Title:  Planner, Sr.

VACCO Industries

Job Description

Job Title:                  Senior Planner
Department:          Production Control
Reports To:             Production & Inventory Control Manager
FLSA Status:          Exempt – 217RS

Prepared By:          Alan  Matier
Prepared Date:     9/15/2025

Dept. Approval By:       ___________________________   Date:  ________________

H.R. Approval By:          ___________________________   Date:  ________________

Summary

The Senior Planner serves as a critical link between customer program requirements and shop floor execution in a high-mix, low-volume environment that produces precision-machined and cast components for Rockets, Satellites, and Nuclear Submarines. This role is accountable for aligning production schedules, material availability, and capacity constraints with program deliverables and contractual commitments. The Senior Planner ensures on-time delivery by driving material planning, executing make-buy strategies, coordinating across sub-tiers and internal operations, and maintaining inventory integrity in compliance with Space & Defense standards and DPAS-rated priorities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain production schedules that align with contractual delivery dates, program milestones, and DPAS-rated requirements.
• Manage timely review, release, and execution of production work orders and purchase requisitions across assigned product lines.
• Evaluate and balance plant inventory levels, ensuring proper quantities, lead times, and storage capacity while resolving discrepancies and shortages.
• Drive make-buy decisions for precision-machined and cast parts in collaboration with Supply Chain, balancing lead time, cost, and quality.
• Coordinate with machining, casting, welding, and assembly work centers to identify and resolve capacity constraints. Escalate bottlenecks through SIOP and capacity review forums.
• Collaborate with Contracts, Quality, Program Management, and Operations to prioritize and negotiate schedule adjustments in support of customer needs.
• Partner with Supply Chain to monitor sub-tier supplier performance, track critical-path materials, and mitigate risks on long-lead or sole-source components.
• Incorporate engineering changes quickly and accurately into production schedules while minimizing disruption (ECNs, BOM changes, routers, ECOs, MRBs, and part activations).
• Support root cause analysis and corrective actions for material delays, quality issues, or schedule variances.
• Ensure data integrity and accurate parameter updates across SAP and associated systems.
• Maintain records and documentation in compliance with company SOPs, ISO/AS9100, ITAR/EAR, and customer requirements.
• Own and drive performance metrics including:
• Customer On-Time Delivery (COTD)
• Production Schedule Adherence
• Inventory Accuracy (cycle count and reconciliation)
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years planning and scheduling experience in Aerospace & Defense manufacturing (machining, casting, and/or fluid control systems preferred).
• Minimum 5+ years working within an integrated ERP/MRP system (SAP S/4HANA strongly preferred).
• Strong knowledge of capacity planning, production order management, and MRP exception handling (COOIS, MD04, CM01, COHV).
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data, identify risks, and drive decisions across operations and supply chain.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) with ability to interact across multiple levels of the organization and with customers.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and drive execution in a deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to read and interpret blueprints, specifications, and engineering drawings.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite; advanced Excel and data analytics skills are strongly preferred.
• APICS/ASCM CPIM certification preferred.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Engineering, or related field with a minimum of 5 years relevant experience in Aerospace & Defense manufacturing.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Physical Demands

• While performing duties of this job, employees are regularly required to sit, walk, and use hands and arms to reach.
• Vision requirements include close, distance, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

• Work performed primarily in an office environment with occasional requirement to enter production areas.
• Exposure in shop areas may include moderate noise, fumes, airborne particles, or moving mechanical parts.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Key Role Impact

This role is not only about planning and scheduling but about driving execution and accountability in a mission-critical manufacturing environment. Success in this position directly supports the delivery of highly engineered equipment that functions on Rockets, Satellites, and Nuclear Submarines — where precision, compliance, and reliability are non-negotiable.