Scheduling Manager

Job Summary:

The Scheduling Manager is responsible for leading and coordinating production scheduling, planning, and inventory activities within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment. This role oversees scheduling operations across multiple production lines, facilities, co-packers, and warehouse locations to ensure efficient production flow, optimized inventory levels, and on-time customer fulfillment. The Scheduling Manager partners closely with Operations, Customer Service, Supply Chain, Procurement, Logistics, and Sales teams to balance customer demand, labor availability, production capacity, and material constraints while maintaining food safety and quality standards.

Key Responsibilities: 

•Develop, manage, and optimize daily and long-term production schedules to support customer demand, inventory targets, and operational efficiency.

•Coordinate production scheduling activities across multiple facilities, production lines, co-packers, and warehouse locations.

•Analyze customer orders, forecasts, inventory levels, production capacities, labor availability, and raw material supply to create executable production plans.

•Collaborate with Operations, Procurement, Customer Service, Supply Chain, and Logistics teams to align production schedules with business priorities and customer expectations.

•Monitor production performance, schedule attainment, downtime, inventory health, and capacity utilization to proactively identify risks and implement corrective actions.

•Partner with plant leadership to resolve scheduling conflicts, material shortages, equipment constraints, and production bottlenecks.

•Manage scheduling coordination with external co-packers and third-party manufacturing partners to ensure service level expectations are achieved.

•Support demand planning and inventory replenishment activities to minimize excess inventory, reduce waste, and improve inventory turns.

•Lead weekly scheduling and planning meetings to communicate priorities, production risks, recovery plans, and customer commitments.

•Develop and maintain KPI reporting related to schedule adherence, forecast accuracy, customer service levels, inventory performance, production efficiencies, and labor utilization.

•Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on planning accuracy, ERP/MRP system utilization, scheduling efficiency, and operational scalability.

•Maintain ERP/MRP system integrity by ensuring accurate master data, including BOMs, production rates, lead times, planning parameters, and inventory settings.

•Support new product launches, commercialization projects, seasonal demand increases, and operational scaling initiatives.

•Serve as a key escalation point for urgent customer orders, supply chain disruptions, and production recovery efforts.

•Mentor and support planners, schedulers, and production coordinators to standardize planning practices and strengthen overall scheduling capabilities.

•Ensure compliance with all food safety, quality, GMP, HACCP, and regulatory requirements within scheduling and production planning activities.

Skills & Qualifications:

•Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Business, or related field preferred.

•7+ years of experience in production scheduling, planning, supply chain, or manufacturing operations.

•Minimum of 3 years of experience managing scheduling activities within a food manufacturing or high-volume production environment.

•Experience coordinating scheduling across multiple facilities, production lines, or co-packers preferred.

•Strong understanding of food manufacturing processes, production flow, inventory management, capacity planning, and supply chain operations.

•Experience using ERP/MRP systems for production scheduling and inventory planning.

•Experience with Innatrack or similar ERP systems preferred.

•APICS/CPIM certification or equivalent supply chain certification preferred.

•Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and production planning tools.

Benefits: 

•PPO or HSA medical benefits with Employer Contributions.

•Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D, Disability insurance.

•401K with a competitive company match.

•8 Holidays, Vacation accrual, PTO program, Parental Leave.

•Attendance, Safety, Service Awards.

•Tuition Reimbursement Program.

•Uniform and Boots provision.

•Employee Assistance Program.

•Chaplain Program.

•Smart Dollar.

•Company Events and Luncheons.

•Paid Volunteer Days.

•Referral bonuses.