Materials Lead (Aerospace)

Materials LeadRockford, IL | $90,000 to $110,000 Per YearThis role oversees the day to day planning, procurement, inventory control, and material flow supporting precision aerospace manufacturing operations. The Materials Lead works cross functionally with Operations, Production, Engineering, Quality, Program Management, and Finance to execute the Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) process while ensuring material availability, optimizing inventory, improving supplier performance, and supporting on time delivery to customers.ScheduleFull time.Compensation$90,000 to $110,000 per year, based on experience.What You'll DoOn the materials planning side, this person develops and executes production material plans aligned with customer demand and master production schedules, manages MRP recommendations, and ensures timely release of purchase orders and manufacturing orders. They analyze excess, obsolete, and slow moving inventory to develop reduction plans, and establish inventory policies including safety stock and reorder points. In purchasing and supplier management, the role manages procurement of raw material, machined components, outside processing, hardware, and indirect materials, negotiates pricing, lead times, and supplier agreements, and develops strategic supplier relationships focused on quality, cost, delivery, and responsiveness. On the production support side, the Materials Lead coordinates daily material availability with production scheduling, leads shortage meetings, establishes recovery plans, supports engineering changes and material transitions, and ensures material transactions are completed accurately within the ERP system. For continuous improvement, this person leads productivity projects focused on supplier performance and Purchase Price Variance savings, works to improve inventory turns and cash utilization, reduce supplier lead times, improve supplier on time delivery, and standardize planning processes across locations. Performance is measured against KPIs including on time delivery, purchase price variance, inventory turns, inventory accuracy, supplier on time delivery, supplier quality performance, material shortage reduction, MRP action completion, and working capital reduction.Required QualificationsBachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Engineering, or a related field3 to 5 years of experience in materials management, supply chain, purchasing, or production planningExperience in aerospace, defense, precision machining, or manufacturingStrong ERP/MRP experience (Epicor, Infor, SAP, Oracle, or equivalent)Strong analytical and Excel skillsStrong negotiation and problem solving skillsAbility to manage supplier relationships and cross functional projects effectivelyKnowledge of inventory planning, supplier performance metrics, and strategic sourcing principlesExcellent communication and organizational skillsPreferred QualificationsExperience in aerospace, defense, medical device, or precision manufacturingAPICS CPIM or CSCP certificationLean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement experienceExperience supporting AS9100 manufacturing environmentsGovernment contracting or defense industry experienceCompensation and BenefitsMedical, dental, and vision coveragePaid time off and paid holidays401(k) with company matchTo apply, submit your resume for consideration.