Senior Spare Parts Specialist

Target PR Range: $25–35/hr DOE

About the Role

The Senior Spare Parts Specialist holds total end-to-end ownership of the site’s maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) spare parts inventory to ensure that maintenance and sustaining engineering functions never experience operational downtime due to missing components. This proactive, highly organized specialist designs, implements, and enforces robust inventory controls—including visual Kanban systems, optimized reorder trigger points (Min/Max), and strict access governance to prevent unauthorized part removal. Operating with a high degree of daily presence on the plant floor, this individual actively collaborates with technicians and engineers to anticipate upcoming material needs, build pre-staged PM kits, and manage MRO inventory within the CMMS (SAP) platform.

Responsibilities

• Maintain 100% end-to-end operational ownership of all maintenance spare parts, tools, consumables, and critical components across the site.
• Establish, monitor, and continuously optimize reorder trigger points (Min/Max inventory levels, safety stock thresholds, and lead-time buffers) in SAP/CMMS to proactively prevent stockouts.
• Enforce strict shop governance and inventory control procedures to prevent unauthorized part removal, untracked usage, or missing stock.
• Conduct regular cycle counts, physical inventory audits, and discrepancy investigations to maintain high inventory accuracy.
• Design, build, and maintain lean visual inventory controls, including physical Kanban systems, bin labeling, and shadow boards across maintenance storage areas.
• Partner with maintenance engineers and technicians to pre-assemble, stage, and organize complete PM Kits for all scheduled maintenance and calibration events to streamline field execution.
• Organize the central maintenance shop and satellite parts closets to optimize workflow, ergonomics, and visual management.
• Utilize CMMS (SAP) or dedicated MRO inventory modules to manage parts master data, bill of materials (BOM) linkages, bin locations, and unit costs.
• Manage purchase requisitions, place purchase orders with approved vendors, track inbound shipments, and expedite critical/rush deliveries.
• Process receipts, log part issuances, update BOMs for manufacturing lines, and reconcile inventory transactions within the CMMS.
• Walk manufacturing lines daily, actively collaborating with technicians, sustaining engineers, and MSAT teams to identify unmapped failure parts and emerging material demands.
• Demonstrate exceptional communication, emotional intelligence, and a service-oriented mindset when partnering across operations, quality, and procurement departments.
• Perform vendor management activities, including evaluating supplier reliability, negotiating lead times, and sourcing alternative components for obsolete equipment.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED required; formal degree is not required. Direct, hands-on industry experience is the primary requirement for this role.
• Minimum of 5–7+ years of direct, hands-on experience managing MRO/spare parts inventory in a manufacturing, biotech, pharmaceutical, or regulated industrial environment.
• Proven track record of setting up and managing physical Kanban systems, Min/Max reorder triggers, and visual inventory management.
• Practical experience utilizing CMMS platforms (SAP strongly preferred) or MRO inventory systems for spare parts tracking, PO generation, and inventory reconciliation.
• Demonstrated hands-on background in building PM kits and supporting equipment maintenance teams on the shop floor.

Skills

• Inventory Control & Lean Systems: Mastery of MRO inventory management best practices, cycle counting, safety stock calculation, and physical Kanban setup.
• CMMS & SAP Literacy: Strong practical skills in SAP (or equivalent CMMS) for parts master maintenance, stock tracking, work order part reservation, and purchasing.
• Proactive Ownership & Organization: Meticulous organizational skills with a strong, self-driven desire to maintain order, discipline, and audit-readiness in parts storage.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Strong interpersonal skills to build trust with technicians and engineers while firmly enforcing inventory compliance rules.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• Environment: Spends significant time active on the manufacturing floor, cleanroom corridors, biotech laboratories, and central maintenance shop environments.
• Physical Demands: Regularly required to stand, walk manufacturing lines, bend, reach, organize inventory shelves, and lift or move equipment/parts boxes up to 35 lbs.

Pay

$25–35/hr DOE