Production planner: pay in Quebec and Greater Montreal
A production planner sets the manufacturing sequence: what gets built, in what order, on which line, and with which materials. Around Montreal the role lives on the plant side, between the floor, procurement and shipping. This page covers the duties, the hours, the training Quebec recognizes, what the occupation behind the title actually pools, and wages by region.
- Quebec median
- $27.25/h
- Range
- $19.85 – $43.55/h
- Montreal
- Quebec median
Guichet-Emplois (Job Bank), edition 2025 · CNP 14402
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Production planner pay, region by region
| Region | Low | Median | High | vs Quebec | Offered in postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All of Quebec | $19.85 | $27.25 | $43.55 | — | — |
| Montérégie | $19.82 | $26.75 | $38.37 | −2% | $20.25 (26) |
| Montréal | No data of its own: Job Bank shows the Quebec figures | $18 (20) | |||
| Laval | $19.95 | $25.79 | $35.65 | −5% | — (5) |
| Lanaudière | $19.50 | $26.03 | $37.18 | −4% | $20.50 (10) |
| Laurentides | $18.48 | $24.16 | $32.41 | −11% | $20 (15) |
The table covers NOC 14402, “Production logistics workers”. Statistics Canada files the scheduler, the scheduling clerk and the production clerk here, where a high school diploma is usually enough. The title “production planner” is not among its job titles — Job Bank attaches it to NOC 90010, “Manufacturing managers”. Montreal has no figure of its own, so that cell stays empty.
Low, median and high wages published by Job Bank (NOC 14402), and pay offered in Greater Montreal job postings (6 months, February to August 2026); in brackets, the number of hourly postings — under ten, no median is shown.
Quebec median by file edition: 2023: $24.10/h · 2024: $26.15/h · 2025: $27.25/h.
What the job postings say
Of 77 postings on Job Bank in Greater Montreal (6 months, February to August 2026), 0% mention a night shift, 0% an evening shift and 1% weekends.
Planners work days, Monday to Friday. Job Bank puts the week for this occupation at 35 to 40 hours, indoors, in a noisy setting and in close proximity to others: the desk is in the plant, not at a distant head office. The block above confirms it — almost no posting in this group published around Montreal mentions an evening, night or weekend shift. What moves is the start and the end of the day: the orders have to be released before the first shift rolls, and you stay reachable when the evening shift discovers a material is missing. Month ends, inventory counts and planned shutdowns stretch the week more than the schedule suggests.
What a production planner does
- Build the master production schedule and keep it current: what to build, in what order, on which line
- Release manufacturing orders in the ERP only once materials and capacity can actually support them
- Prepare material estimates so a batch that starts has enough to finish without running short
- Compile detailed worksheets from customer orders and routings
- Track material inventory, trigger replenishment orders and keep the inventory records straight
- Stay in contact with suppliers so materials and equipment land before the scheduled start
- Write progress reports on the work and name the production problems that push the sequence out
- Rebuild the sequence mid-day when a machine goes down, a batch is rejected or a rush order lands
- Arbitrate between production, shipping and customer service when three orders want the same line
- Prepare the production meeting: what came off the line, what is missing, what moved in the week's plan
Requirements, cards and certifications
- A high school diploma — the schooling the National Occupational Classification attaches to group 14402, and Job Bank notes the occupation is not regulated in Canada
- Daily use of an ERP or MRP system: that is where the bill of materials, the routing, the manufacturing order and the calendar live
- Spreadsheet skill past a simple table: filters, pivot tables, comparing the plan against what actually came off the line
- Able to read a bill of materials and a routing, to know what an order consumes and how long it takes
- Time on the production floor, in the stockroom, at receiving or as a scheduling clerk
- WHMIS training (SIMDUT in French) as soon as the plant stores or handles hazardous materials
- Working French with production, and working written English when suppliers sit outside Quebec
- The ability to defend a sequence, and to say no to a rush that costs more to insert than it brings in
Training
No college diploma is required to get in. The National Occupational Classification asks for a high school diploma for group 14402, and Job Bank states the occupation is not regulated in Canada: no card, no licence, no professional order. Employers around Montreal often ask for more, and Inforoute FPT, Quebec's training directory, lists what that more looks like. The short route is the AEC Gestion des approvisionnements et planification de la production (EJN.14), a 1,125-hour college attestation in procurement and production planning taught at Collège Lionel-Groulx in Sainte-Thérèse: feeding the production lines, storage, inventory, then planning and supporting the lines. The long route is the DEC Technologie du génie industriel (235.B0), a 2,595-hour industrial engineering technology diploma offered locally at Collège Ahuntsic and Collège Lionel-Groulx; the DEC Gestion des opérations et de la chaîne logistique (410.A1) also leads here, through supply chain rather than through industrial method. On the credential side, the Association for Supply Chain Management grants the CPIM across two exams, and its body of knowledge covers exactly master scheduling, forecasting and materials management.
