Production Planning Analyst

Carter’s, Inc. is the largest branded marketer in North America of apparel exclusively for babies and young children. The Company owns the Carter’s and OshKosh B’gosh brands, two of the most recognized brands in the marketplace. These brands are sold in leading department stores, national chains, and specialty retailers domestically and internationally. They are also sold through more than 1,000 Company-operated stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico and online at www.carters.com, www.oshkosh.com, www.cartersoshkosh.ca, and www.carters.com.mx. The Company’s Child of Mine brand is available at Walmart, its Just One You brand is available at Target, and its Simple Joys brand is available on Amazon. The Company also owns Skip Hop, a global lifestyle brand for families with young children. Carter’s is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Additional information may be found at www.carters.com.

Baby Clothing, Kids Clothes, Toddler Clothes | Carter's

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Essential Job functions (Tasks, duties and responsibilities most important to get the job done)

Employee with strong experience and skills in Production Planning and Supply Chain Analysis with the ability to work independently.

• 70%: Production Operations (Buy & WIP), PO, and Vendor Management

• Work directly with designated vendors to maintain accurate and timely production operation data in the system
• Understand the logic and lead times of the Buy & Production and Time & Action (T&A) calendars
• Communicate with vendors and cross-functional teams (US Planning, Sourcing and HK Production Planning) to proactively support execution of manufacturing activities
• Identify potential delivery risks deduced from milestone planned and actual dates, outlining possible root causes and potential solutions and work with vendors to eliminate or mitigate delivery risks at the earliest stage
• Collaborate with other functional departments (Sourcing/QA/Logistics) to solve production and delivery related issues
• Be a Subject Matter Expert for the vendor community on production planning processes/rules; communicate and monitor any special shipping needs for specific customers (preferably Wal-Mart, Target USA, Costco etc...)
• Act as a gatekeeper to ensure vendors’ commitment to all required production planning processes / rules   
• Visit local factories, investigate current strengths/weaknesses, and propose improvement ideas
• Coordinate PO and liability management process with vendors via systems and designated spreadsheets

• 20%: Reporting and Analytics

• Prepare and deliver timely and accurate production risk reporting and negotiate better deliveries where possible
• Conduct analysis on delivery performance and drive for improvement to meet KPI
• Monitor timely shipment booking request and shipment closure utilizing automated reporting for designated vendors

• 10%: Operational Improvement Projects

• Assist in documenting process and building training materials
• Actively participate in system / reporting enhancement projects to strengthen operational efficiency
• Partner with team members from other offices and other key related stakeholders on ad-hoc projects

SUPERVISORY / BUDGETARY / EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION RESPONSIBILITY

• Advanced understanding of Supplier Relationship Management; professional conduct and communication with global partners  
• Strong partnership with cross functional teams

secondary functions (IF APPLICABLE - ANY DUTIES NOT CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL)

• Participate in special projects as assigned by manager to meet customer needs and drive productivity
• Identify tools or reporting capabilities to further optimize data quality and automate reporting within the Production Planning department
• Occasional travel may be required

knowledge, skill and ability requirements (minimum competencies required for job performance)

• Advanced understanding and knowledge of Apparel manufacturing and end to end supply chain processes
• Highly adaptable in an everchanging environment with positive working attitude
• Highly analytical, well organized, and systematic with problem-solving skills
• Ability to engage vendor and build partnerships under challenging environments and tight deadlines
• Ability to work independently or with minimal supervision
• Willing to challenge status-quo and explore potential improvement opportunities
• Hands on and through risk analysis of production, sensitive to numbers
• Good command of written and spoken English
• Advanced communication skills; capable of providing direction and conveying concepts to vendors
• Advanced skills using Microsoft Office applications (Especially Excel)

Prior work experience and educational requirements

• At least 4 years of working experience in related field (including factory + buying office)
• University Degree or above, preferably with major in Apparel Manufacturing & Merchandising and/or Supply Chain Operations Management from reputed university
• Experience in critical path management/delivery performance analysis/ process improvement will be an advantage
• Experience in US/Canada market is preferable

physical demands

• Normal office environment with occasional travel to factories
• Role is based in our Hanoi, Vietnam office location

NOTE:  This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The duties described may be changed or reassigned at the discretion of management, and the employee may be required to perform duties that are not listed in the job description.