Materials Planner

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Job Overview

The Materials Planner is responsible for ensuring material availability to support production requirements, spare parts orders, and planned inventory needs. This position will manage material planning activities with primary responsibility for Spares, Material Availability, and Stock Run Work Orders.

The Materials Planner will review customer and internal demand, inventory levels, open purchase orders, work orders, bills of material, and material shortages to ensure required components are available when needed. The position works closely with Planning, Purchasing, Inventory Control, Production, Customer Service, and other cross-functional teams to identify material risks, establish priorities, and support on-time delivery.

Success in this role will be measured by material readiness, timely execution of Spares orders and Stock Runs, shortage reduction, inventory visibility, work order execution, and effective communication of material risks.

Key Responsibilities

Spares Planning & Order Management

• Review and manage incoming Spares demand to ensure customer requirements, quantities, due dates, and material requirements are properly identified.
• Review Spares Sales Orders and determine material availability using inventory, open purchase orders, open work orders, and other available supply.
• Create and/or release Work Order Routers (WORs) for manufactured spare parts when required.
• Coordinate purchased spare-part requirements with Purchasing and Inventory Control.
• Monitor open Spares orders through completion and identify material constraints that may impact customer due dates.
• Maintain accurate planning status and order information within the ERP system.
• Communicate shortages, material risks, and expected recovery dates to Planning leadership and appropriate stakeholders.
• Support prioritization of Spares requirements based on customer need, due date, and available supply.

Material Availability & Shortage Management

• Perform material availability reviews for production orders, Spares, and Stock Runs.
• Review Bills of Material (BOMs), inventory balances, allocations, open purchase orders, and open work orders to determine whether material requirements can be met.
• Identify material shortages before they impact scheduled production.
• Maintain visibility of shortages and coordinate recovery actions with Purchasing, Inventory Control, Production, and Planning.
• Follow up on critical material requirements and escalate shortages that place customer or production commitments at risk.
• Verify that incoming material, inventory, and planned supply are appropriately aligned with demand.
• Identify excess, duplicate, obsolete, or unnecessary demand and communicate findings to the appropriate stakeholders.
• Support material readiness and kitting activities by ensuring shortages and availability issues are clearly communicated prior to scheduled production.
• Assist in maintaining accurate ERP planning data that supports material availability and inventory visibility.

Stock Run Planning

• Plan and manage Stock Run Work Orders released to support forecasted demand, inventory requirements, or Leadership direction.
• Review historical demand, current inventory, open customer demand, and planned requirements when recommending Stock Run quantities.
• Create, release, and monitor Stock Run work orders in accordance with Planning procedures.
• Ensure Stock Run demand is justified and does not create unnecessary inventory or purchasing requirements.
• Monitor open Stock Run work orders and identify orders that should be completed, adjusted, rescheduled, or closed.
• Coordinate Stock Run priorities with Planning, Production, Purchasing, and Inventory Control.
• Support Off-Site Inventory (OSI) and other inventory replenishment requirements when applicable.
• Maintain visibility of Stock Run status, material readiness, quantities, and expected completion dates.

ERP / MRP & Work Order Management

• Utilize the company's ERP system and Planning dashboards to review Sales Orders, Work Orders, Purchase Orders, inventory, allocations, and material demand.
• Create and maintain accurate Work Order Routers for assigned Spares and Stock Run requirements.
• Generate material demand within the ERP system to support Purchasing and production requirements.
• Review open work orders regularly to ensure demand remains valid and required.
• Assist with the cleanup and closure of obsolete, completed, or unnecessary work orders.
• Maintain accurate due dates, quantities, planning notes, status codes, and other planning-related ERP fields.
• Support improvements to ERP/MRP data accuracy and Planning processes.

Inventory & Material Management

• Work closely with Inventory Control to maintain visibility of available, allocated, incoming, and constrained inventory.
• Assist with inventory planning activities including replenishment, reorder points, safety stock, and inventory stocking strategies where applicable.
• Support Kanban, Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), and other material replenishment programs as assigned.
• Investigate inventory discrepancies or material availability issues affecting planned orders.
• Assist in identifying opportunities to reduce excess inventory while maintaining sufficient material to support customer and production requirements.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Serve as a primary Planning contact for material availability, Spares, and Stock Run status.
• Coordinate regularly with Purchasing regarding shortages, supplier commitments, and incoming material.
• Coordinate with Inventory Control regarding available inventory, allocations, shortages, and kitting requirements.
• Work with Production to communicate material readiness and resolve material-related constraints.
• Work with Customer Service and Planning leadership to communicate Spares status and potential delivery risks.
• Escalate significant material shortages, schedule risks, or conflicting priorities to the Planning Manager.
• Participate in Planning, production, material shortage, and other operational meetings as required.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain reports and dashboards used to track Spares, shortages, Stock Runs, and material readiness.
• Track key performance indicators related to material availability, shortage recovery, Spares delivery, inventory, and Stock Run performance.
• Assist in identifying recurring material shortages and recommend corrective or preventive actions.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on material flow, inventory accuracy, planning efficiency, and on-time delivery.
• Develop and maintain standard work, planning instructions, and documentation for assigned responsibilities.
• Support data analysis using Excel, ERP reports, Power BI, or similar tools.

Qualifications

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Associate degree in Supply Chain, Business, Manufacturing, Operations, Logistics, or a related field preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field preferred but not required.
• Equivalent combination of education and relevant manufacturing experience will be considered.

Experience

• 2–5 years of experience in material planning, production planning, inventory control, purchasing, manufacturing, supply chain, or a related role preferred.
• Experience working within a manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting aerospace, fabrication, machining, assembly, or other engineered manufacturing environments is a plus.

Technical Skills

• Experience using ERP/MRP systems for material planning, inventory management, purchasing, or production control.
• Ability to review Bills of Material (BOMs), inventory, purchase orders, work orders, and customer demand.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including the ability to organize, filter, analyze, and reconcile production and material data.
• Experience with Global Shop Solutions, Epicor, SAP, Oracle, or similar ERP systems is preferred.
• Experience with Power BI or other reporting/data visualization tools is a plus.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and manufacturing documentation is preferred but not required at the level expected of a Production Planning Engineer.

Planning & Analytical Skills

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and due dates.
• Ability to analyze material supply and demand and identify potential shortages.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to ERP/data accuracy.
• Ability to prioritize requirements based on customer need, production schedules, and material availability.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to investigate discrepancies and determine appropriate corrective actions.

Communication Skills

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate material shortages, priorities, and risks clearly to Planning, Purchasing, Inventory, Production, Customer Service, and management.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, cross-functional manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to follow through on open actions and escalate issues when appropriate.

Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based with frequent interaction with the production floor, stockroom, inventory areas, and other manufacturing departments.
• Requires regular use of ERP systems, spreadsheets, dashboards, and other production planning tools.
• May require occasional movement throughout manufacturing and warehouse areas to verify material status or resolve shortages.

Primary Areas of Ownership

The Materials Planner will have direct day-to-day responsibility for:

1. Spares Planning – Planning, releasing, tracking, and supporting fulfillment of spare-parts demand.
2. Material Availability – Identifying shortages and ensuring material readiness for scheduled production and customer requirements.
3. Stock Runs – Planning, releasing, monitoring, and maintaining Stock Run work orders used to support forecasted and inventory demand.

The Materials Planner supports the broader Planning organization while allowing Production Planning Engineers to maintain primary focus on equipment planning, manufacturing sequencing, technical planning, engineering requirements, and more complex production planning activities.