Production Control Buyer/Planner in Muskegon, Michigan at Waseyabek Development Company

Company Overview

Baker Engineering, LLC’s (Baker) core business centers around the design and development of high-tech, high-performance technologies for a variety of applications, from custom military and commercial engines, to engine components, to the production of parts and mechanical assemblies for other industries. Baker is a division of Waséyabek Development Company, LLC that is wholly owned by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, a Federally recognized Indian Tribe.

Position Overview

The Production Control Buyer/Planner is the operational link between customer demand, purchasing, production, outside processing, inventory, and final shipment. This position owns the flow of material and information through the manufacturing process to support on-time delivery while minimizing inventory, shortages, schedule disruptions, and expediting. The ideal candidate is proactive, organized, and comfortable coordinating daily priorities across multiple departments and suppliers.

Key Responsibilities

• Customer Schedule Management: Manage customer releases, delivery schedules, promise dates, past-due orders, forecasts, and schedule changes, including pull-ins and push-outs—to keep production plans aligned with customer requirements.
• Production Planning & Scheduling: Develop and maintain production schedules that balance customer priorities, material availability, machine capacity, labor, and outside processing requirements.
• Daily Production Control: Participate in daily production meetings prepared to identify machine downtime, missing material, outside-process delays, expedites, customer emergencies, capacity constraints, and recovery plans.
• Material Planning & Purchasing: Plan and purchase raw materials and components based on forecasts, customer demand, safety stock levels, and production schedules while balancing inventory investment and machine utilization.
• Outside Processing Coordination: Coordinate outside processing—including anodize, chem film, heat treat, black oxide, hydrogen bake, plating, and grinding—through purchase order creation, supplier scheduling, shipment timing, and return-date follow-up.
• Shortage & Bottleneck Resolution: Identify and resolve material shortages, routing issues, capacity constraints, supplier delays, and administrative bottlenecks before they disrupt production or customer delivery.
• ERP/MRP Data Ownership: Maintain accurate planning data, including routers, lead times, inventory parameters, work orders, purchase orders, and production schedules, so departments are working from reliable information.
• Supplier Performance: Monitor supplier quality, delivery, responsiveness, and lead times; work directly with suppliers to resolve shortages and improve performance.
• Estimating & Quoting Support: Obtain supplier quotations, material pricing, outside-processing costs, and lead-time information to support estimating and quoting activities.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Partner closely with Production, Quality, Logistics, Sales, Engineering, and Customer Service/Fulfillment to communicate priorities, schedule risks, material status, and recovery actions.
• Performance Improvement: Track schedule attainment, on-time delivery, shortages, inventory, and other key measures; recommend practical improvements that strengthen production flow and customer service.

Qualifications

• Experience: 2–5 years of experience in production planning, buying, scheduling, manufacturing operations, or supply chain management.
• Manufacturing Knowledge: Working knowledge of manufacturing flow, production schedules, inventory control, purchasing, and outside processing. Experience in machining or a job-shop environment is preferred.
• Systems Skills: Experience working with ERP/MRP or production-planning systems and proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
• Organization: Ability to manage changing priorities, follow up on details, and keep multiple jobs, suppliers, and deadlines moving at the same time.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to recognize schedule risks and bottlenecks, determine practical next steps, and coordinate recovery plans.
• Communication: Clear and professional communication skills for working with suppliers, customers, and cross-functional teams.
• Education: Associate or bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, operations, or a related field is preferred; equivalent manufacturing experience will be considered.

DISCLAIMER

This job description indicates in general the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities and other essential functions (as covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act) expected of an incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of an incumbent. An incumbent may be asked to perform other duties as required.

Native American & Veteran Hiring Preferences will be applied in accordance with Waséyabek Development Company policy. We are committed to making merit-based hiring decisions. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship, marital status, height or weight, veteran status, or any other legally protected category.