Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Operations Planner

🎯 Role Definition

The Operations Planner is responsible for translating demand signals and business priorities into executable production, inventory, and logistics plans that ensure on-time delivery, optimal working capital, and efficient resource utilization. This role collaborates across supply chain, procurement, production, quality, and logistics teams to create realistic schedules, balance capacity with demand, mitigate risks, and drive continuous improvement using data-driven planning tools and ERP/MRP systems.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Logistics Coordinator or Logistics Analyst
Production Scheduler / Junior Planner
Inventory Analyst or Materials Planner

Advancement To:

Senior Operations Planner / Lead Planner
Planning Manager or Supply Chain Manager
Head of Planning / Director of Operations

Lateral Moves:

Demand Planner or Forecast Analyst
Inventory Manager or Materials Manager
S&OP Coordinator or Continuous Improvement Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, maintain and execute master production schedules and short-medium term production plans that align with demand forecasts, capacity constraints, and inventory policies to meet customer service goals and minimize expediting.
Translate weekly and daily demand signals (sales orders, forecasts, promotions) into prioritized work orders, routing sequences and production schedules within the ERP/MRP system (e.g., SAP, Oracle, JDE).
Perform detailed materials requirements planning (MRP) to ensure timely purchase requisitions and shop-floor material availability while minimizing stockouts and excess inventory.
Coordinate cross-functional capacity planning with manufacturing supervisors, maintenance, and engineering to balance machine and labor availability against forecasted demand and special projects.
Analyze demand variability and forecast accuracy using statistical methods and collaborating with demand planning and sales teams to refine forecasts, safety stock rules, and order policies.
Monitor and report on key planning KPIs such as OTIF (On Time In Full), days of inventory (DOI), inventory turnover, schedule attainment, and plan versus actual production, and recommend corrective actions.
Lead daily/weekly planning meetings and S&OP execution sessions to align stakeholders, resolve constraints, prioritize orders, and update supply and demand scenarios.
Use advanced planning systems (APS), Excel, SQL queries, and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) to produce planning scenarios, capacity simulations, root cause analyses, and management dashboards.
Generate purchase orders and expedite supplier orders when required, coordinating with procurement and suppliers to shorten lead times and ensure vendor delivery performance.
Develop contingency and risk-mitigation plans for supply disruptions, capacity bottlenecks, and sudden demand spikes, including alternative routing, overtime, subcontracting, and safety stock adjustments.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives to streamline planning processes, reduce planning cycle time, remove manual workarounds, and improve system-driven planning through automation.
Optimize inventory placement and replenishment strategies across distribution centers and plants to reduce logistics costs while maintaining required service levels.
Partner with logistics and transportation teams to align inbound/outbound schedules, plan freight consolidation, and minimize expedited shipping costs.
Validate and maintain BOMs (Bills of Materials), routings, lead times, and planning parameters in ERP systems to ensure accurate planning inputs and reduce mismatches between demand and supply.
Conduct root cause analysis for chronic supply or production issues, develop corrective action plans, and lead cross-functional resolution efforts to prevent recurrence.
Implement and maintain planning policies and operating procedures (SOPs), ensuring compliance with quality, safety, and regulatory requirements in planning activities.
Provide scenario modeling and “what-if” analyses to senior leadership to assess impacts of demand changes, capacity investments, product launches, or supplier changes on inventory and service levels.
Support new product introduction (NPI) planning by developing launch schedules, ramp-up plans, and material readiness checklists to ensure smooth production starts.
Manage change controls related to lead times, order minimums, and lot sizes to reflect current supplier capabilities and production realities while communicating impacts to stakeholders.
Negotiate with internal stakeholders and external suppliers on lead times, minimum order quantities, and delivery terms to improve supply reliability and reduce total landed cost.
Maintain accurate planning records, prepare month-end planning performance summaries, and deliver actionable insights to commercial, finance, and operations leaders to support decision-making.
Supervise or mentor junior planners or scheduling coordinators, providing technical guidance on MRP logic, scheduling best practices, and continuous improvement methods.
Support environmental, health, safety and regulatory planning requirements where scheduling and inventory decisions impact compliance and traceability.

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.
Assist procurement and supplier quality teams with root-cause investigations related to planning anomalies.
Participate in cross-functional projects such as ERP upgrades, APS implementations, and process re-design initiatives.
Provide back-up scheduling support for other plants or distribution centers during peak periods or absences.
Maintain documentation and training materials for planning tools, dashboards, and SOPs.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced experience with ERP/MRP systems such as SAP APO/IBP, Oracle (EBS), Infor, JD Edwards, or similar for master scheduling and MRP execution.
Proficiency with Advanced Planning Systems (APS) and demand planning tools; experience implementing or configuring APS is a strong plus.
Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, Power Query, advanced formulas) and familiarity writing/reviewing SQL queries to extract planning data.
Experience building and interpreting dashboards and visualizations in Power BI, Tableau, Looker, or similar BI tools to communicate planning KPIs.
Solid knowledge of MRP logic, lead time management, safety stock calculations, lot-sizing techniques (EOQ, FOQ), and replenishment algorithms.
Familiarity with S&OP processes and ability to synthesize demand, supply, and financial inputs into executable plans.
Competence in statistical forecasting methods, time-series analysis, and forecast error metrics (MAPE, MAD, Bias) or experience working closely with demand planners.
Understanding of supply chain concepts including inventory optimization, distribution strategies, vendor lead times, and logistics cost trade-offs.
Experience with capacity planning tools, finite/infinite scheduling, line balancing, and shop-floor scheduling best practices.
Knowledge of lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement tools (Kaizen, DMAIC) applied to planning processes.
Comfortable with scenario modeling, constraint-based planning, and cost-to-serve analyses.

Soft Skills

Strong cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management skills; able to influence production, procurement, finance and commercial teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication; able to convey complex planning scenarios and risks to non-technical audiences.
Sharp analytical thinking and problem-solving ability with attention to detail and data-driven decision making.
Prioritization and time-management skills in a fast-paced, dynamic operations environment with shifting priorities.
Adaptability and resilience to manage disruptions and replan under tight timelines.
Negotiation skills to secure supplier commitments and internal resource allocations.
Project management capability to lead planning-related projects and drive change.
Customer-focused mindset with commitment to improving delivery performance and service levels.
Continuous improvement orientation, curiosity to test new tools, and willingness to learn modern planning methodologies.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's plus professional certification such as APICS CPIM/CSCP, ISM CPSM, or Lean Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt).
Advanced degree (MBA or MS in Supply Chain/Operations) preferred for senior roles.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain Management
Industrial or Systems Engineering
Operations Management
Logistics and Transportation
Business Administration
Mathematics, Statistics, or Data Science (for analytics-heavy roles)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of progressive experience in production planning, materials planning, inventory management, or supply chain planning.

Preferred:

5+ years of direct operations planning experience in manufacturing, FMCG, electronics, automotive, or distribution environments with tangible achievements in inventory reduction, OTIF improvement, or process automation.
Experience with ERP/MRP implementations, APS rollouts, or S&OP transformations is highly desirable.
Demonstrated success working in cross-functional teams and driving measurable improvements in planning accuracy and operational performance.