Senior Master Planner

Job Details: Job Location: CTB - BUFFALO, NY, Position Type: Full-Time, Education Level: 4 Year Degree, Salary Range: $85000.00 - $100000.00Salary/year, Travel Percentage: Negligible, Job Category: Strategy - Planning, Join Conax Technologies and take ownership of the planning function that drives operational excellence, customer satisfaction, and business performance.

As the Senior Master Planner, you will be the organization's planning subject matter expert, leading production scheduling, capacity planning, forecasting, and inventory optimization efforts across the business. You will play a critical role in aligning customer demand with manufacturing capabilities while partnering with Sales, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Customer Service to ensure exceptional delivery performance.

Why This Role Matters

This is more than a scheduling position. You'll be at the center of business operations, influencing strategic decisions, improving planning processes, and driving continuous improvement initiatives that directly impact customer success and company growth.

What You'll Do

Lead Planning & Scheduling Excellence

Develop and manage integrated production plans that balance customer demand, manufacturing capacity, material availability, and business priorities.
Own production scheduling and proactively identify risks that could impact delivery commitments.
Manage schedule changes, expedited orders, and shifting priorities while minimizing operational disruption.
Maintain planning parameters and data integrity within ERP/MRP systems.
Partner with leadership to support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) activities through forecasting, scenario analysis, and business planning recommendations.

Drive Capacity & Inventory Performance

Analyze demand trends, forecasts, and operational performance to improve planning accuracy.
Prepare capacity analyses and inventory projections to support decision-making.
Identify and mitigate supply, inventory, and capacity risks.
Establish inventory targets and lead initiatives to improve inventory turns and working capital performance.
Monitor excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory while maintaining customer service levels.

Collaborate Across the Organization

Serve as the primary planning resource for Sales, Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Customer Service.
Support new product introductions with effective production and inventory strategies.
Provide planning expertise and guidance to stakeholders throughout the organization.
Partner with Engineering and Operations to evaluate the planning impact of product and process changes.

Champion Continuous Improvement

Lead initiatives focused on lead-time reduction, schedule adherence, inventory optimization, and delivery performance.
Use data analysis and KPIs to identify trends and uncover improvement opportunities.
Develop and maintain planning procedures, standard work, and process documentation.
Promote knowledge sharing and best practices across the organization.

Qualifications: What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, Engineering, or a related field.
5+ years of experience in master scheduling, production planning, supply chain planning, or operations planning within a manufacturing environment.
Strong expertise in:

Production scheduling
Capacity planning
Inventory management
Forecasting
ERP/MRP systems

Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office.
Exceptional analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and project management abilities.
Proven ability to influence and collaborate across functions without direct authority.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in a make-to-order, engineer-to-order, or high-mix/low-volume manufacturing environment.

Key Success Traits

We're looking for a professional who demonstrates:

Analytical thinking
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Customer focus
Initiative and resourcefulness
Collaborative teamwork

Salary ranges for this position vary by job location and are determined based on experience, reflecting our commitment to recognizing individual expertise and contributions.

Successful Candidate must be able to meet U.S. export control requirements (ITAR/EAR) to gain access to technical data. This position requires access to technology that is subject to U.S. export control regulations. Candidates must be eligible for employment in the US and meet the requirements of ITAR.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate based on any legally protected status. Qualified applicants will receive consideration based on merit and business needs, and reasonable accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities. This job description is not intended to be all‑inclusive, and duties or requirements may change as business needs evolve. Employment is at will and may be terminated by either the employee or the company at any time, with or without cause or notice, in accordance with applicable law.