Materials Lead

About the Role

The Materials Lead oversees day-to-day planning, procurement, inventory control, and material flow to support precision aerospace manufacturing operations. This role ensures material availability while optimizing inventory, improving supplier performance, and supporting on-time delivery. The Materials Lead collaborates cross-functionally with Operations, Production, Engineering, Quality, Program Management, and Finance to execute Kaney's Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) process and drive continuous improvement throughout the supply chain.

Responsibilities

• Materials Planning
  • Develop and execute production material plans aligned with customer demand and master production schedules.
  • Manage MRP recommendations and ensure timely release of purchase orders and manufacturing orders.
  • Analyze excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory and develop reduction plans.
  • Establish inventory policies including safety stock and reorder points.
• Purchasing and Supplier Management
  • Manage procurement of raw material, machined components, outside processing, hardware, and indirect materials.
  • Negotiate pricing, lead times, and supplier agreements.
  • Develop strategic supplier relationships focused on quality, cost, delivery, and responsiveness.
• Production Support
  • Coordinate daily material availability with production scheduling.
  • Lead shortage meetings and establish recovery plans.
  • Support engineering changes and material transitions.
  • Ensure material transactions are completed accurately within the ERP system.
• Continuous Improvement
  • Lead productivity projects focused on supplier performance improvement and Purchase Price Variance (PPV) savings.
  • Improve inventory turns and cash utilization.
  • Reduce supplier lead times.
  • Improve supplier on-time delivery.
  • Standardize planning processes across Kaney locations.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
  • On-Time Delivery (OTD)
  • Purchase Price Variance (PPV)
  • Inventory Turns
  • Inventory Accuracy
  • Supplier On-Time Delivery
  • Supplier Quality Performance
  • Material Shortage Reduction
  • MRP Action Completion
  • Working capital reduction

Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Engineering, or related field.
  • 3-5 years of experience in materials management, supply chain, purchasing, or production planning.
  • Experience in aerospace, defense, precision machining, or manufacturing.
  • Strong ERP/MRP experience (Epicor, Infor, SAP, Oracle, or equivalent).
  • Strong analytical and Excel skills.
• Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience in aerospace, defense, medical device, or precision manufacturing.
  • APICS CPIM or CSCP certification.
  • Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement experience.
  • Experience supporting AS9100 manufacturing environments.
  • Government contracting or defense industry experience.

Skills

• Aerospace or highly regulated industry experience preferred.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage supplier relationships and cross-functional projects effectively.
• Knowledge of inventory planning, supplier performance metrics, and strategic sourcing principles.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Kaney Leadership Competencies
  • Bias for Action
  • Ownership mentality
  • Productivity focused mindset
  • Strong business acumen
  • Data-driven decision making
  • Ability to influence across departments