Materials Manager

About the role

Whisker is redefining what it means to live with cats—designing intelligent systems that remove friction, elevate the everyday, and celebrate the quiet brilliance of feline companionship. Litter-Robot leads the category today, with an ecosystem expanding what’s possible for cats and the people who love them. This role will be onsite 5 days a week out of the Juneau, Wisconsin office.

Leadership scope

The Materials Manager leads the end-to-end flow of materials supporting Whisker’s manufacturing operations—from production planning and supplier commitments through receiving, inventory control, material movement, and production support. This leader ensures material availability while balancing customer service, production requirements, inventory investment, warehouse capacity, and cost. The role partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Finance, Marketing/Demand Planning, and other Supply Chain functions to support company growth, new-product launches, and an exceptional customer experience.

Team and reporting

Functions reporting to this role initially include procurement, production planning and scheduling, BOM and materials master-data management, inventory control and cycle counting, and materials warehousing. The manager will support a team of approximately 9 salaried support, 8 hourly support, and 30 warehouse support. Based on experience, this role may be elevated to Senior Materials Manager.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Oversee material resource planning to ensure appropriate inventory levels support production schedules and targets without exceeding warehouse capacity
• Lead a team of buyers to facilitate timely purchase-order placements and supplier communication for on-time component delivery
• Oversee the production planning/scheduling team to meet customer and retail demand and lead-time commitments
• Lead and coordinate short- and long-term capacity planning relative to current and future state objectives to meet tactical and strategic goals
• Identify solutions to supply chain challenges while protecting customer satisfaction, working with cross-functional teams
• Contribute to sales & operations planning with supply chain, marketing, finance, and operations teams
• Manage part warehouses and material movements across receiving, storage, and transfers
• Maintain accurate finished-goods, work-in-progress, and raw-material inventories through transactional discipline, cycle counting, operational processes, and annual physical inventory counts
• Work with engineering and manufacturing to ensure timely communication and execution of BOM buildouts, pilot builds, and new-program launches
• Develop processes to enhance systemic efficiency across the organization
• Integrate new software solutions, ERP functionality, and corresponding processes to improve departmental efficiency
• Champion continuous improvement in safety, quality, accountability, and employee development, including process and system gap identification with remediation actions
• Perform additional responsibilities as required

Leadership responsibilities

• Directly supervise the department, including interviewing, training, hiring, planning and prioritization, work assignment and direction, accountability, performance appraisal, issue resolution, and upholding safety and quality guidelines

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or equivalent years of experience
• Minimum of 5 years of materials leadership experience, preferably in a manufacturing or assembly environment
• Prior management experience leading teams that include purchasing, planning, supplier, and inventory management personnel
• Strong knowledge of ERP/MRP systems required
• Strong knowledge of production planning, inventory costing, working-capital management, and scheduling principles
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills at all organizational levels and with external stakeholders
• Demonstrated hands-on approach, ability to learn systems, and willingness to cover for the team when needed
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple projects effectively
• Proactive communication with cross-functional and leadership teams
• Maintains confidentiality of proprietary information
• Ability to maintain a professional atmosphere in a fast-paced environment with numerous interactions and interruptions
• High degree of initiative and focus on accountability
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with team members and colleagues
• Comfortable with office pets (cats, dogs)

Nice to have

• Experience in a medium- to high-volume consumer-products or durable-goods manufacturing environment
• APICS/ASCM certification, such as CPIM or CSCP
• MBA or advanced degree in supply chain, operations, or a related discipline
• SAP ERP experience; SAP Business One experience is especially beneficial
• Experience selecting, implementing, or optimizing ERP, MRP, WMS, and other bolt-on software solutions
• Experience leading or actively participating in an S&OP process
• Experience with lean material systems, including PFEP, supermarkets, kanban, and point-of-use replenishment
• Experience supporting new-product introductions, engineering changes, and product phase-in/phase-out activities

Benefits & Perks

• Premium medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Whisker Parents Program
• 1 day “pawternity” leave for new pet adoption
• Pet insurance discount
• 401(k) match
• Flexible spending accounts
• Company-paid short-term disability and life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Generous paid time off and 14 paid holidays
• Top-of-the-line equipment
• Pet-friendly office
• Whisker products and swag
• Continuing education support
• On-site gym with Peloton
• Referral program