Production Planner

Production Planner

Midrand, South Africa

Do you want to save the world from boring food? Joins us and we will save you from boring work! McCormick & Company is a world leader in the spice, flavor, and seasonings industry.

As a Production planner, you will play a pivotal role in optimizing manufacturing processes by coordinating production schedules, managing inventory levels, and ensuring seamless material flow. Your strategic planning will drive efficiency while balancing demand forecasts, resource allocation, and operational constraints. Working closely with cross-functional teams, you will ensure timely delivery of products, minimize downtime, and contribute to continues improvement initiatives. This role requires analytical precision, proactive problem-solving, and a keen ability to adapt dynamic production environments.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Production Planning & Execution:

Develop, adjust, and oversee long-term (extending up to 12 months forward) production plans to ensure seamless execution while balancing demand, inventory targets, cost efficiency, and operational constraints..

• Demand & Capacity alignment:

Coordinate closely with demand planning/customer services, and production teams to match production schedules with market requirements while optimizing resource utilization.

• Material Requirements Planning:

Coordinate closely with procurement and material planning to ensure timely procurement of raw material and packaging based on production schedules, minimizing excess inventory and stockouts.

• New Product introduction & Discontinuations:

Schedule product launches and phase -outs efficiently, mitigating risks of obsolete stock and ensuring smooth transitions.

• Data accuracy & system maintenance:

Maintain and validate production-related data in SAP/Excel, including BOMs, routings and capacity parameters, ensuring reliable decision making.

• Efficiency & Continues improvement:

Identify bottlenecks and collaborate with operational teams on Continuous improvement projects to enhance productivity and reduce waste.

• Stakeholder Collaboration & Communication

Serve as a key liaison between supply chain, production, procurement, commercial, and customer service to address constraints, optimize workflows, and drive alignment.

• Production plan Adherence & Reporting

Monitor plan execution, track adherence at SKU level.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

• Solid experience in a supply chain role working with customers, suppliers, and other internal stakeholders.
• Practical experience of production planning in FMCG company (preferably in food industry).
• Degree in Industrial/Supply Chain/Business/Accounting.
• Proven leadership skills and ability to influence stakeholders on all levels in the organization.
• Excellent presentation skills and ability to proactively contribute to customer presentations.
• Proven experience in managing and executing CI projects within a dynamic environment.
• Cross functional team player and able to operate effectively within a matrix structure.
• Flexible approach & innovative problem solver.
• Exposure to ERP/SC systems (SAP) and Advanced level Microsoft Office (Excel).
• Potential and desire to build career within Supply Chain.
• Flexibility in complex, ambiguous and fast-paced environment with changing priorities.

COMPANY

At McCormick, we bring our passion for flavor to work each day. We encourage growth, respect everyone's contributions and do what's right for our business, our people, our communities and our planet. Join us on our quest to make every meal and moment better.

Founded in Baltimore, MD in 1889 in a room and a cellar by 25-year-old Willoughby McCormick with three employees, McCormick is a global leader in flavour. With over 14,000 employees around the world and more than $6 Billion in annual sales., the Company manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavourful products to the entire food industry, retail outlets, food manufactures, food service businesses and consumers.

While our global headquarters are in the Baltimore, Maryland, USA area, McCormick operates and serves customers from nearly 50 locations in 27 countries and 135 markets in Asia-Pacific, China, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and the Americas, including North, South and Central America with recognized brands including Schwartz Herbs, Spices & Seasonings, French’s American Mustard, Franks Hot Sauce, Cholula Hot Sauce & Herdez our Authentic Mexican range.

At McCormick, we have over a 100-year legacy based on our “Power of People” principle. This principle fosters an unusually dedicated workforce requiring a culture of respect, recognition, inclusion and collaboration based on the highest ethical values.

Agencies: McCormick as needed will work with external recruitment vendors through our Agency Portal. Unless previously contacted, McCormick does not accept unsolicited resumes from external recruiting agencies.

McCormick & Company is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, colour, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies.