Material Planner

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title

Material Planner

Job Description

The Material Planner serves as the internal owner of the supply chain system, ensuring that the Material Requirements Planning (MRP) environment reflects operational reality, inventory data remains accurate and trustworthy, and material risks are identified before they impact production. This hands-on role bridges the ERP system and the shop floor, working closely with Materials and Scheduling Associates in production and supermarket areas. Partnering with the Sr. Buyer as part of a two-person supply chain team, the Material Planner owns the master schedule, MRP execution, demand planning, and ERP data integrity. This is a builder role focused on establishing structure, processes, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as the organization expands its supply chain function, offering strong mentorship and room for growth.

Responsibilities

• Spend meaningful time each day on the production floor and in the supermarket area, integrating closely with Materials and Production Technicians to ensure plans align with physical reality and that supermarket replenishment accurately reflects MRP signals.
• Own the master production schedule by aligning production demand with purchasing activity, translating sales commitments and production requirements into accurate MRP signals that drive timely purchase order creation.
• Coordinate with Production on schedule changes, capacity constraints, and material availability, proactively identifying and resolving scheduling conflicts caused by material constraints, supplier lead times, or capacity limits.
• Own and continuously improve all planning parameters in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, including reorder policies, safety stock levels, reorder points, lot sizes, and lead times.
• Run and interpret MRP output, convert planned orders into purchase orders, and exercise operational authority to release purchase orders to approved vendors when Approved Supplier List (ASL) status and pricing terms are clearly defined.
• Manage routine supplier acknowledgments and open order tracking, identifying incorrect acknowledgments such as pricing mismatches, lead time shifts, or terms inconsistencies and flagging them to the Sr. Buyer for supplier engagement and clarification.
• Verify supplier ASL status prior to issuing any purchase order, holding and escalating purchase orders to the Sr. Buyer or Supplier Quality when ASL status is unclear, expired, or in question, documenting resolutions in Business Central and proceeding once disposition is recorded.
• Identify expedite needs, shortage risks, MRP exceptions, data errors, and planning inconsistencies early, partnering with the Sr. Buyer to drive supplier action and timely resolution.
• Build and maintain demand forecasts using sales order data, historical trends, and input from Sales and Customer Success, translating demand into supply requirements that reliably serve customers.
• Monitor inventory across critical material categories, proactively flagging overstock, understock, and at-risk positions, and managing excess and obsolete inventory through identification, assessment, and disposition coordination with Engineering and Operations.
• Assess the material impact of Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), updating system records accordingly, and support New Product Introduction (NPI) by modeling material requirements during launch phases.
• Own the accuracy of Business Central for all supply chain data, including item master data, planning parameters, vendor item records, lead times, and Bill of Materials (BOM) accuracy.
• Create and maintain vendor records in Business Central when new suppliers are onboarded, using qualification, banking, and terms information provided by the Sr. Buyer or Supplier Quality once the supplier has cleared ASL approval.
• Build and maintain reports and dashboards that provide procurement, operations, and leadership with a clear, current view of supply chain health, and develop and document process documentation for planning workflows.
• Own supply chain KPI reporting, establishing baselines and year-one targets for inventory record accuracy, material availability at production start, and inventory turns.
• Prepare supply chain data for management review reporting in support of ISO certification efforts, and participate in improvement initiatives across supply chain, inventory, and materials management.
• Collaborate closely with Sales, Product, and Operations teams to keep supply plans aligned with evolving business needs.
• Demonstrate inclusion through words and actions by fostering a safe workspace and acting with kindness, curiosity, and respect for others.
• Embrace and incorporate the organization’s Emotional and Social Intelligence (ESI) core principles into daily work and interactions.
• Understand and comply with ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements applicable to the business and its supply chain operations.

Skills and Qualifications Required

• Associate’s degree or Bachelor’s degree, or proven work experience that demonstrates readiness to succeed in a material planning role.
• 2–4 years of hands-on experience in material planning, supply chain planning, production planning, or inventory management.
• Demonstrated ERP experience managing planning, purchasing, or inventory directly within an ERP system, preferably in a cloud-based environment.
• Attention to detail and a high level of commitment to data integrity across all supply chain records.
• Hands-on experience with material planning, production scheduling, supply chain operations, production planning, inventory management, MRP, and purchasing.

Work Environment

This role is fully onsite in Fitchburg and requires a strong presence on the production floor and in the supermarket area to stay closely connected to how materials are consumed and replenished. You will work within a modern, cloud-based ERP environment, specifically Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, and engage daily with AI-driven data, MRP tools, and reporting dashboards. The work setting is highly collaborative, bringing together Materials, Production, Sales, Product, Operations, and Supply Chain team members. The culture emphasizes inclusion, kindness, curiosity, and respect, with a focus on building robust processes and KPIs in a small-company setting where there is significant room for growth and strong mentorship from supply chain professionals.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Fitchburg, WI.

The pay range for this position is $29.00 - $31.25/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Fitchburg,WI.

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 6, 2026.

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on ziprecruiter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.