Sales, Inventory, Operations Planning Manager

About the role

The Manager – Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) is responsible for leading the company's demand planning, purchasing, inventory planning, and material management functions to ensure alignment between customer demand, supplier capabilities, and inventory investment. This role serves as the owner of the company's SIOP process by bringing together Sales, Engineering, Project Management, Customer Service, Logistics, and Purchasing to develop accurate demand forecasts and supply plans that maximize customer service while optimizing inventory and working capital. The SIOP Manager leads the Purchasing team and develops a culture of professional MRP-driven planning, continuous improvement, data-driven decision making, and cross-functional collaboration.

Essential duties and responsibilities

Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning

• Lead the company's monthly SIOP process and facilitate cross-functional planning meetings.
• Develop demand plans using historical sales, customer forecasts, CRM opportunities, engineering projects, and market trends.
• Balance customer demand, supplier capacity, inventory investment, and operational priorities.
• Identify supply risks and develop mitigation plans before they impact customers.

Purchasing Leadership

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop the Purchasing team.
• Establish best practices for professional MRP-based purchasing and material planning.
• Drive accountability through performance metrics, standard work, and continuous improvement.
• Vendor negotiation, management, performance reporting.
• Foster strong supplier relationships that improve service, quality, and responsiveness.

Inventory & Material Planning

• Own ERP planning parameters including lead times, safety stock, reorder policies, planning calendars, and inventory settings.
• Continuously improve inventory performance by reducing shortages, excess inventory, and obsolete material.
• Monitor supplier performance and planning accuracy to improve material availability and customer service.
• Partner with Logistics to maintain inventory accuracy, effective inventory controls, and efficient warehouse replenishment practices.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Sales to improve forecast accuracy and visibility into customer demand.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Project Management to incorporate project schedules and new product introductions into demand planning.
• Work closely with Customer Service to improve customer commitments and service levels.
• Support Finance through inventory planning, working capital management, and purchasing analytics.
• Collaborate with EHS/Quality to obtain and manage supplier compliance documentation including RoHS, REACH, etc.

Continuous Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement of planning processes, ERP utilization, and data quality.
• Develop KPIs and dashboards to measure forecast accuracy, inventory performance, supplier performance, and purchasing effectiveness.
• Champion process improvements that improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Competencies

• Material Requirements Planning (MRP)
• Demand Planning & Forecasting
• Purchasing & Supplier Management
• Inventory Management
• ERP Systems (Infor M3 preferred)
• Data Analysis and Business Intelligence
• Leadership, Coaching, and Team Development
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Continuous Improvement
• Communication and Facilitation Skills
• Strategic Thinking with Strong Operational Execution