Production Scheduler Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a production scheduler job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a production scheduler. Feel free to use our production scheduler job description template to produce your own production scheduler job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a production scheduler.
Who is a Production Scheduler?
A production scheduler is a business expert whose responsibility in a production team is the organization, management, and scheduling of workflows. Their talents ensure that a production team can fulfill company goals and objectives by the deadline without sacrificing performance quality. Production schedulers must have a thorough understanding of the production process and be able to build and manage successful daily and weekly schedules. They post schedules, address production difficulties, attempt to enhance procedures, and help achieve company objectives.
Most production schedulers operate in a traditional office setting, in an individual desk setup or cubicle. They accomplish most of their duties on a computer while sitting down. They can get jobs in most industries, such as business, finance, technology, science, or manufacturing. While they conduct many of their jobs separately, it’s also typical for them to engage in meetings and to have contact with other teams and departments concerning production concerns. These professionals normally work 40 hours per week, though it’s possible to acquire a part-time career.
A career as a production scheduler can be gratifying and exciting. It’s vital to start off on the right foot by knowing about the sector and its trends, as well as the many types of organizations that operate within it. You should also create ties with people who work in the sector so that you have access to their knowledge and experience.
Once you’ve established yourself as an expert in the subject, you can begin to specialize in certain areas. For example, you could focus on manufacturing, logistics, or shipping. Or you may become a generalist and work in all parts of the supply chain. No matter the path you select, it’s crucial to stay up-to-date on the latest advances in the field.
Production Scheduler Job Description
What is a production scheduler job description? A production scheduler job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a production scheduler in an organization. Below are the production scheduler job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a production scheduler job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a production scheduler include the following:
- Supply rapid replies to production challenges.
- pinpoint problems and assist in improving processes.
- Use software to generate reports and schedules.
- Oversee multiple concurrent manufacturing schedules.
- optimize production workflow and performance.
- Review a production to uncover areas of improvement.
- Supply constructive criticism to team members.
- Use people and resources in the most effective manner.
- Create long-term and short-term manufacturing schedules.
- Work with human resources to ensure that new hires have been trained on the latest technology or processes.
- Oversee production equipment maintenance, including repairs and replacements as needed.
- Review work orders for problems and make sure they are performed appropriately.
- Contact vendors to negotiate terms or delivery times of items needed for production.
- Ensure that all supplies and equipment needed for production are available on schedule.
- manage budgets for supplies, labor expenditures, and other expenses associated with manufacturing.
- Schedule and coordinate the utilization of machinery and other equipment employed in the production process.
- Review the status of projects to determine whether any adjustments are needed, then make the revisions accordingly.
- Work with other departments, such as accounting or human resources, to ensure that production schedules are kept.
Qualifications
Education: A production scheduling role normally only requires an associate’s degree in a topic like business administration, management, production, or another relevant field. However, some employers may accept a high school education if an applicant has the work experience to compensate. A bachelor’s degree may be essential to succeed in your career as a production scheduler, depending on the organization. Aside from doing business-related coursework, a professional may need to take programs that teach computer software and applications abilities for planning and organizing performances.
Certifications and internships: Other qualifications are typically supplementary rather than obligatory. Earning them, though, may help you obtain access to more work prospects. Consider an internship or getting a certificate linked to production, administration, management, computers, or business. For example, you can achieve the PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) certification from the Project Management Institute or the Certified Scheduling Technician (CST) certification from AACE International.
Essential Skills
- Keen Attention to Details: Attention to detail is the capacity to notice minute changes in information and make corrections accordingly. As a production scheduler, you may be responsible for producing schedules for numerous shifts, so it’s crucial to verify that the information you offer is accurate. This can help to guarantee that the production team has the necessary resources at the right moment.
- Scheduling skills: Scheduling is one of the most crucial abilities for a production scheduler. Their principal roles demand them to make timetables for team members and plan out a timeline for how the production endeavor should work. A production scheduler may set a deadline based on their stakeholders’ requirements and consider various details while generating the timeline timetable, like the size of the team or the scope of the project.
