referred to as Material Planner / Inventory Planner) is responsible for ensuring the right materials and components are available at the right time to meet production and customer delivery commitments. This role manages demand-driven planning processes, executes MRP/ERP runs, reconciles bills of materials (BOM), coordinates with suppliers and production teams, and optimizes inventory to minimize cost while maintaining service levels. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical skills, ERP experience (SAP/Oracle/NetSuite), and a track record of improving fill rates, reducing lead times, and supporting S&OP processes.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Material Coordinator / Inventory Coordinator
Production Planner / Scheduling Assistant
Buyer / Procurement Analyst

Advancement To:

Senior Input Planner / Senior Material Planner
Supply Chain Manager / Planning Manager
Demand Planning Lead or S&OP Manager

Lateral Moves:

Procurement Specialist / Strategic Buyer
Logistics Analyst / Distribution Planner

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, execute, and continuously refine the master material plan using ERP/MRP tools (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite), ensuring alignment between demand forecasts, production schedules, and inventory targets to meet customer delivery requirements.
Run and analyze MRP/DRP cycles daily/weekly, reviewing exception messages, and taking corrective actions to resolve planned order issues, shortages, and scheduling conflicts.
Translate sales forecasts, orders, and production plans into time-phased input requirements for raw materials, components, and subassemblies, driving accuracy in SKU-level planning and SKU rationalization initiatives.
Create, maintain, and optimize safety stock levels, reorder points, and lead-time buffers by SKU and location to achieve targeted service levels while minimizing carrying costs.
Coordinate closely with production schedulers and manufacturing supervisors to prioritize and sequence production orders, escalate capacity constraints, and adjust input releases to maximize throughput.
Manage supplier relationships for day-to-day planning activities: confirm lead times, expedite critical parts, negotiate delivery windows, and track supplier acknowledgements to ensure on-time inbound flows.
Issue and manage purchase orders and release schedules in the ERP system, monitor supplier confirmations, and follow up on late deliveries; work with procurement to address commercial or quality issues that impact supply.
Lead root-cause analysis for chronic shortages and service failures using data from ERP, WMS, and quality systems; define corrective action plans and track resolution to prevent recurrence.
Maintain and validate Bills of Materials (BOM) and part master data, ensuring accurate unit of measure, lead time, procurement type, and planner profiles to avoid planning errors and part substitutions.
Partner with demand planners and commercial teams during S&OP cycles to reconcile demand plans versus supply capabilities, highlight risks to the executive tracking log, and recommend mitigation strategies.
Monitor and report planning KPIs (OTIF, fill rate, inventory turns, days of inventory, forecast accuracy, and supplier on-time performance) and develop actionable improvement plans to meet targets.
Run scenario planning and capacity simulations to evaluate the impact of new product introductions, promotions, engineering changes (ECOs), and supply disruptions on material availability and inventory investment.
Implement and support lean inventory techniques (Kanban, JIT, consignment) and continuous improvement projects to reduce lead times, improve flow, and lower working capital requirements.
Coordinate with quality and engineering teams on non-conforming material dispositions, returns, and rework actions that affect material availability, updating plan and inventory records accordingly.
Manage inbound logistics priorities with distribution and warehouse teams to optimize receiving schedules, cross-docking, and put-away strategies that support production cadence and minimize stockouts.
Execute product changeovers and support production ramp-up planning by ensuring phased material availability and communicating timing needs to suppliers and inventory control teams.
Support demand variability mitigation through hedging strategies, safety buys, or alternative sourcing recommendations in collaboration with procurement and supply chain leadership.
Maintain escalation protocols for high-impact supply issues (supplier insolvency, global disruptions, or quality recalls) and serve as the planning owner for crisis response and continuity plans.
Lead cross-functional meetings with procurement, manufacturing, engineering, quality, and customer service to drive alignment on supply priorities, manage supply exceptions, and communicate impacts to stakeholders.
Drive and document process standardization for planning activities, including daily planning checklists, exception management workflows, and handover procedures for shift changes or absence coverage.
Analyze cost-to-serve and landed cost implications of alternate sourcing, expedited freight, and inventory policies; recommend cost-effective plans that protect service targets and margin.
Support implementation and optimization of planning tools, dashboards (Power BI/Tableau), and data models to improve planning velocity, visibility, and decision-making across the supply chain.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Provide training and mentorship to junior planners and cross-functional stakeholders on planning best practices and ERP usage.
Assist during annual inventory audits and cycle counts, reconciling discrepancies and implementing preventive controls.
Participate in supplier development projects aiming to reduce lead times and improve part quality.
Document and maintain SOPs for planning tasks and system transactions to support audit readiness and continuity.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

ERP/MRP Systems (SAP MM/PP, Oracle EBS, NetSuite or equivalent) — expert-level usage for planning runs, PO management, MRP exception handling, and master data updates.
Demand planning and forecasting fundamentals — translating sales forecasts into material requirements, and using statistical forecast tools or Excel-based models.
Advanced Excel — pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, macros, and large data manipulation for rapid analysis and scenario modeling.
Data visualization & reporting — Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent to build planning dashboards showing OTIF, days of inventory, and exception trends.
SQL or data query skills — extract and analyze ERP/WMS data to troubleshoot planning issues and build ad-hoc reports.
BOM and part master data management — experience validating and maintaining accurate part structures, procurement types, and lead time data.
Inventory optimization techniques — safety stock calculations, ABC/XYZ segmentation, EOQ, and reorder point methodologies.
S&OP process knowledge — participating in monthly S&OP cycles, reconciliation of demand and supply, and risk mitigation planning.
Lean/continuous improvement tools — Kanban, 5S, Kaizen events, and value stream mapping to improve flow and reduce waste.
Supply chain analytics — KPI development and interpretation (OTIF, fill rate, forecast accuracy, lead time variance).
Logistics and inbound coordination — knowledge of shipment lead times, freight optimization, and customs considerations for imported components.
Quality systems understanding — working with non-conformance, quarantine, and corrective action processes that impact material availability.

Soft Skills

Strong cross-functional communication — able to influence procurement, manufacturing, and commercial teams and communicate supply impacts clearly and concisely.
Analytical problem-solving — structured troubleshooting with bias for data-driven decisions and long-term fixes.
Prioritization and time management — manage competing priorities in a fast-paced production environment and respond to supply emergencies.
Attention to detail — accuracy in part data, PO releases, and schedule updates to avoid costly planning errors.
Negotiation and vendor management — tactful escalation and negotiation to secure critical deliveries and corrective commitments.
Change management — lead small project workstreams, introduce process improvements, and drive adoption across teams.
Collaboration and teamwork — build trusted relationships across global or matrixed organizations.
Resilience and adaptability — work effectively during disruptions and rapidly changing demand or supply conditions.
Customer focus — maintain service levels and respond proactively to internal and external customer needs.
Continuous learning mindset — stay current on planning methodologies, tools, and best practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Operations Management, or related discipline.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s plus APICS/ASCM certification (CPIM, CSCP) or equivalent; MBA or Master’s in Supply Chain/Operations considered a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain Management
Industrial or Manufacturing Engineering
Business Administration / Operations Management
Logistics and Transportation
Data Analytics (related elective or certificate)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–6 years in material planning, production planning, inventory management, or related supply chain roles.

Preferred:

4–7+ years of progressive experience as an Input Planner / Material Planner in manufacturing, electronics, consumer goods, or automotive sectors with demonstrable improvements in OTIF, inventory turns, or lead-time reduction.
Direct hands-on experience with SAP/Oracle/NetSuite and advanced Excel; experience with demand planning tools or BI platforms strongly preferred.