Frey’s Food Brands is inviting applications for the position of Graduate Production Planner within the Supply Chain & Logistics Department. This opportunity is ideal for graduates and early-career professionals who are looking to build a successful career in production planning, manufacturing coordination, supply chain management, and logistics.

The successful candidate will report directly to the Demand Planner and play a key role in ensuring efficient production scheduling, resource utilization, material availability, and operational performance across manufacturing processes.

This position offers valuable exposure to production planning systems, manufacturing operations, inventory management, capacity planning, and cross-functional collaboration within a dynamic food manufacturing environment.

Position Details

Position: Graduate Production Planner
Department: Supply Chain & Logistics
Reporting To: Demand Planner
Location: South Africa
Application Closing Date: 10 June 2026 at 16:00

Purpose of the Role

The Graduate Production Planner will be responsible for creating, optimizing, and managing production schedules to ensure customer demand is fulfilled efficiently and on time. The role focuses on balancing production capacity, material availability, labor resources, and equipment constraints while maintaining cost-effective and achievable production plans.

The position requires close collaboration with production teams, maintenance departments, procurement, quality assurance, supply planners, and logistics personnel to ensure seamless operational execution.

Individuals interested in manufacturing planning, supply chain operations, production scheduling, and operational excellence may find this role highly rewarding.

Key Responsibilities

Production Scheduling

A significant portion of the role involves developing and maintaining detailed production schedules. Responsibilities include:

• Creating daily and weekly production plans based on customer demand and supply forecasts.
• Sequencing production orders to reduce downtime and minimize changeovers.
• Improving manufacturing efficiency through optimized scheduling practices.
• Adjusting production schedules when operational disruptions occur.
• Responding quickly to breakdowns, material shortages, or changing customer priorities.

Effective production scheduling is essential to ensure manufacturing targets are met while maintaining product quality and operational efficiency.

Capacity and Resource Planning

The successful candidate will evaluate production capacity and resource requirements across manufacturing operations.

Responsibilities include:

• Assessing machine availability and production capabilities.
• Evaluating labor requirements across shifts.
• Identifying operational bottlenecks that may affect output.
• Recommending solutions such as overtime, resource reallocation, or schedule adjustments.
• Ensuring resources are aligned with production requirements.

Strong analytical skills will be necessary to support effective capacity planning and operational decision-making.

Material Readiness and Coordination

Ensuring materials are available when required is a critical aspect of production planning.

Duties include:

• Collaborating with procurement teams and supply planners.
• Monitoring availability of raw materials and packaging materials.
• Tracking shortages and escalating risks when necessary.
• Identifying alternative materials where possible.
• Monitoring Bill of Materials (BOM) accuracy.
• Updating planning parameters to support production requirements.

Proper coordination helps prevent production delays and supports continuous manufacturing operations.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Production planning requires close communication with multiple departments.

Responsibilities include:

• Coordinating with Production Supervisors to ensure schedule adherence.
• Working with Maintenance teams to manage planned and unplanned downtime.
• Collaborating with Quality teams regarding inspections and product releases.
• Participating in daily and weekly operational meetings.
• Communicating production risks and opportunities.
• Coordinating with Logistics and Dispatch teams to support customer order fulfillment.

Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential for success in this area.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting

The Graduate Production Planner will monitor manufacturing performance and provide planning-related reporting.

Responsibilities include:

• Tracking actual production performance against planned schedules.
• Investigating reasons for production deviations.
• Maintaining accurate planning data within ERP and MRP systems.
• Monitoring lead times and production run rates.
• Preparing operational reports for management.
• Reporting on schedule attainment and throughput performance.
• Analyzing capacity utilization trends.

Accurate reporting supports informed decision-making and continuous operational improvement.

Continuous Improvement Initiatives

Frey’s Food Brands values operational excellence and process optimization.

The successful candidate will contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by:

• Supporting planning process improvements.
• Reducing production changeover times.
• Identifying opportunities to increase productivity.
• Promoting best practices in production scheduling.
• Supporting implementation of digital planning tools.
• Contributing to ERP, MRP, and MES system enhancements.
• Improving planning visibility through data-driven decision-making.

Continuous improvement efforts help strengthen overall manufacturing performance and customer service levels.

Emergency Schedule Adjustments

Manufacturing environments often require rapid responses to unexpected events.

