Senior Production Planner

Capella Space stands at the forefront of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology and signal intelligence. We provide customers in governments, academia, and commercial sectors with reliable information that enables unparalleled understanding of the world. Our mission is centered on delivering timely and reliable Earth imagery, supporting diverse applications in defense & intelligence, disaster response, energy, environmental monitoring and more. Utilizing cutting-edge technology, Capella Space designs, manufactures and operates an advanced constellation of SAR imaging satellites. Our market-leading SAR satellites are complemented by an unmatched data infrastructure and automated ordering and delivery platform for fast, reliable insights where and when customers need it most. 

Recognized for our technological prowess, Capella Space was honored as one of the 10 most innovative companies in Space in 2023 by FASTCOMPANY. Capella Space is an internationally trusted Earth Observation data provider, working closely with the U.S. Space Systems Command, U.S. Space Force, NASA, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the Canadian Government and more to make unclassified, high-resolution SAR data more accessible.  

What Makes Capella Unique? 

Capella Space is a highly collaborative team environment, providing an opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the space industry, though no prior space experience is needed.  We’re looking for people excited about tackling seemingly impossible challenges, learning new skills and concepts, and helping each other achieve success. Our mission and our products are meant to understand the whole world and help everyone in it - regardless of race, creed, or any other distinction. We encourage you to bring your unique perspective to help make us stronger, including applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. 

About the Role and Team 

As a part of the Production Planning & Control group the Senior Production Planner will coordinate the necessary activities for satellite (and other space systems’) manufacturing with Production, Warehouse, Procurement, Quality Assurance, Missions, Engineering, and Finance.

Role Responsibilities 

• Prepare weekly work schedules, track work progress, update schedules, and advise leadership of needed adjustments.
• Generate and manage work orders, ensuring that they are accurately aligned with production priorities and schedules.
• Gather inputs to run MRP (material requirements planning / manufacturing resource planning)
• Generate and manage purchase requests to ensure materials are available as needed and maintain optimal inventory levels to minimize stockouts and overages.
• Investigate transactional misses and process breakdowns, determine root cause, and recommend corrective actions.
• Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs), such as on-time completion, production throughput, and cycle times. Use data to inform decision-making and adjust production plans as needed.
• Identify and implement process improvements to reduce lead times, increase efficiency, and reduce costs.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Project Management, or other highly analytical field
• 5+ years’ experience in manufacturing scheduling, production planning, or project/program management
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel
• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Capella Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable. Learn more about ITAR here.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in modern digital systems such as PLM (product lifecycle management), ERP (enterprise resource planning), MES (manufacturing execution system), MRP (material requirements planning or manufacturing resource planning), and QMS (quality manageme