Master Planner

Join the 125-year legacy of Potter Electric Signal Co. Potter has been a part of the St. Louis community since 1898 and we are very proud of our rich history in the fire and life safety industry.  Potter's mission is to be the "Symbol of Protection" for fire and life safety solutions worldwide by combining the latest technology in fire protection with the dedicated manpower for which we have been known for over one hundred years. Our vision is to provide industry leading quality solutions, products and services for the protection of life, property and the environment. With unwavering dedication to our customers, Potter looks to continue as the industry standard in both product and service with increased focus on international expansion. 

Each employee at Potter takes great pride in knowing that every product we assemble, service, and sell is for the purpose of saving lives around the world. We strive to provide employment opportunities to those individuals who are performance driven, team players, take pride in their work, and are enthusiastic and passionate about their job.

Potter Global Technologies and our private equity firm, KKR, value our employees and all that they do. KKR offers a unique benefit and opportunity for all employees to participate in an ownership program of Potter Global Technologies. Being a co-owner allows each employee to play a more direct role in the business itself and reap the financial benefits of the Company’s success.

Summary of the Position

The Master Planner is responsible for developing and managing the master production schedules to balance demand, capacity, and inventory across all manufacturing operations. This role ensures alignment between customer demand, material availability, and production capabilities. The Master Planner works cross-functionally with sales, operations, procurement, and inventory management to ensure timely delivery of products while optimizing efficiency and minimizing cost.

Essential Functions

1. Develop, publish, and maintain the Master Production Schedule (MPS) based on forecast, actual demand, and capacity constraints.
2. Collaborate with Sales, Customer Service, and Demand Planning to translate demand forecasts into executable production plans.
3. Analyze manufacturing capacity and adjust schedules to align with labor, equipment, and material availability.
4. Identify and resolve capacity constraints and material shortages in advance to mitigate production risks.
5. Manage planning parameters such as lead times, safety stocks, and planning horizons in the ERP system.
6. Support new product introductions and engineering changes by coordinating production readiness.
7. Provide clear communication of production priorities and schedule changes to manufacturing and supporting departments.
8. Partner with supply chain procurement to execute inventory reduction initiatives to meet target for inventory turns.
9. Monitor slow-moving and obsolete inventory and develop plans to deal with it accordingly.
10. Coordinate activities of multi-plant materials transfers to support both manufacturing and sales.
11. Drive a culture of operational excellence throughout the organization.
12. Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities

1. Ability to act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
2. In-depth knowledge of computerized integrated information systems (manufacturing, materials management, and production planning) and a superior understanding of manufacturing material flow in a plant.
3. High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access), TEAMS, Smartsheet, Tableau, and other planning tools as available.
4. Proactive change agent to build and maintain a team-oriented environment.
5. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability interact with various departments throughout the organization.
6. Possess strong communication and organizational skills, with the ability to work on multiple priorities at once.

Work Environment/Physical Demands/Travel

This job operates in a professional business environment where standard office equipment is routinely used, such as computers, photocopy machines, fax machines, telephones and filing cabinets. This job also operates in a warehouse/manufacturing setting where various tools and equipment are used. This role must be able to stand, bend, stoop, kneel and exhibit good visual acuity to perform daily tasks.

This position must be able to lift 50 pounds at times. Must be able to access and navigate each department at the organization’s facilities.

This position may require you to travel based on business needs.

Required Qualifications

1. 5+ years of production or supply chain planning experience in a manufacturing environment, with at least 2 years in a master planning or equivalent senior role.
2. Experience with Epicor or similar ERP/MRP system.
3. Production planning experience using integrated business software.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management / Purchasing / Business, or MBA preferred.
2. APICS CPIM or CSCP certification.

Experience in lean manufacturing, kanban, or other continuous improvement methodologies.

This is a full-time position, on-site at the manufacturing facility. The hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, 40 hours per week.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of an employee for this job. Activities, duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.