Job Title:
Production Planner/ Supply Chain Analyst
Location:
Seattle, Washington
Job Type:
Full-time, 6-month On-Going Contract, W2
Schedule:
Monday – Friday, Onsite
Pay Range:
$38.00 – $40.00 per hour
Job Description:
Key Responsibilities
Production Planning & Scheduling
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Own the weekly and monthly production schedule for all build programs, translating engineering demand into executable floor plans
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Manage the clear-to-build (CTB) process: verify material availability, tooling readiness, work instruction completeness, and labor capacity before committing to each build cycle
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Create and maintain work orders, build sequences, and production milestones in coordination with engineering and operations leadership
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Balance production capacity against demand across multiple concurrent programs with varying complexity and priority
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Adjust plans dynamically as engineering changes, supply delays, or quality issues arise — communicating impacts and recovery plans proactively
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Run daily/weekly production stand-ups to align the floor on priorities, flag blockers, and track progress against commitments.
Supply Chain Coordination
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Coordinate with procurement and supply chain to ensure on-time delivery of all materials, components, and purchased parts needed for upcoming builds
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Track long-lead items and critical-path components, escalating risks early when lead times threaten build schedules
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Manage material requirements planning (MRP) manually or through available tools, given the absence of a fully mature ERP system
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Work with receiving and warehouse teams to confirm incoming inventory matches build plan needs and is staged for production
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Maintain accurate bills of material (BOM) consumption tracking and flag discrepancies between planned and actual usage.
Capacity & Resource Planning
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Plan labor and staffing needs week-to-week, coordinating with supervisors and contractors to ensure adequate headcount for planned build rates
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Monitor workstation utilization, identify bottlenecks, and recommend rebalancing or overtime as needed to meet commitments
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Coordinate with machine shop and additive manufacturing teams to schedule prototype part fabrication aligned with build timelines
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Track equipment availability and maintenance windows, incorporating downtime into production schedules.
Reporting & Continuous Improvement
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Maintain production dashboards tracking schedule adherence, clear-to-build status, and delivery performance
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Publish weekly production status reports to leadership, highlighting risks, recovery actions, and forecast changes
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Conduct root cause analysis on missed builds or schedule slips, driving corrective actions to prevent recurrence
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Identify opportunities to improve planning processes, reduce lead times, and increase schedule predictability
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Support the development and implementation of planning tools and systems as the organization matures beyond manual tracking
Basic Qualifications
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High school diploma or equivalent
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3+ years of experience in production planning, scheduling, or materials coordination in a manufacturing environment
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Experience managing production schedules and coordinating across supply chain, engineering, and shop floor teams
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Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-changing environment
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Proficiency with spreadsheets and planning tools (Excel, Google Sheets, Smartsheet, or equivalent)
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Strong communication skills — ability to drive alignment across cross-functional teams and escalate issues clearly
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Comfort working in environments without fully mature ERP systems, using manual processes and custom tools to track production.
Preferred Qualifications
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Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, industrial engineering, operations management, or related field
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5+ years of experience in production planning in low-volume, high-mix manufacturing (prototype, aerospace, defense, or R&D environments)
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APICS CPIM, CSCP, or equivalent supply chain certification
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Experience with MRP/ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) and understanding of how to operate effectively when systems are immature or absent
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Experience managing clear-to-build processes and production readiness reviews
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Experience planning builds with complex, multi-level BOMs and long-lead procured components
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Familiarity with lean manufacturing principles, kanban, and pull-based production systems
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Experience working in a development or NPI (New Product Introduction) environment where designs change frequently
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Track record of building planning processes from scratch in a growing organization
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Strong analytical skills — ability to model scenarios, forecast capacity, and make data-driven tradeoff recommendations
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