Production Planner

Department: Supply Chain & Planning

Location: Thika Factory, Kenya

Reports To: Supply Chain Manager

Direct Reports: None (Individual Contributor)

Key Responsibilities

1. Production Planning & Scheduling

• Develop weekly and monthly production plans based on demand forecasts, sales orders, inventory levels, and capacity constraints.

• Create and maintain detailed production schedules by product category and production line.

• Balance production capacity against customer demand requirements.

• Monitor production order progress and adjust schedules as required.

• Ensure efficient utilization of labour, machinery, utilities, and factory resources.

• Prioritize production based on customer requirements and business objectives.

• Coordinate production sequencing to reduce changeovers and improve line efficiency.

2. Material Requirements Planning (MRP)

• Run MRP within SAP Business One.

• Convert production plans into raw material, packaging, and consumable requirements.

• Ensure production materials are available to meet manufacturing schedules.

• Coordinate closely with Procurement regarding purchase requirements and supplier lead times.

• Monitor shortages and proactively escalate risks that may impact production.

3. Inventory Optimization

• Maintain optimum levels of:

o Raw materials

o Packaging materials

o Work-in-progress inventory

o Finished goods inventory

• Develop production plans that minimize:

o Excess inventory

o Obsolescence

o Product expiry risks

o Stock-outs

• Review inventory ageing and recommend corrective actions

4. Capacity & Resource Planning

• Analyse:

o Machine capacities

o Labour availability

o Maintenance schedules

o Production constraints

• Develop capacity plans to support business growth.

• Identify bottlenecks and recommend solutions.

• Support capital expenditure planning by providing production capacity analyses.

5. Demand & Supply Alignment

• Participate in monthly S&OP meetings.

• Review forecast changes and translate them into production requirements.

• Conduct supply-demand gap analysis.

• Recommend strategies to mitigate supply shortages or excess inventory.

• Support new product launches and promotional planning.

6. Production Monitoring & Control

• Track daily production performance against plan.

• Investigate deviations and identify root causes.

• Recommend corrective actions to improve plan adherence.

• Monitor manufacturing KPI trends.

• Ensure production orders are closed accurately and timely within SAP.

7. Cross Functional Coordination

Work closely with:

Sales & Commercial Team

• Demand forecasts

• Promotions

Procurement

• Material availability

• Supplier lead times

• Procurement priorities

Production

• Daily schedules

• Capacity utilization

• Production challenges

Quality Assurance

• Product release schedules

• Non-conformance impacts

Warehouse & Logistics

• Finished goods availability

• Dispatch planning

8. Reporting & Analytics

Prepare and publish:

• Daily Production Planning Report

• Weekly Capacity Utilization Report

• Monthly Inventory Planning Report

• Forecast Accuracy Analysis

• Production Variance Report

• Material Shortage Report

• S&OP Planning Pack

Develop dashboards in Excel, Power BI, or SAP.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Production Plan Adherence ≥95%

OTIF Production Orders ≥95%

Forecast Consumption Accuracy ≥85%

Material Availability ≥98%

Production Schedule Stability ≥90%

Inventory Days Cover Within Target

Inventory Write-Offs Minimized

Stock-Out Occurrences <2 per month

Capacity Utilization >85%

SAP Transaction Accuracy ≥99%

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in:

o Supply Chain Management

o Industrial Engineering

o Manufacturing Engineering

o Operations Management

o Business Administration

Professional Certifications (Preferred)

• APICS CPIM

• APICS CSCP

• CIPS

• Six Sigma Green Belt

• Lean Manufacturing Certification

Experience

• 3-5 years for Production Planner level.

• FMCG manufacturing experience is essential.

• Experience planning:

o Food manufacturing

o Packaging operations

o High-volume production environments

• Strong SAP Business One or ERP planning experience.

• Experience with MRP, inventory management, and production scheduling.

Competencies

Technical Competencies

• Production Planning

• MRP Management

• Capacity Planning

• Inventory Management

• Supply Planning

• Forecast Interpretation

• SAP Business One

• Advanced Excel

• Power BI Reporting

Behavioural Competencies

• Analytical Thinking

• Attention to Detail

• Planning & Organizing

• Problem Solving

• Communication Skills

• Decision Making

• Stakeholder Management

• Continuous Improvement Mindset

Requirements

Competitive base salary (from KES 85,000/month) + high commissions;

potential equity package;

fully remote work with flexible hours;

young, dynamic, international team; real growth opportunities in a fast-scaling startup.