The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

Production Planner

Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration or related field
  • 0-2 years of production planning experience
  • Working knowledge of manufacturing, purchasing, and engineering processes
  • Strong organizational and attention to detail skills
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel.

Responsibilities

  • Develop detailed production schedules and material requirement lists
  • Plan and issue schedules and material requirements
  • Coordinate with Engineering, Production, and Supply Chain for optimal resource use
  • Provide management with input on issues like shortages and design changes
  • Perform inventory analysis and generate purchase requisitions within MRP
  • Create purchase requisitions in ERP as needed
  • Interface with internal customers regarding obsolescence and lead time issues

Benefits

  • Work-life balance programs including workplace flexibility
  • Access to employee clubs such as photography and yoga
  • Health and financial workshops
  • Off-site social events
  • Discounts to local museums and cultural activities
Full Job Description
Job Description Summary:
The Production Planner plays a key role in turning engineering ideas into real-world products by ensuring materials, schedules, and production activities stay aligned and on track. This position combines planning, coordination, and data analysis to support builds from initial material review through final assembly.

In this role, you'll work closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Stockroom, Quality, and Operations teams to analyze material requirements, determine what is available in inventory, and identify what needs to be purchased to support current and future builds. You'll generate purchase requisitions, monitor material flow, coordinate kitting activities, and help ensure the right materials arrive at the right place at the right time to meet customer and program deadlines.

Success in this role requires strong attention to detail, organization, communication, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, highly collaborative manufacturing environment.

If you enjoy problem-solving, working with data, and helping teams execute efficiently you'll thrive in this position.

This role is an onsite position and is not eligible for remote work.

Job Description:

Duties/Responsibilities
  • Develops detailed schedules, material requirements lists and production plans for products and/or production processes where the manufacturing process is variable.
  • Plans and issues schedules and material requirements.
  • Coordinates Engineering, Production, Supply Chain and other applicable departments to achieve optimum utilization of facilities in meeting production schedules.
  • Provides input to management regarding problems such as shortages, design changes, backlogs and the like. Maintains all appropriate paperwork.
  • Perform inventory analysis and launch purchase requisitions within MRP.
  • Create Purchase Requisitions, if required, in ERP.
  • Interface with internal customers to convey obsolescence and lead time issues.
  • Provide input to a cross-functional team at Production meetings.
  • Develop and distribute production schedules to key stakeholders.
  • Ensures timely flow of material from receipt to factory floor.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.


Skills/Abilities
  • Curiosity-driven approach to solving complex, customer-driven problems as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
  • Collaborate and communicate effectively and openly with multi-disciplinary program team members, program leadership, and non-technical personnel.
  • Experience with Microsoft Office products; Excel, Word, PowerPoint
  • Be a team player able to work in a fast-paced environment with the ability to balance multiple competing tasks and demands.


Education
Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, a related field or equivalent experience

Experience
0-2 years production planning experience or related role, including a working knowledge of manufacturing activities, including purchasing, materials, production processes and engineering.

Additional Job Description:

Applicants selected for this position will be required to obtain and maintain a government security clearance.

Connect With Draper for Future Opportunities! If you don't find the right posting in our Career Opportunities, you may submit your resume for future consideration.

Job Location - City:
Cambridge

Job Location - State:
Massachusetts

Job Location - Postal Code:


The US base salary range for this full-time position is
$62,500.00 - $220,000.00
Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Union ranges will be in compliance with the collective bargaining agreement's approved rates by location and role. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and does not include bonuses or benefits.

Our work is very important to us, but so is our life outside of work. Draper supports many programs to improve work-life balance including workplace flexibility, employee clubs ranging from photography to yoga, health and finance workshops, off site social events and discounts to local museums and cultural activities. If this specific job opportunity and the chance to work at a nationally renowned R&D innovation company appeals to you, apply now www.draper.com/careers.

About The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

Draper Laboratory is an American non-profit research and development organization, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts; its official name is The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. The laboratory specializes in the design, development, and deployment of advanced technology solutions to problems in national security, space exploration, health care and energy. The laboratory was founded in 1932 by Charles Stark Draper at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop aeronautical instrumentation, and came to be called the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. During this period the laboratory is best known for developing the Apollo Guidance Computer, the first silicon integrated circuit based computer. It was renamed for its founder in 1970, and separated from MIT in 1973 to become an independent, non-profit organization. The expertise of the laboratory staff includes the areas of guidance, navigation, and control technologies and systems; fault-tolerant computing; advanced algorithms and software systems; modeling and simulation; and microelectromechanical systems and multichip module technology.
Learn more about The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

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