60 Nlight Production Planner Jobs Hiring Near You

• Optimize production flow by identifying bottlenecks, proposing load leveling strategies, and balancing capacity, material availability, and demand volatility
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for chronic shortages, Work Order failures, capacity constraints, and systemic execution issues
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on planning accuracy, lead time reduction, data integrity, and schedule stability
• Support NPI item tracking and ensure planning and purchasing readiness for new product introductions
• Train and mentor Associate Buyer/Planner and Buyer/Planner I/II team members on D365, Work Order discipline, and planning and purchasing methodologies
• Participate in planning optimization initiatives and advanced D365 tooling to improve scalability and decision quality
• Monitor supplier and subcontractor contract performance to ensure compliance with contractual obligations
• Ensure compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations, DFARS, and Cost Accounting Standards (FAR, DFARS, CAS)
• Support price and cost analysis of subcontractor proposals, ensuring alignment with sector policies and regulatory requirements
• Support audits, customer engagements, and compliance driven planning and purchasing activities
• Lead supplier and part qualification initiatives to support resiliency, scalability, and compliance
• Lead supplier negotiations and cost reduction initiatives, balancing cost, quality, delivery, and risk
• Own planning and purchasing standards, work instructions, and governance models, including Work Order policies, frozen fences, and BOM release rules
• Partner with Engineering to govern BOM accuracy, release readiness, and configuration discipline
• Partner with Operations and Engineering leadership to define and drive planning strategy
• Lead planning and purchasing integration into S&OP, ensuring alignment across forecast, capacity, inventory, and material strategies
• Own end to end production planning and purchasing for complex product lines, ensuring demand is translated into stable, executable, and compliant plans
• Ensure consistent application of planning discipline across teams and programs
• Own supplier related risk identification and mitigation strategies for assigned product lines
• Serve as a subject matter expert and escalation point for complex planning, material, and supplier issues.
• Influence cross functional decision making through clear, data driven communication and leadership presence
  

Qualifications (depending on level)

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, manufacturing operations, business administration, engineering or operations management and 1 or more years of experience in purchasing, buying, and/or supply chain management or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of FAR/ DFAR acquisition procedures and requirements is a plus
• Works positively in a high-energy and fast-paced environment.
• Self-driven, analytical, results oriented, and motivated to work effectively without direct supervision.
• Communicates quickly and thoughtfully through integrated team structures.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a best-in-class customer service mindset.
• Expertise using software like Excel to perform data analysis.
• Ability to read technical drawings and documents.
• Ability to logically solve problems and to keep projects moving in an orderly and structured fashion to maintain schedule requirements by analyzing inputs from various sources.
• Strong organization skills with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks.
• Effective interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Ability to make decisions and solve practical problems with a variety of variables in situations where standardization may be limited.
• Has a working knowledge of an ERP/MRP environment and Purchasing Best Practices.
• D365 experience is a plus.
• Familiarity with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)
  

nLIGHT is proud to offer comprehensive COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay rate is based on qualifications

• Buyer/Planner I - $26.16 to $34.00 per hour
• Buyer/Planner II - $29.30 to $39.60 per hour