Materials Planning Manager

About the role

When you join Parker Hannifin’s Parflex Division, you’ll help power the systems behind critical vehicles, machines, and technologies. Our thermoplastic and fluoropolymer hose products are used in U.S. military trucks, the F‑35 fighter jet, wind farms, solar fields, food production plants, and next‑generation hydrogen vehicles. The Parflex Plant in Manitowoc, WI employs 55 team members and focuses on innovation, safety, and purpose‑driven work, offering stability, great benefits, and the satisfaction of building parts that truly make a difference.

This position is an office‑based Materials Manager role with daily hands‑on expectations and frequent interaction on the plant floor. The role provides leadership of supply chain management activities, with a heavy focus on materials planning, production scheduling, inventory control, information flow, coordination, and asset management.

Note: Parker Hannifin does not provide company‑sponsored relocation or visa sponsorship for this position.

Responsibilities

• Work with suppliers, business unit managers, purchasing, other material managers, production planners, IT, and other resources to strategically plan and coordinate material and information flow from customers through procurement to delivery.
• Provide matrix management for production planning, shipping, receiving, and inventory functions across business units and support groups.
• Directly lead and manage all materials management functions, including the Shipping/Receiving team.
• Lead procurement and materials activities: order placement, supplier reduction/evaluation/certification, follow‑up, price negotiation, and compliance with government procurement regulations.
• Oversee the plant’s manufacturing resource‑planning (MRP) activities and ensure high data accuracy, integrity, and ownership.
• Account for location/division materials metrics and Standards of Performance.
• Define and implement automated systems to plan and track material flow.
• Ensure material management policies align with corporate inventory control objectives.
• Facilitate corporate purchasing initiatives such as common part numbers, supplier‑managed inventory, consolidated agreements, supplier reduction, and quality certifications.
• Advise on supplier‑managed inventory or supplier‑based contracts with customers.
• Support internal or external audit requirements related to planning, procurement, or inventory control.
• Prepare and manage departmental budgets within established guidelines.
• Develop and sustain procurement‑to‑delivery cost‑reduction programs.
• Provide professional development for all materials team members.
• Explain and support company policies and procedures.
• Actively support and implement lean principles, including kanban materials requirement planning techniques.
• Assist with other duties as assigned.
• Minimal travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of purchasing/materials management experience in a world‑class, high‑volume manufacturing environment.
• Experience with advanced materials management systems (supply chain management, cash flow, asset management, JIT, MRPII, cellular manufacturing). APICS/CPM certification preferred.
• Four‑year college degree in business, engineering, or materials management required.
• Strong analytical and technical skills to understand business practices and recommend automation opportunities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills for effective interaction with internal and external contacts.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (spreadsheets, word processing, databases, presentations).
• Willingness to work on the plant floor daily, providing hands‑on assistance as needed.

Physical Demands

• Ability to stand for 8 + hours during a shift.
• Wear required personal protective equipment (safety shoes, eye protection, hearing protection, safety vest, gloves).
• Frequent use of hands for tasks such as using safety scissors, bending tubing, taping tube, and connecting hose assemblies.
• Sorting items by size, shape, and color.
• Physical movements including pushing, pulling, kneeling, and squatting as part of daily duties.
• Lift up to 45 pounds safely.
• Accurately perceive color and hear plant paging, alarms, and other auditory signals.