- Good Organizational Skills: A production scheduler organizes their obligations so they may prioritize tasks and meet any deadlines or unique requirements. Organizations also help them track varied schedules and fulfill their quotas. It helps them simplify their procedures, making it easier to be more efficient and avoiding any potential for scheduling errors or blunders.
- Effective time management skills: Time management is a vital ability for production schedulers because of the volume of work they need to perform each day. This is a talent that helps guarantee they reach crucial deadlines and hold their team members accountable for finishing work by the deadline as well. Time-management skills assist production schedulers to stay on track and avoid delays.
- Problem-solving: Production schedulers generally work with various teams and individuals, and they must be able to detect and address problems that develop. For example, if a production team is unable to complete a task on time, the production scheduler may need to find a means to help the team complete the assignment or find a way to make up for the lost time. This requires the production scheduler to be able to recognize the problem, develop a solution, and implement the remedy.
- The Ability to Multitask: Multitasking is a skill that allows someone to manage, work on, and accomplish several projects efficiently and productively. For production schedulers, this is especially crucial because they often have numerous high-priority jobs and production objectives to complete each day. They can use this expertise to attain their personal aims while also aiding others to fulfill theirs.
- IT Proficiency: A production scheduler must have computer competency to fulfill their daily activities and obligations. They employ a variety of computer software and programs, including project management software, to develop reports, schedules, and production plans. They also communicate with teams through these digital platforms, email or video conferencing. With computer knowledge and the ability to learn new software, schedulers can manage their work and even handle small troubleshooting approaches.
- Communication abilities that are effective: Production scheduling is a task that demands close work with other team members and communication with everyone taking part in a production project. These skills allow them to accurately explain goals, objectives, and timetables, ensuring that no one becomes confused about the overarching vision of the project. These talents also allow them to deliver substantive feedback to others in a way that’s constructive and helpful. Written communication skills are important so they can send emails, memos, and reports that are easy to read and grasp.
- Self-motivation ability: Production schedulers profit from being able to work autonomously and with less oversight or micromanagement. However, being free to complete their work without a manager to supervise their performance means that keeping motivated is crucial for completing their duties on time. They generally foresee obstacles and prepare their work in order to accomplish goals and overcome issues.
- Critical thinking and problem-solving abilities: During a manufacturing process, sometimes problems can develop unexpectedly, prompting the team to reassess how to move forward or work around the issue. A scheduler needs to think critically about how to handle each situation. They should be able to employ problem-solving skills to discover a reason and design a viable remedy.
- Inventory Management Skills: Production schedulers use their inventory management abilities to track the materials and supplies needed for production. They also employ these abilities while designing a schedule, as they need to know how long it takes to make certain items or what supplies are available at any given time. Production schedulers can also utilize their inventory management skills to guarantee that there is enough of each product in stock and that the company isn’t manufacturing too much of one thing.
- Planning Capabilities: Production schedulers employ capacity planning to determine the number of resources needed for a production run. For example, if a corporation needs 100 units of a product by a given date, the production scheduler can plan how many employees are needed to execute the task and what supplies they need to make the product. This guarantees that the organization has adequate people and materials to accomplish its goals.
- Project Management Capabilities: Production schedulers utilize project management abilities to develop and oversee production schedules. They may also be responsible for allocating assignments, tracking progress, and communicating with other members of the production team. Production schedulers who have great project management skills can help ensure that projects are finished on time and within budget.
- Planning Capabilities: Production schedulers employ capacity planning to determine the number of resources needed for a production run. For example, if a corporation needs 100 units of a product by a given date, the production scheduler can plan how many employees are needed to execute the task and what supplies they need to make the product. This guarantees that the organization has adequate people and materials to accomplish its goals.
