Material Planning Agent

GENERAL PURPOSE

Responsible for the planning, delivery, quality, and inventory investments of all raw material and purchased products to support manufacturing needs and customer on time shipments relative to suppliers.

Essential Functions

• Ability to travel to suppliers when required.
• Acts as a resource for decision-making and problem solving.
• Assure raw material flow to manufacturing areas by coordinating with and communicating with suppliers, inventory control, production, engineering, etc.
• Communicate with Accounting, Purchasing, and Finance to resolve pricing, transportation, set up charges or other supplier related invoicing issues.
• Develop and control inventory strategies and investments to support manufacturing needs while ensuring the best possible utilization of inventory space and dollars, as well as inventory accuracy.
• Initiates and leads the development and implementation of new strategies relative to materials management processes.
• Provides training and act as a mentor to the Material Planning Team.
• Work with New Product Engineers and New Product Development to represent material strategies, manufacturing needs, and supplier development in new product development and implementation as well as identifying opportunities to reduce total material cost. (ie part consolidation, part design).
• Work with quality engineers to resolve quality related issues as needed.
• Responsible for resolution and communication of these issues with suppliers utilizing the NCM system and other resources as needed.
• Work with, support, and initiate communication with Supplier Development Managers and Supplier Commodity Managers to ensure effective communication with and continued development of the supplier base, which includes training, communicating business needs, and articulating overall business capabilities.
• Perform additional responsibilities as requested to achieve business objectives.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to work in an environment with frequently changing priorities, and with different tasks, responsibilities and people.
• Demonstrated ability to build networks and relationships both within and outside the organization.
• Demonstrated communication skills that can successfully explore alternatives and points of view to reach an agreement that all parties support and accept.
• A team player that can motivate and lead others to accomplish similar goals yet be able to work independently.
• Must possess a good understanding of manufacturing, production, scheduling processes as well as overall business capabilities for both MillerKnoll and suppliers.
• Must have demonstrated a strong technical knowledge of material requirements planning, scheduling and lean initiatives.
• Ability to handle confidential information.
• Demonstrated leadership and project management skills.