Production Scheduler

The Production Scheduler is responsible for developing and managing production schedules while ensuring the appropriate number of labor hours are available to meet production demands and customer commitments. This position will analyze workload, forecast required man-hours, compare available labor capacity, and proactively identify staffing gaps or excess capacity. The Production Scheduler serves as a key link between production planning and workforce management, partnering with Operations leadership to ensure staffing levels and employee hours are aligned with production requirements.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules based on customer demand, workload, turnaround-time requirements, and available production capacity.
• Calculate and forecast man-hours required to complete scheduled production based on workload, historical productivity, standard labor times, and expected production volume.
• Compare required man-hours against available labor hours by department, production area, skill set, and shift.
• Identify staffing shortages, excess capacity, overtime requirements, and potential production bottlenecks.
• Partner with Operations leadership to adjust staffing levels, schedules, overtime, cross-training, or work assignments to meet production requirements.
• Develop labor-hour forecasts based on anticipated incoming volume and backlog.
• Maintain visibility into hours scheduled versus hours required versus hours actually worked.
• Monitor daily production progress and adjust labor allocation as needed to stay on schedule.
• Identify opportunities to maximize employee utilization and minimize unnecessary overtime or idle labor.
• Coordinate priorities when production demand exceeds available labor capacity.

Production Monitoring & Capacity Management

• Monitor work-in-process, backlog, aging orders, and production volume throughout the day.
• Track production against scheduled labor hours and expected completion times.
• Identify trends in productivity and adjust future labor-hour requirements accordingly.
• Escalate potential capacity constraints before they impact customer turnaround times.
• Work with Operations leadership to establish realistic production commitments based on available labor and equipment capacity.
• Analyze the impact of absenteeism, staffing changes, training, and employee availability on production capacity.
• Maintain accurate production and labor scheduling information in the ERP/MRP or production management system.
• Provide leadership with forward-looking labor forecasts and identify anticipated staffing needs.
• Analyze variances between budgeted/standard labor hours and actual hours worked.
• Recommend adjustments to staffing, scheduling, and workflow based on production data.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner with Operations Managers and Supervisors to understand staffing availability and production capabilities.
• Work closely with Human Resources regarding anticipated hiring needs, staffing levels, training schedules, and workforce capacity.
• Coordinate with Customer Service and Operations regarding customer priorities and expected completion dates.
• Communicate changes in production requirements and labor needs to appropriate leaders.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Purchasing when material availability could affect production schedules.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate or bachelor''s degree in Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field preferred.
• 2+ years of experience in production scheduling, workforce planning, operations coordination, manufacturing, logistics, or a related field.
• Strong Excel and data-analysis skills.
• Experience calculating labor requirements, capacity, productivity, or workforce utilization preferred.
• Experience with ERP/MRP or production management systems preferred.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to analyze data and translate it into practical staffing and scheduling decisions.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work across multiple departments.
• Experience in medical device, healthcare, manufacturing, repair, reprocessing, or another regulated environment is preferred.