Senior Demand Planner at Xylem Services USA LLC — Rockford, IL

Job Summary: The Sr. Production Planner is a senior level position responsible for leading

We're Hiring a Senior Demand Planner in Rockford, IL!

Job Summary:

The Senior Production Planner is a senior-level position responsible for developing, managing, and optimizing production schedules to support customer demand, material availability, inventory targets, and plant capacity. This role uses SAP/MRP systems to review demand, material requirements, planned orders, production capacity, inventory levels, and schedule risks.

The Senior Production Planner partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Materials, Customer Service, and other cross-functional teams to ensure production plans are executable and aligned with business priorities. This role is also responsible for identifying planning constraints, resolving schedule issues, improving production planning processes, and supporting continuous improvement efforts. Additionally, the Senior Production Planner may mentor junior planners and provide technical expertise related to SAP, production scheduling, inventory management, and manufacturing planning processes.

Responsibilities

Production Planning

• Create, maintain, and adjust production schedules for multiple product lines based on customer demand, material availability, capacity, and inventory targets.
• Use SAP/MRP systems to review planned orders, production requirements, material shortages, demand changes, and schedule risks.
• Monitor and adjust production plans to meet changing demand, inventory levels, customer priorities, and manufacturing constraints.
• Partner with Operations, Materials, Procurement, Customer Service, and Supply Chain teams to ensure production plans are realistic, executable, and aligned with business needs.
• Analyze production data, schedule adherence, capacity constraints, and material availability to support data-driven planning decisions.
• Identify and resolve production planning issues, delays, shortages, or schedule conflicts.
• Support S&OP, supply planning, and business planning processes by providing updates on production capacity, inventory risk, material constraints, and schedule performance.

Inventory and Materials Management

• Develop and maintain appropriate inventory levels for finished goods, raw materials, and work-in-process inventory.
• Forecast and track inventory needs based on production schedules, customer demand, sales projections, and material availability.
• Coordinate with Procurement and Materials teams to support timely delivery of materials required for production.
• Monitor inventory levels to prevent excess inventory, shortages, or production disruptions.
• Review SAP/MRP data to identify material gaps, planning exceptions, inventory risks, and required follow-up actions.
• Recommend adjustments to inventory plans based on demand changes, production priorities, and supply constraints.

Capacity and Schedule Management

• Perform capacity analysis to identify constraints related to labor, equipment, materials, or production flow.
• Partner with Operations leaders to align production schedules with available capacity and manufacturing capabilities.
• Monitor schedule attainment and escalate risks that may impact customer delivery, production efficiency, or inventory targets.
• Recommend schedule adjustments to improve production flow, reduce delays, and support customer commitments.
• Communicate production risks, schedule changes, and planning priorities to key stakeholders in a timely and clear manner.

Continuous Improvement

• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives to streamline production planning, scheduling, inventory management, and SAP/MRP processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning accuracy, schedule stability, material readiness, and production efficiency.
• Apply lean manufacturing principles to reduce waste, improve flow, and support operational performance.
• Support corrective and preventive actions related to planning, inventory, material availability, and production scheduling issues.
• Recommend and implement cost-saving measures related to production planning, inventory control, and manufacturing support processes.

Reporting and Analysis

• Generate, review, and present production planning reports to management and cross-functional teams.
• Analyze production, inventory, demand, capacity, and SAP/MRP data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Track and report on key performance indicators related to production planning, schedule attainment, inventory accuracy, material availability, and customer delivery performance.
• Communicate potential issues, risks, or concerns to management and provide recommendations for corrective action.
• Support business reviews by providing clear updates on production priorities, constraints, planning performance, and inventory status.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, or a related field with at least 4 years of experience, or equivalent work experience that provides exposure to production planning, manufacturing, supply chain, and inventory management concepts.
• Experience using SAP, ERP systems for production planning, materials planning, inventory management, or manufacturing scheduling.
• Strong understanding of production scheduling, capacity planning, material availability, inventory control, and manufacturing operations.
• Production Planning Experience
• Experience in a manufacturing or production environment preferred.
• In-depth understanding of inventory management principles and practices.
• Experience developing, maintaining, or improving planning processes, inventory controls, and production schedules.
• Ability to analyze demand, supply, inventory, capacity, and production data to make planning recommendations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to partner across Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Materials, Customer Service, and other cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency in inventory management, production planning, and ERP systems; SAP experience strongly preferred.

At Xylem, you'll not only contribute to solving water issues but also have the chance to make a difference through our paid Volunteer Program, Xylem Watermark. We prioritize our employees' well-being through inclusion and belonging as well as our Employee Resource Groups. Proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity, including disability and veterans, and Affirmative Action workplace, Xylem fosters an inclusive environment free from discrimination or harassment.

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