Load Planner Jobs in Lockport, IL (NOW HIRING)

At The Fresh Factory, we've built a platform to accelerate the growth of emerging food and beverage brands. We are vertically integrated from the farm to the shelf and offer services above and beyond traditional manufacturing, becoming a trusted growth partner for leading brands. Our industry-leading benefits package shows our commitment to the safety and well-being of our employees. The Fresh Factory contributes generously to the cost of medical, dental, and vision insurance for our employees and their family members

The Production Planner is a mid-level supply chain role reporting to the Planning Manager. This position owns both the longer-range production plan and its day-to-day execution — deciding what to make, how much, and where across a weeks-to-months horizon, then translating that plan into an efficient, achievable schedule on the floor.

On the planning side, the Planner reviews the incoming order book and demand signals, allocates capacity and resources across lines, levels load against constraints, and sets a production plan that meets customer commitments while making the best use of assets and labor. On the execution side, this is a high-volume, transaction-heavy role: the Planner monitors incoming order workflows, approves or rejects new orders and revisions based on capacity, communicates alternative dates to customers when needed, and manages a constant stream of changes across multiple lines.

Day-to-day, the role translates planned requirement plans (PRP) into executable, sequenced jobs within the ERP system, monitors jobs in progress to ensure on-time, in-full (OTIF) completion, and keeps the schedule and system data current as floor changes arise. Success requires close collaboration with the Planning Manager, Procurement, Sales, and Operations, and a proactive mindset that surfaces risks before they impact fulfillment.

• Master Scheduling: Own the production plan across a weeks-to-months horizon — deciding what to make, how much, and on which lines to meet customer commitments.
• Asset Optimization: Allocate factory capacity, personnel, and machine resources across lines, leveling load against constraints to maximize throughput.
• Demand Review: Review the incoming order book and demand signals to anticipate needs, smooth peaks, and keep the plan realistic and achievable.
• Planning Partnership: Partner with the Planning Manager on planning rates, yields, and inventory inputs that drive the plan.

• Order Workflow Management: Monitor incoming order workflows, review new orders and revision requests, and approve or reject them based on line availability and capacity.
• Customer Communication: Communicate alternative dates to customers when orders cannot be accommodated as submitted.
• Job Sequencing: Determine job quantities, assign the appropriate line and assets, and translate PRPs into executable jobs within the ERP system to maximize plant efficiency.
• High-Volume Execution: Manage a high volume of transactions and revisions across multiple lines, keeping pace as priorities shift throughout the day.

• Changeover Minimization: Sequence jobs to run lines efficiently — minimizing allergen changeover washes and avoiding conflicting work-center assignments.
• Constraint Balancing: Balance customer due dates against run rules, capacity, and changeover time to maximize throughput.

• End-to-End Ownership: Create and schedule every job, and manage all revisions from intake through completion.
• Source of Truth: Serve as the central point of contact for customer-related scheduling questions.
• System Integrity: Keep production schedules and ERP data current — closing out completed jobs promptly and keeping the schedule free of stale data

• OTIF Tracking: Actively monitor jobs in progress to ensure on-time, in-full completion.
• Risk Management: Proactively surface risks and flag potential conflicts before they impact fulfillment.

• Alignment: Coordinate daily with the Planning Manager, Procurement, Sales, and Operations to keep the schedule aligned with the plan and surface supply risks before they impact delivery dates.

• Experience: 2–5 years of production planning, line scheduling, or material requirements planning (MRP) experience in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Maintenance planning experience is also considered relevant.
• ERP Experience: Hands-on proficiency navigating the Plex ERP system, specifically PRP workflows and workstation tracking.
• Software Proficiency: Intermediate to advanced user of Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, data modeling) for data extraction and schedule analysis.
• Core Competencies: Proven experience balancing production schedules against capacity-constrained lines and tight customer deadlines.
• Problem-Solving: Strong agility to react quickly and adapt schedules proactively in response to raw ingredient shortfalls or sudden order revisions.
• Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills to negotiate schedules and align across Procurement, Sales, and Shop Floor Operations, including setting customer expectations.
• Environment Fit: Comfort operating in a high-volume, transaction- and revision-heavy environment while maintaining accuracy under pressure.
• Education: High school diploma or equivalent required.

• Education: Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, or a related field.
• Certifications: Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) certifications, such as CPIM (Certified in Planning and Inventory Management).
• Industry Knowledge: Food or beverage manufacturing experience, with familiarity in metrics like Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and shelf-life constraints.
• Conversational: Spanish.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected status. This job description may be adjusted based on changing business needs.