Production Planning Coordinator

Food Production

Production Planning Coordinator

Reports To: Production Master Planner

Job Status: Salary, Full Time

Work Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 am–5:00 pm

Work Location: Onsite, Saulter

Compensation: $53,000-$57,000, commensurate with experience

About Real Food For Real Kids:

Real Food for Real Kids (RFRK) is a growing company on a mission to make real food the standard rather than the exception.

A multiple award-winning company recognized for excellence and innovation, we’re a leading healthy catering company for child care centres, schools and camps. RFRK proudly serves nutritious meals and snacks to thousands of children throughout the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area every day. We’re well-positioned for growth into new markets and planning for significant expansion over the coming years.

Our production team is looking for a fantastic person who can turn demand forecasts and inventory needs into accurate, efficient production schedules while coordinating daily operations across Production, Supply Chain, QA, and Logistics to join us as a Production Planning Coordinator. If you like the sound of us so far, keep reading to see if you have the experience and skills needed for this rewarding role!

The Opportunity

The production planning coordinator will organize and schedule production orders according to demand and quality standards. They are organized and results-driven with great critical thinking skills with the ability to work independently or as part of a team. Great communication, a strategic mindset, and great data analysis skills are essential for the role.

An excellent production planning coordinator (PPC) is well-versed in production procedures and products while finding ways to optimize them ensuring goods manufactured by RFRK are produced cost-effectively that meet quality specifications. They will work and collaborate with Menu Planners and stakeholders to help develop and plan seasonal menus for clients while keeping in mind the constraints of production employees, equipment, and time management.

The PPC will be effectively trained in our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and work daily using these tools alongside various other departments to ensure each week’s production and distribution of products flow through the system smoothly without incident.

Key Responsibilities

Production Planning and Scheduling

• Support the translation approved menus, demand forecasts and service requirements into accurate weekly and daily production schedules for childcare, snack club, substitute meal and future service programs.

• Create, release, revise and maintain production orders in Business Central in accordance with established planning deadlines and approval requirements.

• Confirm that production schedules are achievable based on labour availability, equipment capacity, ingredient and packaging availability, shelf life, storage capacity and required completion times.

Production Coordination and Execution

• Sequence production to support allergen controls, sanitation requirements, product changeovers, cooling requirements, packing timelines and distribution cut off times.

• Monitor production progress against the approved schedule and coordinate recovery actions when there are production disruptions or operating conditions change.

• Communicate schedule changes, significant demand fluctuations and operational constraints promptly to Production, Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, Pack, Warehouse, Logistics and other affected stakeholders.

Menu and Product Planning

• Support seasonal/annual menu planning, new product/recipe launches, packaging changes and equipment or process changes by evaluating production feasibility and identifying resource constraints.

Production Analysis and Continuous Improvement

• Support the analysis of completed production orders and reporting of key variances.

Planning Systems, Inventory and Performance Improvement

• Maintain accurate and current production planning data within Business Central, scheduling tools, approved spreadsheets and supporting documentation.

• Ensure production orders contain the correct items, quantities, production dates, locations, batch sizes and other required planning information.

• Monitor finished goods and work in process inventory, investigate discrepancies and coordinate authorized inventory adjustments with the appropriate departments.

• Support shelf life and first expired first out controls by considering available inventory, expiry dates and product requirements when developing production schedules.

• Review completed production orders and analyze significant variances involving yield, labour, materials, waste, production time, overproduction and underproduction.

• Review demand, finished goods inventory and work in process inventory before finalizing production requirements, identifying potential shortages, excess production or capacity constraints.

Additional Responsibilities

• Support additional planning, scheduling, and operational duties as assigned.

Required Education & Experience

• 1 to 2 years of Food manufacturing experience, production planning, scheduling, or manufacturing coordination experience.

• Experience scheduling production runs around demand, inventory, labour, and capacity.

• Knowledge and commitment to health and safety standards, regulations, project management responsibilities, and best practices.

• Proficient with ERP systems (Business Central), Microsoft 365, and Excel/Google Sheets for production planning and reporting.

• Post-Secondary degree or diploma

• Strong communication skills and command of English language (written and verbal)

• Must be legally entitled to work in Canada

Skills & Personal Attributes

• Ability to communicate plans clearly, drive action, and coordinate effectively across multiple departments.

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while maintaining a structured, organized approach to project work.

• Ability to consistently meet targets and deadlines while managing competing priorities and maintaining accuracy.

• Strong time management and organizational skills, including maintaining clear and reliable notes.

• Ability to think critically, problem-solve, and make effective decisions

• Maintains a positive, professional attitude toward challenges, direction, and constructive feedback, with a willingness to learn and improve.

Nice-to-haves

• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) Training

• Food Handler’s Certificate and/or Basic/Advanced Food Safety Training

• First aid Certification

• HACCP Certification

Role Specific Competencies

• Process Management & Improvement

• Effective Communication

• Problem Solving

• Resource Management

• Data Analysis

Description of physical demands and work environment

Combination of the office environment and production floor. Work is generally performed in an office environment with standard office equipment and without hazardous or unpleasant conditions (caused by noise, temperature, lighting, etc.).

This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job­-related instructions and perform job­-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by his/her supervisor.

Working at RFRK comes with other perks too:

Benefits & Savings Programs

• Performance-based annual bonus

• Comprehensive benefits starting on Day 1, inclusive of a Health Spending Account and a Wellness Spending Account

• Competitive RRSP Matching program

• RESP Matching program for up to 2 children

• Family comes first! We offer parental leave top-up programs for new parents

• Access to virtual Healthcare Professionals through our 24/7 dedicated Employee Assistance Program

• Fuel your day with the healthy, delicious food we proudly make, served daily in our staff cafeteria

• Real Rewards for Great Work - Recognize your coworkers and receive peer shout-outs through our recognition platform, where points can be redeemed for gift cards

We Value Fresh Minds

• Generous vacation time to support a healthy work-life balance

• Eight Wellness Days each year, giving you the flexibility to rest, recharge, and take care of yourself
  

Continuous Growth

• Annual learning & development stipend to support your professional growth

• Exciting career opportunities within a mission-driven organization

• Mentorship program designed to support your career development and long-term success

This position is being advertised because the role is currently vacant and requires staffing. As required under Ontario’s employment-standards regulations, this publicly advertised posting is for an existing vacancy. Interested applicants are welcome to submit their application for consideration.

To apply, please upload your résumé and optional cover letter, including salary expectations, explaining why you’d be a great fit for this role. If you meet almost all of the requirements and are not sure if you should apply, apply anyway! We may see something special in your application that sets you apart from the rest.

Real Food for Real Kids is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and inclusion in our workplace and at all levels of our organization. We strongly encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and communities.

We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

No phone calls, emails or drop in visits, please. We’ll contact applicants who fit the bill, and invite them in for an interview.

We appreciate the interest from the Staffing industry however respectfully request no calls or unsolicited resumes from Agencies.

Please note: As part of our recruitment process, we use automated tools and artificial intelligence technologies to assist with application review. These tools are used to support, not replace, the hiring team’s evaluation of your qualifications and fit for the role.

Thanks for your interest in Real Food for Real Kids!

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