The Customer Order Planner at VAT, you proactively identify and resolve bottlenecks in the supply chain and production processes, ensuring timely scheduling of assembly orders and accurate on-time delivery in our supply chain operations for our advanced vacuum technology products, including valves, chambers, and modules. You collaborate closely with key stakeholders, including production, logistics, extended supply chain organization, business units, and sales - to align solutions and prioritize orders when resources are constrained. By maintaining proactive communication with internal stakeholders about order statuses and potential delays, you strive to enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction throughout the order fulfillment process.

YOUR CHALLENGES:

• Initial Shipment Date Confirmation: Collaborate with business units, sales and production teams to confirm realistic shipment dates, ensuring that customer expectations are met.
• Daily Evaluation of New Orders: Perform daily checks of new customer orders, aligning with procurement and other interfaces to ensure timely and customer-requested order processing.
• Scheduling and Releasing Assembly Orders: Coordinate with production planning to efficiently schedule assembly orders, aligning with production capacity and customer requirements. Firm and release planned production orders within Microsoft Dynamics 365, taking responsibility for factory output for dedicated product lines.
• Identifying and Resolving Bottlenecks: Proactively identify potential bottlenecks in the supply chain or production processes and develop solutions to mitigate delays, ensuring smooth order fulfillment.
• Alignment and Prioritization with Stakeholders: Work closely with key stakeholders - including production, logistics, procurement, business units, and sales teams - to align solutions and prioritize orders, especially when resources are constrained.
• Order Management and Monitoring: Continuously monitor customer orders with a focus on timely execution. Adjust to customer requirements and coordinate with relevant interfaces regarding any delays or changes.
• Operational Key Performance Monitoring: Monitor customer-related key performance indicators such as on-time delivery, order backlog, product lead time and others. Utilize Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP system to track orders, update statuses, and maintain transparency.
• Sales Order Lead Time Management: Regularly monitor and update sales order lead times. Identify opportunities for improvement and implement strategies to shorten lead times.
• Supply Chain Concept Adjustment: Continuously re-evaluate and adjust the initial New Product Introduction (NPI)-based supply chain concept to optimize efficiency and adapt to changing conditions.
• Control Tower Process Ownership: Own the execution and monitoring processes of the Control Tower for upstream supply chain activities, ensuring effective oversight and coordination.
• Customer Satisfaction Focus: Strive to meet or exceed customer expectations by ensuring timely product delivery and prompt resolution of any issues that may arise during the order fulfillment process.

YOUR COMPETENCIES:

• Higher education with a focus on order management, production planning, and logistics or equivalent.
• Several years of professional experience in a comparable position, ideally in production planning and customer order management.
• Familiarity with backlog management, reporting, KPIs, etc.
• Very good user knowledge of MS Office products, especially Excel; experience with ERP systems (ideally Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations).
• Strategic, analytical, process-oriented thinking, and structured work.
• Independent, flexible, and persistent personality with assertiveness, negotiation skills, and organizational talent.
• Experience in project management is an advantage.
• Very good German and good English skills, both written and spoken.