Your Job (Primary Purpose)
As Materials Manager , you will ensure proper execution across Production Planning and Purchasing by bringing strategy, coaching, and serving as an escalation point. You will drive disciplined planning and buying execution to improve on-time material arrival , strengthen MRP exception message execution, and ensure production planners consistently satisfy customer requirements on time , supporting inventory control through Work Order Management . You will lead the team in a best-practices culture by applying PBM principles and adopting continuous improvement through shared knowledge, tools, and experience.
Our Team
You will report to the Site Material Manager and supervise Production Planning & Purchasing. You will partner closely with key stakeholders including planners, buyers, Purchasing Supervisor, PSA & Inventory Accuracy Coordinator, Production Line Supervisors/leaders, Program Managers, Warehouse, Finance , and internal/external customers. Secondary partners include Sourcing & Category Managers, CSR teams, Customers, and the Ops Director .
What You Will Do (Key Responsibilities)
- Lead the production planning and purchasing team through tools, coaching, feedback, and timely support; drive standardization and documentation of processes.
- Support Operations by providing visibility, feedback, and demand/customer behavior projections through attainment plan follow-up and correct administration of manufacturing orders.
- Lead and direct initiatives to implement Sourcing and purchasing strategies in coordination with the Purchasing Supervisor and/or Sourcing Manager.
- Collaborate with Operations to identify and drive improvements from a materials perspective.
- Measure and level workload across customer/product/sub-assembly/supplier/purchasing methods based on team capability; justify additional resources when needed.
- Lead execution of GSOP and maintain alignment with BU Network and Inventory Planners .
- Lead strategies to reduce inventory, slow-moving, and excess material through disciplined purchasing and planning execution aligned with Network/Inventory Planners; provide feedback and point of view during strategy reviews.
- Develop tools, share knowledge, and build skills to increase performance and/or automate planning and purchasing processes.
- Serve as point of contact for internal and external escalations (BU/Division, customers, suppliers, service providers, etc.).
- Participate in internal and external audits; provide accurate and timely information.
- Develop, maintain, and keep updated documentation (e.g., RREs , job descriptions, process procedures).
- Regularly interact with executives and major clients, influencing and/or supporting customer negotiations as needed.
- Implement HR strategies and actions to recruit and retain a qualified and motivated workforce.
Who You Are ( Basic Qualifications)
- Experience: 7 + years of experience, including 5+ years managing people
- Proven work experience in demand management and planning/purchasing areas, including leading teams ( cable assembly experience or multi-level planning process experience is required ).
- Proven ability to apply problem-solving and CI methods: 5 Whys, Ishikawa, PDCA, Kaizen , and Lean manufacturing .
- Strong understanding of the supply chain and ERP ; high ERP usage capability ( SAP is a plus ).
- Proven ability in different planning environments ( MTS, MTO, MTF , etc.).
- High communication skills; strong teamwork and leadership capability.
- Strong Microsoft tools expertise, especially Excel .
- Organized, high emotional intelligence, focused on operations results.
- Ability to perform effectively in a changing business environment; results-focused.
- English: Fluent ~ 90% spoken and written .
What Will Put You Ahead
- Master's degree in Administration.
- APICS certifications (planning and/or purchasing).
- Experience across broader operations/process types: cable assembly, manual assembly, automated processes , and/or other complex manufacturing flows.
- Exposure to ECNs, PCNs, NPIs , Product Engineering, and Program Management.
- Broader knowledge of ERP systems.
Who We Are
At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value, and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.
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