Material Planner

About AkzoNobel

Since 1792, we’ve been supplying the innovative paints and coatings that help to color people’s lives and protect what matters most. Our world class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150 countries and use our expertise to sustain and enhance the fabric of everyday life. Because we believe every surface is an opportunity. It’s what you’d expect from a pioneering and long-established paints company that’s dedicated to providing sustainable solutions and preserving the best of what we have today – while creating an even better tomorrow. Let’s paint the future together.

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2024 Akzo Nobel N.V. All rights reserved.

Job Purpose

• Responsible for the planning of raw materials and packaging materials, ensuring that the production plan can be executed. Through close contact with procurement and suppliers you ensure a solid supplier relationship and performance. Through close contact with Production Planning and Scheduling you ensure having the right materials at the right times. Through close contact with Demand Planning you ensure the forecasts are correctly extended into raw material requirements. Solid processes E2E underpin high performance, data driven, continuous improvement ways of working together.
• High-level understanding of the trade-offs between service, inventory and costs.
• The role requires a comprehensive understanding of existing and future capacity plans/constraints at the manufacturing plant and distribution network, and knowledge of how production capacity can be flexed to meet demand.
• Manage exceptions and all activities related to material planning to ensure availability for the master production plan in line with MRP parameters and supplier contracts. 
• Ensure master data correctness & proper housekeeping of transactional data.
• Ensure good communication and integration E2E, with other planning teams, manufacturing (scheduling), logistics, customer care and other stakeholders. Drive MDI meeting & gate keeping meetings with other departments and support with providing relevant KPI’s to measure performance. Escalate material availability issues to procurement according to the guidelines.
• Support projects and process improvement to enhance performance and efficiency of the required planning activities (SLOBs, Inventories and Service across scope site / supply points).

This position is located in Columbus, OH

Key Responsibilites

• Review/ update material planning and manage material availability: planning of raw & packaging materials, ensuring that the production plan can be executed. 
• Creation of purchase orders and inform production planning on timelines. Review the 12wk outlook for the material plan, taking into account capacity agreements and storage capacity on the site.
• Support the material controllers and the site with analyses when needed to create visibility
• Manage MRP exception messages.
• Drive gate keeping meetings with the other departments and support with providing relevant KPI’s to measure performance.
• Provide impact analysis when needed to show the impact of decisions or scenarios to the plan. Support on reporting where necessary.
• Reviewing with Supplier flexibility to support Material Planning with respect to supplier capacity and suppliers 2nd tier material availability
• Link to Procurement and Inbound Supply Chain Manager to improve Supplier Performance and escalate in case of structural material availability issues (& inform stakeholders).
• Balance service level (OTIF) and inventory targets (OWC) of raw and pack materials, whilst understanding cost impacts on manufacturing.
• Manage reduction and prevention of slow and obsolete stock (raw & pack). Ensure rework and scrapping at the site/primary DC.
• Inputs to inventory strategy including safety stock settings on raw & pack materials for existing, new and phase-out products.
• Inputs and maintains inventory stocking policies of raw & pack materials, safety stock levels in ERP system.
• Ensure master data correctness & proper housekeeping of transactional data.
• Support projects and process improvement to enhance performance and efficiency of the required material planning activities.
• Problem resolution, root cause and corrective actions
• Independent planner able to manage complex SKUs and planning processes. Able to support/train other planners, coordinate processes and switch/increase scope easily if needed

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree (e.g. Engineering, Business Administration, Economics, Supply Chain Management, Logistics or other relevant discipline) or equivalent qualification preferred
• At least 1-year experience in Supply Planning in FMCG, Paint/Coating or Retail or equivalent preferred
• Experience on SD, MRP in SAP and BI
• Focused on results
• Good problem-solving skills, able to identify and structure issues, run accurate analyses and synthesize recommendations
• Strong desire to challenge and improve status-quo 
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, flexibility and able to work under-pressure
• Fluent and able to work in English. Understanding and sensitivity to different cultural behaviours. Spainsh speaking a plus.
• Experience on IBP processes preferred

Benefits

401K retirement savings with 6% company match
Eligible for annual bonus
Medical insurance with HSA
Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D benefits
Generous vacation, sick and holiday pay
Short & Long term disability
Paid Parental leave after 1 year
Career growth opportunities
Active Diversity & Inclusion Networks
Employee referral bonus
Employee appreciation days

Competencies

Accepting Direction

Accepting Responsibility

Acquiring Information

At AkzoNobel we are highly committed to ensuring an inclusive and respectful workplace where all employees can be their best self. We strive to embrace diversity in a context of tolerance. Our talent acquisition process plays an integral part in this journey, as setting the foundations for a diverse environment. For this reason we train and educate on the implications of our Unconscious Bias in order for our TA and hiring managers to be mindful of them and take corrective actions when applicable. In our organization, all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age or disability.