Career path
The National Occupational Classification puts it in one line for this group: experience leads to coordinator positions — NOC 13201, the production and transportation logistics coordinator. From there the paths fork: supervision, which the classification files in a group of its own, or procurement and purchasing, in yet another. Planners who stay usually become the person who knows the real capacity of each line, the numbers written nowhere in the system.
Frequently asked questions
What does a production planner do?
They decide the sequence: what gets built, in what order, on which line and for what date. In a plant, the production planner turns orders into manufacturing orders, checks that materials and capacity can carry them, then rebuilds the plan every time a machine goes down or a batch is rejected. The word planner alone says nothing — a financial planner has nothing to do with this job.
How much does a production planner make in Quebec?
The table above gives the low end, the median and the high end, drawn from Job Bank data. One caveat matters here: Montreal has no figure of its own for this occupation, so the cell stays empty rather than repeating the provincial median. The Montérégie, Laval, Lanaudière and the Laurentides each have their own.
Why does the pay range for planners vary so much?
Because the title spans several levels. This page's table covers NOC 14402, the group of the scheduler and the scheduling clerk. Job Bank attaches the title production planner itself to a different group, manufacturing managers, on a scale that does not compare. The note under the table spells out which one you are reading.
What is the best production planning software?
There is no official ranking, and the question is framed wrong. Planning happens first in the material requirements module of the ERP already installed; what matters is what the tool covers — master schedule, material requirements, work centre load. The CPIM body of knowledge, from the Association for Supply Chain Management, covers those three. In an interview, ask what gets done outside the system instead.
What education do you need to become a production planner in Quebec?
A high school diploma: the National Occupational Classification asks nothing more for group 14402. Postings often ask for a college credential, and Inforoute FPT lists the two local routes — the AEC Gestion des approvisionnements et planification de la production (EJN.14) at Collège Lionel-Groulx, and the DEC Technologie du génie industriel (235.B0) at Collège Ahuntsic and the same college.
Can you become a production planner with no experience?
This is one of the few planning roles where the door is open, because the National Occupational Classification asks only for a high school diploma in this group and no certification is mandatory. The real route still runs through the plant: stockroom, receiving, the production floor or a scheduling clerk seat. Nobody plans a line well without having watched it run.
What is the difference between a production planner and a logistics coordinator?
The planner sequences what gets built; the logistics coordinator organizes what comes in and what goes out. The National Occupational Classification separates them plainly: the coordinator is NOC 13201 and expects a postsecondary diploma, while the planner sits in 14402, where high school is enough. In a small plant it is one person, and the posting should say so.
What is the difference between a production planner and a buyer?
The planner says what is needed and by when; the buyer decides from whom and on what terms. The two talk daily, but the classification files them apart: 14402 for production logistics, 12102 for procurement and purchasing agents, where a college diploma or a bachelor's degree is expected.
Do production planners work evenings or nights?
Rarely. The “What the job postings say” block above shows that almost no posting in this group published around Montreal mentions an evening, night or weekend shift, and Job Bank puts the week at 35 to 40 hours. The day stretches at both ends instead: release the orders before the first shift, stay reachable after it.
Is the job outlook good for this occupation in Quebec?
The two levels of government disagree, and it is worth knowing. Job Bank rates the outlook for this occupation as very limited in Quebec, citing employment decline and experienced workers already looking for work. The quebec.ca profile for the same occupation rates it as good. The two do not cover the same period or the same model.
Which industries employ production logistics workers around Montreal?
Not only factories, which is the surprise in this occupation. According to quebec.ca, its top employing sector is retail trade, ahead of food, beverage and tobacco manufacturing, wholesale trade, utilities and public administration. The table above therefore pools plant planning with the planning done in retail distribution.
What is the French title for a production planner in Quebec?
Planificateur de production, and ordonnanceur when the emphasis is on sequencing. The National Occupational Classification names group 14402 “Travailleurs de la logistique de la production” in French and lists ordonnancier, commis aux horaires and commis à la production among its job titles. Master scheduler refers to the person who owns the master schedule, a step above.
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