Director of Materials Management

Description The Director of Materials Management is responsible for leading the end-to-end materials management function for manufacturing of high-end indoor and outdoor cooking appliances. The Director owns demand planning, translation and timely loading of the approved forecast into the ERP/MRP system, supply planning, purchasing execution, inventory performance, and material availability. This leader establishes a disciplined demand-to-supply operating cadence; maintains direct, proactive communication with suppliers; and partners closely with manufacturing to identify, escalate, and resolve potential shortages before production is affected. The Director leads and develops a team of 5-7 buyers, planners, and materials professionals in an engaged continuous improvement environment while collaborating with Strategic Sourcing on contracts, pricing, supplier strategy, and new product introductions. Essential Job Results Provide strategic and operational leadership for demand planning, supply planning, purchasing execution, inventory control, and material availability across the manufacturing operation.Own the demand planning process and operating cadence, integrating commercial forecasts, customer demand, production plans, promotions, service requirements, and new product introductions into one approved demand plan.Ensure the approved forecast is accurately and timely loaded into the ERP/MRP system; govern planning parameters, lead times, safety stocks, order policies, and master data so system-generated demand signals are reliable and actionable.Chair regular demand and supply reviews, identify material and capacity gaps, reconcile constraints, document decisions, and communicate risks, options, and required actions to executive and cross-functional stakeholders.Maintain direct and proactive supplier communication regarding forecasts, purchase requirements, capacity, commitments, past-due orders, expedites, recovery plans, and emerging risks.Establish supplier operating rhythms and performance reviews; drive corrective actions and sustainable recovery for delivery, quality, responsiveness, and capacity issues.Stay closely connected to manufacturing through daily shortage and production-readiness reviews; anticipate constraints, prioritize actions, and escalate potential line-impacting shortages with clear owners and recovery dates.Lead cross-functional shortage mitigation with manufacturing, quality, engineering, logistics, and Strategic Sourcing, including alternate supply, substitutions, schedule adjustments, premium freight decisions, and supplier recovery plans.Optimize inventory investment and working capital by balancing service and production continuity with inventory turns, excess and obsolete exposure, safety stock, lot sizes, and supplier lead times.Set functional strategy, policies, standard work, controls, and decision rights for planning, buying, shortage management, inventory governance, and supplier follow-up.Partner with Strategic Sourcing on supplier transitions, resourcing, negotiations, cost-reduction initiatives, risk management, and new product introductions while ensuring execution readiness and continuity of supply.Partner with Quality and Engineering to resolve supplier non-conformance, disposition constrained material, and ensure corrective actions protect future production requirements.Build meaningful dashboards and analytics that provide forward-looking visibility to demand changes, forecast accuracy, supplier performance, shortages, inventory health, and production risk.Lead, coach, and develop a team of 5-7 buyers, planners, and materials professionals; set clear goals, provide timely feedback, build succession capability, and hold the team accountable for results.Create an engaged continuous improvement culture using structured problem solving, root-cause analysis, standard work, visual management, and employee-led improvement initiatives.Develop team capability in ERP/MRP discipline, data analysis, supplier communication, business acumen, and cross-functional influence; ensure appropriate workload balance and coverage.Communicate supply risks, operational tradeoffs, and performance trends clearly across all levels of the organization and translate business priorities into aligned materials actions. Key Performance Indicators Demand plan and system discipline - forecast accuracy and bias by product family; approved forecast loaded into ERP/MRP accurately and on schedule; planning parameter and master-data accuracy.Material availability and production continuity - material availability to schedule; shortage aging and closure rate; production disruptions or schedule misses attributable to material shortages.Supplier delivery and responsiveness - supplier on-time delivery, past-due purchase orders, commit-date adherence, corrective-action closure, and recovery-plan effectiveness.Inventory and working capital - inventory turns or days on hand; excess and obsolete inventory; safety-stock adherence; inventory record accuracy; progress against annual working-capital plan.Planning and purchasing execution - MRP exception closure, purchase-order placement timeliness, reschedule-message action rate, and premium freight or expedite cost attributable to planning or supplier performance.Cross-functional operating cadence - on-time completion of demand, supply, shortage, and supplier reviews; timely escalation of material risks with documented owners, actions, and recovery dates.Continuous improvement - measurable improvements delivered against the annual CI roadmap, including lead-time reduction, process adherence, waste elimination, and sustained corrective actions.People leadership and engagement - achievement of team objectives, development-plan completion, retention, succession coverage, cross-training, engagement, and closure of employee-led improvement actions.Financial performance - materials-related cost, inventory, premium freight, and productivity performance versus the annual operating plan. Requirements Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, operations, business, engineering, or a related field; advanced degree or relevant professional certification preferred.10+ years of progressive materials management, planning, purchasing, or operations experience in a complex manufacturing environment, including 5+ years of people leadership.Demonstrated success leading a team of 5-7 or more buyers, planners, or materials professionals in an engaged, accountable continuous improvement culture.Deep expertise in demand planning, forecasting, ERP/MRP, master data, inventory optimization, production planning, and shortage management.Proven ability to translate an approved demand forecast into accurate system requirements and executable supply plans.Strong supplier-management capability, including forecast communication, capacity alignment, performance reviews, escalation, corrective action, and recovery planning.Track record of partnering closely with manufacturing to anticipate material constraints and protect production schedules.Strong financial and analytical acumen with experience building KPI dashboards, interpreting trends, and converting data into decisions and sustained results.Working knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or comparable continuous improvement methods and structured root-cause problem solving.Executive-level communication, influence, and change-leadership skills; able to create alignment and drive accountability across functions and organizational levels.