About this role
At West, we’re a dedicated team that is connected by a purpose to improve patient lives that has been at the center of our Company for more than a century. Our story began when Herman O. West solved the problem of supplying penicillin in mass quantities to the US Government during World War 2. Through our work to deliver thousands of life-saving and life-enhancing injectable medicines to millions of patients daily, West’s indelible mark on the healthcare industry has just begun. A name started our story. How will yours help write our future?
There’s no better place to join an inclusive community of professionals with opportunities for lifelong learning, growth and development. Supported by benefit programs, we empower the physical, mental, emotional and financial health of our team members and their families.
We believe in giving back to help those in need in the communities where we live and work. And are equally committed to creating a healthier environment and planet through our sustainability efforts.
Job Summary
The Production Planner / Master Scheduler plays a key role in ensuring that site production operations are aligned with business priorities and customer commitments. This role is responsible for managing the short and longterm production planning horizons, coordinating between global and local functions, and developing the Master Production Schedule (MPS) to balance customer demand, inventory targets, and manufacturing capacity.
The position requires strong crossfunctional collaboration with Global Planning, Plant Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Materials teams to ensure accurate scheduling, capacity utilization, and adherence to shipping timelines. The Production Planner will also support improvement initiatives that enhance forecast accuracy, operational efficiency, and delivery performance across the site.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Production Planning
Develop, manage, and execute the Master Production Schedule (MPS) using SAP (COOISPI) to ensure production meets site, customer, and forecast requirements. Monitor adherence to the plan in collaboration with the Global and Plant Supply Chain teams. - CrossFunctional Collaboration
Coordinate with internal stakeholders across Manufacturing, Planning, Quality, and Logistics to ensure production schedules are aligned with customer commitments and shipping priorities. - Forecast and Capacity Management
Participate in SIOE (Sales, Inventory, Operations, and Execution) reviews, providing analysis on capacity utilization, forecast performance, and absorption performance against monthly and quarterly targets. - Constraint and Issue Resolution
Identify and address potential scheduling conflicts, resource constraints, or material shortages. Apply scenario planning techniques to evaluate multiple production and capacity outcomes, enabling proactive decisionmaking and risk mitigation. Implement corrective actions to maintain alignment between production capacity and customer demand. - Material and Supply Plan Alignment
Partner with site material planners to ensure the production plan aligns with material availability and lead time requirements, minimizing disruptions to execution. - CrossSite Coordination
Collaborate with Supply Chain and Global Planning functions on crosssite production transfers and allocation adjustments to ensure balanced utilization across manufacturing locations. - Forecast Excellence and KPI Management
Continuously evaluate and improve forecast accuracy in partnership with Global Planning. Develop and publish performance metrics and KPIs related to schedule adherence, capacity performance, and operational effectiveness. - Systems and Data Utilization
Utilize SAP, Business Intelligence (BI) systems, Excel, and other analytical tools to plan, monitor, and optimize production performance. - Team Leadership and Support
Provide guidance, coaching, and support to junior planners and contribute to team development and knowledge sharing. - Continuous Improvement and Compliance
Actively participate in Lean Sigma and continuous improvement initiatives that enhance planning efficiency, accuracy, and collaboration.- Act in accordance with the company’s Guiding Principles and adherence to the corporate Code of Conduct.
- Compliance to all local site Environmental, Health and Safety regulations.
- Compliance to all local site company policies, procedures and corporate policies.
- Other duties as assigned.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain or business-related discipline
Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Minimum 5 years of experience in a Supply Chain, Production Operations, or Planning function.
- 5+ years of experience in BioPharmaceutical, Pharmaceutical, or Medical Device manufacturing environments.
- Working knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).
- Proficiency in ERP systems such as SAP or MES, and familiarity with Business Intelligence (BI) tools.
- Strong analytical and planning skills with proven experience in problem solving and process improvements.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
- Selfmotivated, resultsdriven, and agile in managing multiple priorities.
- Strong IT competency and datadriven mindset.
Travel Requirements
- Must be able to travel up to 5% of the time.
West embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We foster an environment where all individuals are safe, treated fairly, valued and respected. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Where permitted by law, employment with West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. or any of its subsidiary or affiliate companies, is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of post-offer background screening and/or drug screening. #LI-AS1
Other facts
About West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative, high-quality injectable solutions and services. As a trusted partner to established and emerging drug developers, West helps ensure the safe, effective containment and delivery of life-saving and life-enhancing medicines for patients. With 10,000 team members across 50 sites worldwide, West helps support our customers by delivering billions of components and devices each year.
West is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: WST) and is included on the Standard & Poor's 500 index.
What you'll do
- The Production Planner is responsible for managing production operations to align with business priorities and customer commitments. This includes developing the Master Production Schedule and ensuring accurate scheduling and capacity utilization.
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