Production Planner

Job Title: Production Planner

Job Description

The Production Planner translates high-level build plans into executable daily work orders, ensures material availability, and maintains accurate production and ERP records for a rapidly growing Class III medical device manufacturer. This role serves as a key liaison between Production Planning, Purchasing, Manufacturing, R&D, and Clinical teams to support efficient production processes, minimize downtime, and consistently meet build schedule targets in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.

Responsibilities

• Create and release daily work orders to support production requirements across multiple lines.
• Schedule line-specific builds in alignment with the overall production plan, including detailed weekly line schedules (such as units or vials per line per day).
• Maintain and update production logs and supplier lot definition tracking using production cue logs.
• Backflush components into the ERP system and close work orders accurately to ensure reliable production and inventory records.
• Ensure required materials and sub-assemblies are available at the point of build to prevent line stoppages and minimize downtime.
• Collaborate closely with Purchasing to drive timely procurement and delivery of materials, including high line-item purchase orders.
• Review, maintain, and adjust forecasts for sub-assemblies and finished goods to support short- and long-term production needs.
• Communicate material constraints promptly to Production Planning and other stakeholders to enable schedule adjustments and risk mitigation.
• Ensure completeness and accuracy of Device History Records (DHRs) for all relevant builds and maintain compliance with medical device documentation standards.
• Translate high-level build plans into detailed weekly and daily schedules, incorporating forecasting horizons of at least 90 days and ideally 2–3 years.
• Perform additional supply chain duties as needed, supporting planning, scheduling, material planning, and inventory management activities.
• Support R&D and Clinical builds, particularly for prototype or limited-release products, by planning and coordinating required materials and schedules.
• Work cross-functionally with Manufacturing, R&D, Clinical, and Purchasing to align production priorities and support upcoming product launches.
• Walk the production floor and clean room as needed to verify material availability, monitor work order execution, and support production teams.
• Create and refine planning and build schedules in Excel, tailoring tools and reports to provide clear visibility into production and material status.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of ERP and planning processes, particularly in the context of a recently implemented ERP system.
• Adapt quickly to changing priorities, new products, and evolving build plans driven by expansion into new markets.

Essential Skills

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in production planning within manufacturing, preferably handling small components and multi-level bills of materials (BOMs).
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems for production planning, work order management, and inventory control (experience with JDE, Oracle, SAP, or similar systems is acceptable).
• Strong proficiency in Excel, including pivot tables and VLOOKUP functions, with the ability to create custom planning and build schedules.
• Demonstrated experience in material planning, schedule planning, and inventory management for complex, multi-line production environments.
• Ability to manage and plan for purchase orders with 100+ line items and complex build-of-material structures.
• Experience in forecasting demand and production needs for at least 90 days, ideally extending to 2–3 years.
• Comfort working with small components and detailed production documentation, including Device History Records (DHRs).
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment, adjusting to frequent changes in products, schedules, and priorities.
• Strong communication skills to collaborate with Production Planning, Purchasing, Manufacturing, R&D, and Clinical teams.
• Ability to walk the production floor and clean room as needed and work onsite during second shift hours, including occasional overtime and Saturdays.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in the medical device industry, particularly with Class III devices, is highly desirable, though candidates from other manufacturing sectors with small components and multi-level BOMs are also considered.
• Familiarity with balloon catheter manufacturing or similar medical device products is a plus.
• Experience with JDE ERP is advantageous, especially in environments where ERP implementations are recent and processes are evolving.
• Advanced Excel skills, including macros and complex formulas, are a strong plus for building robust planning tools and reports.
• Experience in supply chain, planning, scheduling, and material coordination in high-growth manufacturing settings.
• Ability to work independently as the sole planner on shift for part of the day while collaborating effectively with a broader planning team.
• Flexible, team-oriented mindset with the ability to pivot quickly to new products and changing build plans.
• Comfort working with multi-building operations and coordinating across multiple production lines and facilities.

Work Environment

This role is 100% onsite in a rapidly expanding Class III medical device manufacturing environment that produces balloon catheters designed to combat blood clots. The facility includes multiple buildings with a dedicated manufacturing site, clean rooms, and production floors, and is in the process of adding numerous new production lines and significantly expanding clean room capacity to support launches in new global markets. The position is on a second shift schedule, typically 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with the expectation of occasional overtime and some Saturday work to support high demand and upcoming product launches. You will spend time on the production floor and in clean rooms as needed, wearing appropriate clean room attire such as a bunny suit when entering controlled environments. The culture is fast-paced and growth-oriented, yet relatively laid back and collaborative, with a jeans-and-T-shirt style of dress in non-clean room areas. Teams enjoy working together, often sharing jokes, socializing after work, and supporting one another as they navigate frequent changes and new product introductions. As the second-shift planner, you will overlap with first-shift planners earlier in the day and spend the last few hours of the shift as the sole planner onsite, providing critical support to production during that time.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Irvine, CA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $30.00 - $40.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job
classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be
subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Irvine,CA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 2, 2026.

About Aston Carter

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [email protected] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.