Material Planning Specialist 1

Job Title

The is a critical link between production planning, materials coordination, and change management. This cross-functional role ensures seamless execution of the Master Production Schedule (MPS), accurate material flow, and timely processing of engineering and quality changes. The specialist will collaborate with operations, engineering, procurement, logistics, finance, and quality teams to support production goals while maintaining high standards of safety, quality, compliance, and lean execution.

Key Responsibilities

Production Planning & Work Order Support

• Analyze customer demand, master production schedules (MPS), and material requirements to support production planning activities.
• Create, release, and maintain work orders for internal builds and outsourced operations.
• Track work order progress, update statuses, and support shipment readiness.
• Support alignment of production capacity, material availability, and lead times.
• Assist in investigating and resolving work order variances related to materials, labor, or scrap.

Materials Management & Inventory Control

• Verify material consumption and reconcile discrepancies between system records and physical inventory.
• Perform inventory transactions related to staging, quarantine, release, and receipt of materials.
• Execute cycle counts and participate in physical inventory activities.
• Support material traceability and documentation requirements for regulated product builds.
• Identify and escalate potential material shortages or inventory risks.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with warehouse, procurement, production, engineering, and quality teams to ensure timely material availability.
• Support planning deviations, engineering changes (ECR/ECO), and new product introduction (NPI) work orders.
• Communicate material status, risks, and constraints to appropriate stakeholders.

Analytical Support & Reporting

• Review MRP signals and basic planning data to identify gaps or risks.
• Assist with shortage analysis and evaluate alternative options to support production continuity.
• Contribute to reports, dashboards, and key performance indicators (KPIs) related to planning and inventory performance.
• Support impact assessments related to product or process changes.

Continuous Improvement

• Apply lean principles to identify inefficiencies and support continuous improvement initiatives that enhance material flow, planning accuracy, and inventory control.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, Engineering, Business, or related field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in manufacturing planning, materials management, or engineering change coordination.
• Proficient in MRP/ERP systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP, GLProd) and quality systems (e.g., MyWorkshop).
• Proficient in Microsoft Office tools, including advanced Excel (data analysis, pivot tables, formulas), Power BI, Smartsheet, Word, PowerPoint, and Teams.

Desired Characteristics

• Solid understanding of lean manufacturing, inventory control, and production workflows.
• Strong analytical skills to balance multiple variables (demand, lead time, capacity, inventory) in decision-making
• Skilled in scenario analysis, problem prioritization, risk assessment

Work Environment & Expectations:

• Operates in both office and production floor environments.
• May require occasional lifting, material handling, and cross-functional meetings on-site.
• Must comply with all Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) and Quality System requirements.