The Planning Engineer is responsible for developing, maintaining, and communicating detailed wafer production plans that support customer demand and factory execution. Reporting to the Planning Manager, this individual contributor role partners closely with Sales, Finance, Capacity Planning, Customer Service, Industrial Engineering, and Operations to translate demand signals into executable manufacturing schedules, monitor performance to plan, and identify risks that could impact delivery, cycle time, inventory, or customer commitments.
Key Responsibilities:
Support planning execution: Execute day-to-day planning activities including tactical forecasting support, production scheduling, order review, and coordination with cross-functional stakeholders under the direction of the Planning Manager.
Part Production Scheduling: Develop and maintain detailed part-level production schedules from order entry through wafer fabrication, escalating conflicts, constraints, and schedule risks to the Planning Manager.
Demand & Supply Alignment: Partner with Capacity Planning, Sales, Business Development, and Operations to compare part demand against available fab capacity and recommend planning actions to the Planning Manager.
Part Cycle Time: Work with the Planning Manager to set and update cycle time targets. Track part cycle time performance against targets established with Capacity Planning and Area IE teams. Analyze gaps, communicate risks, and support cross-functional improvement actions. Maintain priority allocation inputs based on business, customer, and development requirements.
Inventory Management: Monitor starts, work-in-progress (WIP), and finished goods inventory levels to support customer demand while helping prevent stockouts, excess inventory, and unbalanced fab loading.
Customer Service Coordination: Coordinate with customer service representatives on wafer orders, photo mask orders, customer commits, and new part setup activities. Provide planning inputs needed to support service level expectations and accurate customer communication.
Risk Mitigation: Identify potential supply gaps, schedule misses, material constraints, or part production delays. Prepare clear status updates, shortage summaries, and risk escalations for the Planning Manager and operations stakeholders.
Systems and Data Management: Maintain accurate planning data in ERP/MRP systems and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). Support data integrity, reporting, schedule updates, and continuous improvement of planning tools and processes.
Qualifications:
Education: A Bachelor’s degree or commiserate level of industry experience.
Experience: 5+ years in semiconductor manufacturing or supply chain management.
Technical Knowledge: Understanding manufacturing science principles, foundry ecosystems, and semiconductor wafer fab processes. Understanding of systems related to factory manufacturing including MES, ERP, Excel, SQL and Power BI or similar. The ideal candidate would have understanding of automation via Python, R, Power Automate, or other systems that will improve factory system efficiency.
*This position may require U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency status in the future depending on federal requirements.*
What We Offer
Salary: $92,000-$130,000 per year (good-faith estimate)
Benefits & Other Eligible Compensation: Includes health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, 401(k) plan with company match, paid time off, annual bonus, and tuition reimbursement.
Polar Semiconductor is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. We are committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.
About Us
At Polar Semiconductor, we’re on a mission to fulfill our future as the U.S. based manufacturing partner of choice for differentiated power and sensor technologies. With a $525M investment from the CHIPs Act, the state of Minnesota, and private equity, we are looking for the best in the industry to help Polar transform from a captive fab to a pure-play foundry. We are doubling our manufacturing capacity and investing in advanced BCD and Wide Bandgap technology such as GaN. Polar has a long history in manufacturing automotive grade semiconductors and we are expanding in strategic markets such as national defense and AI data centers. We pride ourselves on state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing, a collaborative culture, and a commitment to helping our customers succeed.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree or commensurate industry experience
- 5+ years experience in semiconductor manufacturing or supply chain management
- Understanding of manufacturing science principles, foundry ecosystems, and wafer fab processes
- Experience with MES, ERP/MRP systems, Excel, SQL, and Power BI
- Experience with automation tools (Python, R, Power Automate) to improve factory systems
- May require U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency status depending on federal requirements
What We Do
Located in Bloomington, Minnesota, Polar Semiconductor LLC has decades of experience in high-performance, automotive-grade semiconductor manufacturing. As the wafer fabrication and R&D division of Sanken Electric Company, we operate more than 310,000 square-foot facility that includes 160,000 square-feet of class-1 cleanroom space. We specialize in 200mm wafer fabrication on proprietary semiconductor technologies with most destined for use in robust automotive, commercial and industrial applications. With investments in new clean room space, state of the art equipments, and advanced silicon technologies, Polar continues to enhance its manufacturing competitiveness. Polar is ISO 14001 and IATF 16949 certified
