Manager, Buy Parts

Job Summary

Manager, Operational Procurement, Production Planning & Inventory Control is a hands‑on leadership role responsible for end‑to‑end material planning execution, inventory accuracy, and supplier alignment within a high‑mix, high‑volume welding manufacturing environment. This leader owns SAP planning strategy and parameters (MRP, lot sizing, safety stock, lead times), oversees purchase order execution, and leads cross‑functional efforts to protect production schedules and customer commitments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Buyers, Buyer Planners, Inventory Analysts, Cycle Counters, and Operations Team Leads, ensuring clear accountability for planning execution and inventory accuracy.

• Create a culture of ownership, urgency, and continuous improvement across supply chain and inventory control functions.

• Own and govern SAP planning parameters (MRP types, lot sizing, planning time fences, lead times, safety stock, reorder points, sourcing lists) to balance service levels, inventory investment, and operational efficiency.

• Lead ongoing MRP health checks; drive root cause analysis and corrective actions for shortages, past due orders, stockouts, excess, and volatility.

• Define and optimize planning strategies across make‑to‑stock, make‑to‑order, Kanban, and externally sourced materials.

• Ensure demand prioritization and exception management processes are consistently executed and improved.

• Oversee purchase order release, maintenance, rescheduling, expediting, and de‑expediting in SAP.

• Ensure timely resolution of order blocks, pricing discrepancies, lead time inaccuracies, and confirmation gaps.

• Review open PO risk, supplier past dues, and ASN performance; lead escalation and recovery plans for critical materials.

• Partner with Global Sourcing to align sourcing strategies, terms, and supplier performance management.

Key Responsibilities (Continued)

• Own the enterprise cycle count program, including count strategy, frequency, tolerance thresholds, and audit compliance.

• Analyze cycle count variances; identify root causes (process, system, receiving, production, scrap, master data) and lead corrective and preventive actions.

• Manage and execute the annual physical inventory process, ensuring cross‑functional readiness, system integrity, and financial accuracy.

• Drive improvements to inventory accuracy, on‑hand reliability, and ERP transaction discipline.

• Lead supplier engagement on capacity planning, lead time alignment, and delivery commitments to support production schedules.

• Facilitate daily and weekly escalations to protect critical builds and prevent line downtime.

• Support dual‑sourcing strategies and supply risk mitigation initiatives.

Ariba / Source‑to‑Pay (S2P)

• Oversee Ariba requisition, approval, sourcing, contract, and PO workflows integrated with SAP.

• Ensure master data accuracy for vendors, pricing, and contracts; enforce compliance to S2P policies.

• Persist with Global Sourcing, Finance, and AP to close process gaps from PR through invoice.

Key Responsibilities (Continued)

• Cross‑Functional Alignment

• Collaborate with Production, Quality, Logistics, Global Sourcing, and Finance to synchronize demand, supply, capacity, and inventory strategies.

• Clearly communicate material risks, recovery plans, and inventory impacts to senior leadership.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify systemic process weaknesses; lead CI initiatives to reduce lead time, inventory exposure, and supply volatility.

• Leverage analytics to improve forecast consumption, inventory turns, and exception response time.

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive experience in supply chain, production planning, and inventory management within a discrete manufacturing environment (welding, metal fabrication, or industrial equipment).

• Demonstrated experience leading teams of buyers, planners, or inventory control professionals.

• Expert‑level SAP ECC / S4 knowledge in MM/PP (MRP, PO management, inventory and master data).

• Hands‑on experience with Ariba and Source‑to‑Pay processes.

• Proven success improving inventory accuracy, supplier OTD, and material availability.

• Strong analytical, root cause, and executive communication skills.