Responsibilities include:

• Rebuilding production schedules following equipment breakdowns.
• Adjusting plans when urgent customer orders arise.
• Re-prioritizing production activities for critical orders.
• Fast-tracking important stock-keeping units (SKUs).
• Minimizing disruptions to production flow.
• Ensuring customer requirements remain a priority during operational challenges.

The ability to remain calm under pressure is critical in these situations.

Material Availability Verification

The Graduate Production Planner will regularly conduct material readiness checks to support production continuity.

Responsibilities include:

• Verifying availability of raw materials.
• Confirming packaging readiness for planned production runs.
• Escalating shortages to procurement and senior management.
• Supporting alternative sourcing solutions.
• Identifying substitute materials when inventory constraints occur.

These activities help reduce production delays and maintain customer service levels.

Capacity Simulations and Scenario Planning

The role also involves conducting short-term capacity assessments and operational simulations.

Responsibilities include:

• Running “what-if” planning scenarios.
• Evaluating the impact of volume increases.
• Assessing overtime requirements.
• Modeling additional shift requirements.
• Analyzing outsourcing opportunities.
• Supporting business decisions through data analysis.

Scenario planning enables organizations to respond effectively to changing market demands.

Ad-Hoc Reporting and Analytics

Operational reporting forms an important part of the position.

Responsibilities include:

• Producing urgent production updates.
• Reporting downtime impacts.
• Reviewing schedule adherence performance.
• Conducting line-level performance analyses.
• Preparing SKU-specific performance reviews.
• Supporting management decision-making with accurate data.

Strong analytical and reporting capabilities will be highly beneficial.

ERP and MRP System Support

Modern manufacturing relies heavily on planning systems and data accuracy.

Responsibilities include:

• Troubleshooting production planning issues.
• Correcting blocked production orders.
• Updating BOMs and routing information.
• Maintaining planning parameters.
• Verifying production data integrity.
• Supporting system improvement initiatives.

Experience with ERP and MRP systems will be advantageous for applicants.

Work-In-Progress (WIP) Management

Managing work-in-progress inventory is another important aspect of the role.

Responsibilities include:

• Monitoring WIP levels.
• Addressing unexpected inventory build-ups.
• Managing shortages caused by operational disruptions.
• Adjusting schedules to accommodate constraints.
• Prioritizing WIP effectively to reduce delays and waste.

Effective WIP management contributes to smooth production flow and improved efficiency.

Customer and Sales Escalation Support

Production planning directly impacts customer satisfaction and delivery performance.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing updated delivery timelines.
• Supporting urgent customer requests.
• Reassessing production lead times.
• Responding to changing commercial priorities.
• Assisting with realistic delivery commitments.

Strong communication and planning skills help maintain customer confidence and service excellence.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Performance in this role will be measured through several important metrics, including:

• Production Schedule Adherence (%)
• Capacity Utilization (%)
• Throughput versus Plan (%)
• Downtime Impact on Schedule (%)
• Material Availability to Plan (%)
• DIFOT Fill and Customer Excellence Performance (%)

Meeting these performance targets contributes to operational success and customer satisfaction.

Required Skills and Competencies

Applicants should possess a combination of technical knowledge and professional skills.

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of ERP and MRP systems such as SYSPRO or SAP.
• Understanding of production processes and capacity planning.
• Knowledge of Bills of Materials (BOMs) and production routings.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Experience with Power BI and planning analytics tools.
• Understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles.
• Knowledge of scheduling methodologies.

Personal Competencies

• Excellent organizational abilities.
• Strong time management skills.
• Effective communication skills.
• Stakeholder engagement capability.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Strong problem-solving abilities.
• Analytical thinking.
• High attention to detail.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities.

Qualifications and Experience

Applicants should meet the following minimum requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Production Management, Industrial Engineering, Logistics, or a related field.
• Between 2 and 3 years of experience in Production Planning, Scheduling, Manufacturing Coordination, or a related role.
• Experience within a manufacturing or FMCG environment will be beneficial.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or related methodologies will be advantageous.

Employment Equity

Frey’s Food Brands is committed to building creative, innovative, and diverse teams. Preference may be given to suitably qualified applicants from designated groups in accordance with the company’s Employment Equity Plan and targets.

How to Apply

Suitable candidates who meet the minimum requirements are encouraged to submit their applications before the closing date.

Email Applications To: [email protected]

Closing Date: 10 June 2026 (Wednesday) at 16:00

Late applications may not be considered. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline.