Materials Manager

Supply Chain Manager

The Supply Chain Manager is responsible for managing and optimizing the end-to-end supply chain supporting the manufacture of industrial equipment. This position oversees purchasing, supplier management, material planning, inventory control, production scheduling, logistics, and supply chain performance.

The Supply Chain Manager works closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Sales, and Finance to ensure materials, components, and services are available when needed to support production schedules while maintaining appropriate inventory levels, controlling costs, and meeting customer delivery commitments.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain material and supply plans based on production schedules, customer demand, sales forecasts, and inventory requirements.
• Coordinate material availability for new equipment builds, production orders, and aftermarket/service requirements.
• Identify potential material shortages, long-lead-time components, and supply risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Work closely with Production and Operations to ensure uninterrupted manufacturing flow.
• Support capacity planning and evaluate supplier constraints that may affect production schedules.
• Establish appropriate planning techniques and parameters to control and maintain effective inventory levels and customer responsiveness.

• Manage the purchasing process for all products used in the manufacture of our equipment and supporting services.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers and subcontractors.
• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, lead times, minimum order quantities, and delivery requirements.
• Evaluate and select suppliers based on quality, cost, capacity, delivery performance, and overall capability.
• Monitor supplier performance and lead corrective actions when delivery or quality issues occur.
• Develop alternate and secondary sources for critical or high-risk components.
• Partner with all support departments to evaluate supplier capabilities and approve new suppliers.

• Establish inventory policies and procedures to balance working capital with production requirements.
• Monitor raw material, work-in-process, finished goods, and purchased-component inventory.
• Analyze inventory accuracy, turns, excess inventory, obsolete material, and slow-moving items.
• Lead initiatives to reduce inventory carrying costs without negatively affecting production or customer service.
• Ensure effective cycle-counting and inventory-control practices.
• Investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies.

• Coordinate inbound and outbound transportation activities with suppliers, carriers, and internal departments.
• Ensure materials are received, inspected, stored, and delivered to production efficiently.
• Monitor transportation costs and identify opportunities for freight optimization.
• Establish appropriate processes for expediting critical or delayed materials.
• Support international sourcing and logistics activities when applicable.

• Partner with Engineering to understand bills of material, engineering changes, specifications, and new-product requirements.
• Work with Manufacturing to improve material flow, production readiness, and schedule adherence.
• Coordinate with Sales and Project Management to understand customer delivery requirements and potential changes in demand.
• Work with Finance to develop budgets, analyze material costs, and identify cost-reduction opportunities.

• Develop and monitor supply chain KPIs, including: on-time supplier delivery, supplier quality, inventory turns, inventory accuracy, material shortages, purchase price variance, lead-time performance, production schedule adherence, freight and logistics costs.
• Identify and implement continuous-improvement initiatives throughout the supply chain.
• Standardize purchasing, planning, inventory, and supplier-management processes.
• Utilize ERP/MRP systems to improve planning accuracy, purchasing efficiency, and inventory visibility.
• Support lean manufacturing and cost-reduction initiatives.

Qualification requirements Required

• 8+ years of progressive experience in supply chain, purchasing, materials management, production planning, or operations within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems. Epicor Kinetics preferred.
• Strong understanding of purchasing, inventory management, material planning, and supplier management.
• Experience reading and working with Bills of Material (BOMs), production schedules, and engineering documentation.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven manufacturing environment.

Preferred

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience in industrial equipment, machinery, automation, capital equipment, or engineered-to-order manufacturing.
• APICS/ASCM certification such as CPIM or CSCP highly preferred.
• Lean Manufacturing.
• Experience with engineered-to-order or configure-to-order products.
• Experience managing international suppliers and global logistics.
• Experience implementing or optimizing ERP/MRP systems.
• Experience in systems integration including Solidworks and Salesforce.

Key Competencies

• Strategic sourcing and supplier development
• Production and material planning
• Inventory optimization
• Supplier negotiation
• ERP/MRP proficiency
• Data analysis and forecasting
• Cost reduction
• Risk management
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Continuous improvement
• Leadership and team development
• Strong attention to detail

Performance Expectations

The successful Supply Chain Manager will improve material availability and production flow while reducing supply chain costs and excess inventory. Success will be measured through improvements in supplier delivery performance, inventory turns, material availability, production schedule adherence, purchasing costs, inventory accuracy, and overall customer delivery performance.

Work Environment

This position operates in an equipment manufacturing environment and requires regular interaction with purchasing, engineering, production, quality, warehouse, and management teams. The role may require time both in an office environment and on the manufacturing floor, including interaction with suppliers and occasional travel.

Core Competencies

• Safety – Observes and enforces safety procedures; reports potentially unsafe conditions.
• Quality- Strives to eliminate errors, accurate work is a priority, seeks opportunities to improve a process that is implemented
• Productivity - Manages workload, works efficiently, meets goals and objectives
• Employee Engagement – Passionate about job and company, committed to the company and puts discretionary effort into work.
• Leadership – Provides strong leadership, sets a good example, skilled decision maker, motivator and encourager.
• Employee Development- Offers feedback, coaches' employees appropriately, rewards employees wisely, takes mentoring role, challenges and develops employee and offers opportunity.