Materials Manager

About the role

This position reports directly to the Plant Manager and is responsible for directing and coordinating all material and supply chain management activities, including purchasing, inventory control, production control, scheduling, planning, warehouse operations, shipping, and customer delivery support.

Responsibilities

• Manage all functional areas in Materials/Supply Chain, such as material planning and control, shipping, inventory, and sourcing of future supply chain opportunities.
• Apply principles, concepts, practices, and standards for material management with full knowledge of industry and company practices.
• Develop a purchasing model to analyze and track historical costs and reduce future spending.
• Analyze changes or new issues in materials and supplies to reduce costs and improve quality.
• Prepare monthly management reports to track and control major expense categories.
• Interface with third-party vendors to minimize and control the cost of goods and services.
• Develop third-party supplier agreements, such as vendor-managed inventory and other arrangements.
• Assist with departmental budget and forecast preparation, focusing on cost streamlining and efficiency improvements.
• Set and achieve department goals and objectives aligned with overall company goals.
• Supervise employees on the materials team, including interviewing, hiring, training, planning, assigning work, appraising performance, and addressing complaints.
• Understand the process flow for fabricated and purchased parts, including Engineering and Manufacturing Bills of Material.
• Perform requirements analysis and reconciliation of both make and buy components.
• Negotiate bids and cost proposals, and clearly convey information orally and in writing.
• Collaborate cross-functionally, build consensus, shape opinion, and articulate future state vision.

Requirements

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Business or a related discipline; 5 years of supply chain/materials management experience.
• Strong analytical skills and a focus on metrics.
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to use AI tools to improve productivity, decision-making, work quality, and cost reduction.
• Proven leadership and management experience in Purchasing or Materials.
• Skills in problem-solving, reasoning, communication, and leadership.
• Experience with negotiation, bid, and cost proposal processes.
• Knowledge of ERP/MRP systems; experience with Oracle is a plus.
• Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, and Continuous Improvement Methodologies is desired.
• Ability to travel up to 10%.
• Ability to multi-task and maintain organization in a fast-paced, changing environment.
• Experience managing change in an organization reengineering its culture and workload approach.

Pay

Salary range: $90,000 – $130,000 USD (salaried position). The actual salary offered will be based on experience, skills, qualifications, market considerations, and geographic location.