- Good Planning Skills: Planning is the capacity to establish a strategy for achieving tasks. Production schedulers employ planning skills when developing schedules, assigning resources, and determining how long it will take to complete production procedures. This competence allows them to ensure that all necessary steps are accounted for and that they can fulfill their production targets. It also ensures that staff gets the information they need to accomplish their duties efficiently.
- Knowledge of Production Planning: Production schedulers employ production planning abilities to generate timetables for diverse projects. They may also work with other members of a production team, such as project managers and supervisors, to build plans that ensure the success of each project. Production planners employ their organizing abilities to keep track of all aspects of production, including resources, staff, and deadlines.
- Knowledge of Demand Planning: Demand planning is the capacity to predict future demand for a product or service. Production schedulers use this expertise when designing production schedules, as they need to know how many products their company will sell in the future so they can prepare accordingly. For example, if a company’s sales staff anticipates that they’ll sell more of Product A next month than they did the previous month, the production scheduler may decide to create more of Product A during the future month.
- Knowledge of Supply Chain Management: Manufacturing schedulers employ supply chain management abilities to track materials and supplies needed for production. They also employ these talents to guarantee that the proper parts are available when a machine requires repair or replacement. Production schedulers may also utilize supply chain management abilities to manage inventory, which involves measuring how much of each product is in stock and ensuring there’s enough on hand to fulfill client demand.
- Understanding of Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems: Production schedulers use MRP/ERP systems to track production schedules and guarantee that all necessary supplies are accessible when needed. This is a crucial ability for production schedulers because it ensures the effective flow of goods through a company’s supply chain, which may help cut costs and improve customer satisfaction.
- The Ability to Schedule Software: Scheduling software is a tool that production schedulers use to generate and maintain schedules. Production schedulers commonly utilize scheduling software to input data, such as the names of personnel, their shifts, and the jobs they perform. The software then constructs an automated schedule based on the information provided by the production scheduler.
How to Become a Production Scheduler
Step 1: Obtain your Bachelor’s Degree: Job Advertisements on CareerBuilder.com from November 2014 stated that businesses desired people with bachelor’s degrees in fields relating to business, operations, manufacturing, or production management. Coursework includes production and operations analysis; system simulations; machine scheduling; applied engineering; and management information systems. Students learn quality planning methods, logistics and supply chain management, and managerial finance and accounting.
Success Tip: Complete an internship. Bachelor’s degree programs have internship options available to students. For example, students can take part in a production scheduling internship to obtain first-hand experience with developing schedules, monitoring production processes, and examining productivity reports. Furthermore, some internships lead to full-time, entry-level positions.
Step 2: Gain Industry Experience: As of November 2014, some firms offering on CareerBuilder.com for production schedulers were searching for job applicants with 2-3 years of experience with inventory management, cost estimation, manufacturing, and production. People wishing to become production schedulers should consider beginning off with entry-level management jobs or employment with production teams, procurement departments, or manufacturing financial departments.
Step 3: Take Bold Steps Towards Career Advancement: After a few years of experience learning how production works, aspiring schedulers look for career growth prospects in management. They have additional responsibilities, which they demonstrate through their on-the-job training abilities.
Production schedulers do not need any certifications to work. However, many industrial employers may prefer individuals who have certifications showing their skills and competence.
Where to Work as a Production Scheduler
- Businesses
- Financial institutions
- Technology
- Science or manufacturing
Production Scheduler Salary Scale
The national average income for a production scheduler is $47,837 per year. This income estimate is likely to differ for numerous reasons, such as job experience, geographical area, educational achievements, company, and certifications. As you gain more expertise in the profession, you may eventually use this experience to ask for a better wage.
An early-career production scheduler with 1–4 years of experience earns an average total compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of £24,829, based on 43 salaries. A mid-career production scheduler with 5–9 years of experience earns an average total salary of £28,270 based on 12 salaries. An experienced production scheduler with 10–19 years of experience gets an average total compensation of £26,694 based on 14 salaries. In their late career (20 years or above), employees earn an average total pay of £30,000.