Production Planner Specialist

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Production Planner

Location: Manteno, IL
Department: Manufacturing Operations
Work Arrangement: 100% On-Site

What to Expect

Gotion’s Manufacturing Operations team is seeking a driven Production Planner to support production execution and capacity planning at our Manteno, Illinois manufacturing facility.

This role will work closely with manufacturing and cross-functional partners to establish and execute 0–1 production planning processes for battery module manufacturing, with rapid expansion as cell manufacturing operations are launched. The Production Planner will play a key role in translating demand into executable schedules, analyzing capacity constraints, and supporting production ramp-up across multiple lines.

This position is suited for candidates with 2–5 years of experience who are comfortable operating in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and are eager to grow as the operation scales.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and maintain production schedules aligned with demand, capacity, and material availability

• Analyze production capacity and demand to support near-term execution and longer-term planning decisions

• Partner with manufacturing, supply chain, materials, and engineering teams to improve planning processes, including batch sizing, material flow, and production controls

• Respond to unplanned events (production shortfalls, material shortages, schedule changes) by providing impact analysis and recovery options

• Generate and publish production metrics, forecasts, and performance reports to identify risks and improvement opportunities

• Communicate production plans, revisions, and performance updates to manufacturing leadership and cross-functional stakeholders

• Support implementation and improvement of inventory control and material planning processes

• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives as manufacturing operations ramp and mature

• Perform additional duties as assigned to support evolving business needs

What You’ll Bring

Required Qualifications (All Levels)

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain Management, or equivalent experience

• 2+ years of experience in production planning, manufacturing operations, or a related role

• Strong proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint for data analysis and communication

• Experience building and maintaining reports, models, and presentations to support decision-making

• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, on-site manufacturing environment

• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills

• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems preferred (SAP a plus)

Additional Qualifications – Early Career (2–3 Years Experience)

• Hands-on experience supporting production schedules and daily execution in a manufacturing environment

• Ability to analyze data, identify issues, and escalate risks with guidance

• Comfortable working cross-functionally with manufacturing and support teams

• Willingness to learn and grow as processes and systems are built from the ground up

Additional Qualifications – Experienced Profile (3–5+ Years Experience)

• Demonstrated experience owning production schedules and capacity analysis in a high-volume manufacturing environment

• Experience independently building analytical models, dashboards, or tools to support planning decisions

• Proficiency with Power BI or similar data visualization tools strongly preferred

• Proven ability to identify process gaps and drive planning and execution improvements

• Confidence communicating plans, risks, and recommendations to leadership