Summary of Position

The Materials Manager is a key position for the business and will be responsible for identifying, defining and leading opportunities to improve operational and cost effectiveness, production planning and customer satisfaction through delivery of improved product availability.

The Materials Manager is an integral operations partner providing leadership to help improve customer service levels (Fill Rate), production planning effectiveness, working capital (Inventory Turns) and achieve cost reduction (Sourcing savings). This role is responsible for driving business solutions and practices that leverage (Company) and best practice Order-to-Cash frameworks to develop a demand driven Materials approach.

The Materials Manager will organize and implement strategic initiatives and standardized approaches in Order Management, Demand Planning/Management, Procurement/Sourcing, Materials/Inventory Management and Distribution & Logistics. This position will be leading Production Planning/Scheduling, Strategic & Tactical Purchasing, Warehouse/Materials Management and Logistics.

Success for this role will be measured by ongoing improvement of delivery, working capital and ongoing cost reduction in terms of total cost of ownership and the development of the Materials team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Deploy demand driven Materials strategy, processes and tools that supports operational excellence and the business's long-range plans.
• Work closely with business leaders and their teams to achieve operational objectives in cost, quality, delivery and inventory turnover.
• Develop and challenge resources to improve performance through systems utilization and process improvement.
• Lead and improve Demand Planning to align financial, operational and material plan.
• Lead and improve Material / Inventory Management best practices including Planning, Purchasing Methods, Warehouse Management and Advanced Replenishment Methods.
• Lead and improve Distribution & Logistics practices and network optimization including trade compliance (Import/Export), distribution management and transportation management.
• Leads initiative to ensure continuity of supply throughout the operation to achieve uninterrupted supply of quality components and assemblies.
• Responsible for maintaining scorecard of relevant suppliers (local and global) in the key categories such as quality, delivery and costs.
• Develop and implement continuous improvement plans or Corrective Actions as needed.
• Coach and mentors his/her Materials team to improve engagement with key stakeholders and to establish communication channels between the cross functional teams.
• Organizes and prioritizes work assignment to complete assignments / tasks on time, with quality and demonstrate the ability to anticipate problem areas in advance.
• Be accountable for defining resource needs and works within budget and staffing parameters to accomplish objectives for area of responsibility.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Skills / Experience:

• Seven plus years of experience in Operations, Materials (Procurement, Materials, Logistics) and Continuous Improvement with a proven track record of strong performance results.
• Three plus years of managing Operations, Materials and/or Continuous Improvement teams.
• Strong knowledge of relevant Materials best practices, multi-step strategic sourcing processes and/or category management strategies and use of ERP / MRP systems.
• Strong knowledge of leading key business processes such as Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning (SIOP).
• Experience in managing and successfully completing complex and expansive projects.
• Strong organization and time management skills.
• Solid quantitative skill set and ability to analyze and use data to make sound business decisions.
• Strong problem-solving skills; the ability to ask the right questions, help frame logical conclusions and arrive at effective solutions.
• Strong verbal and written communication competencies.

Education Requirements / Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering discipline or Materials preferred or relevant work experience required.
• APICS Certification in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) desirable
• A minimum of 3-5 years of experience in the integrated functions of manufacturing
• Experience with rate-based or flow line (non-MRP) and job shop manufacturing environments.
• Experience in operations, inventory management, MRP and lean manufacturing processes.
• Experience with visual management systems.
• Experience operating warehouse equipment and any necessary certifications
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office products and other inventory control/shipping software