Senior Planning Specialist

This Senior Production Planning role is designed to develop, manage, and optimize time‑phased production schedules that support OTECH program execution. This role ensures that manufacturing, assembly, and integration activities are properly sequenced, resourced, and aligned with program milestones. The Senior Production Planner will forecast workload, monitor production performance, and maintain full visibility of schedule drivers to create executable plans that benefit both OTECH programs and customers.

The Senior Production Planner works closely with Program Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality to coordinate production priorities and provide guidance on schedule risks, constraints, and recovery strategies. As needed, the Senior Production Planner will support broader planning activities across the production lifecycle.

The Planning Specialist will execute the following: 

• Research and source products and services according to project needs.
• Create and manage Purchase Requisitions.

• Develop, maintain, and optimize detailed production schedules for manufacturing, assembly, and integration activities.

• Coordinate with Manufacturing, Engineering, and Supply Chain to ensure materials, tooling, documentation, and resources are available to support scheduled work.

• Monitor work in progress (WIP) and adjust schedules based on actual progress, delays, engineering changes, or material availability.

• Review and validate ERP/MRP data, including routing accuracy, manufacturing plans, and item attributes, to ensure schedule integrity.

• Provide regular schedule status updates and variance reports to Program Management and Production Leadership.

• Support configuration changes, engineering updates, and change of scope impacts by adjusting production schedules accordingly.

• Maintain accurate historical records for schedule performance, lead times, and production metrics to support continuous improvement.

• Support cross functional initiatives aimed at improving scheduling accuracy, production flow, and ERP data quality.

• Understand the manufacturing/production build sequence to best support the overall production schedule.
• Audit the data integrity of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, including but not limited to Item Master Attribute and Manufacturing Plans.

• Generate and track purchase requisitions to support future build needs.

• Actively status Purchase Orders (POs) across assigned programs to ensure adherence to schedule, quantity, and invoicing timing.

• Support and assist activities within multiple disciplines across the Supply Chain process.

• Requires little to no guidance to resolve issues in a proactive, creative, and analytical manner.

• Can help identify risks and determine mitigation strategies and has a mindset of continual improvement

• Other duties as required

REQUIRED

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or Operations, with emphasis in Inventory Management/ Logistics/Scheduling preferred. 
• 2 - 5 years of experience in Project Management, Planning, Integrated Project Support, Scheduling, Procurement, and/or supply support related jobs, or activities or equivalent combination of education and experience/training.
• Proficient in MS Office applications and database management. 
• Demonstrated knowledge and skills with Material Resource Planning (MRP) application in the organization’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
• Experience with project planning and execution.
• Must be able to comprehend complex engineering, procurement, production, installation tasks and develop dependence-based logic to sequencing and inter-relationships of process flows.     
• Demonstrated knowledge of Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) and Government Furnished Information (GFI) handling and tracking.
• Strong skillset applicable to organizational skills, time management, oral comprehension, reading comprehension, speaking, written comprehension, information ordering, active listening, critical thinking, and deductive reasoning.
• Knowledge of material requirements planning (MRP) practices.

• Intermediate math, administration, and management skills.

• Ability to write business correspondence and interact with others in a professional manner.

• Ability to obtain security clearance.

DESIRED

• Deltek Costpoint ERP and MRP system experience.

• APICS Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM) certification.

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package. Employee benefits vary by role, however, may include Health and Wellness, Mental Health, Retirement Savings, Life and Disability, Paid Maternity and Parental Leave, Paid Time Off, Tuition Reimbursement, and an Employee Assistance Program.

Compensation $74,600.00 - 112,000.00