Senior Fulfillment Planner I

About the role

Rocket Lab’s Supply Chain team is responsible for the flow of all materials, products, and components through the business. The Fulfillment Planner plays a critical role in ensuring the smooth flow of materials for production, focusing on tactical execution rather than strategic sourcing.

Responsibilities

• Create, modify and manage purchase orders and purchase schedules for production products, ensuring accuracy and alignment with production needs.
• Maintain purchase order and purchase schedule data within ERP systems.
• Ensure order acknowledgments are received directly from suppliers or via supplier portals.
• Monitor and ensure on-time delivery of purchased items, escalating delays or issues to the Strategic Sourcing and Quality teams.
• Ensure purchased items are to the latest revision and meet engineering and quality requirements.
• Manage obsolete and end-of-life products to prevent unusable inventory.
• Manage positive relationships with suppliers to ensure smooth communication and collaboration.
• Escalate cost or quality concerns to the Strategic Sourcing and Quality teams for resolution.
• Ensure demand, supply, and fulfillment planning aligns with production schedules.
• Update demand to accommodate engineering change orders and communicate changes to suppliers.
• Provide visibility into material positions using tools such as material shortage reports, clear-to-build reports, and line of balance reports.
• Work closely with production, engineering, quality, and supply chain teams to ensure alignment with company-wide goals.
• Communicate material status and updates to relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate bill of materials (BOM), parts, and master data within ERP systems.
• Ensure compliance with company policies and procedures related to procurement and material planning.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience and a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent years of work experience (9+ years total work experience).
• Proficiency in ERP and MRP systems for managing purchase orders, purchase schedules, and material planning.
• Proven knowledge of material planning fundamentals, including master data management, BOM management, and planning release and fulfillment.
• Ability to produce material line of balance reports and conduct clear-to-build reviews.
• Proficiency in MS Office, math, and statistics for data analysis and reporting.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, supply chain, or other relevant fields.
• 8+ years of related experience as a Material Planner, Buyer, or equivalent role.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize effectively and efficiently.
• Team-oriented, with the ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment with multiple deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities.
• Prior experience in aerospace, EV automotive, or other disruptive manufacturing industries.
• Familiarity with AS9100 standards and US export controls (ITAR and EAR).
• Experience in managing obsolete and end-of-life products.