Sr. Spares Planner

About the role

We are seeking a Senior Service Parts Planner who will play a crucial role in ensuring parts, tools, and other assets are available where and when field service needs them. This role is responsible for the end-to-end service parts lifecycle: demand forecasting, stocking strategy, managing spares production work orders, and coordinating field material returns in support of instrument uptime and service-level commitments. The role works closely with supply chain, logistics, quality, manufacturing, sustaining engineering, and field service to optimize inventory, reduce order-to-site lead times, and resolve parts issues.

Responsibilities

• Spares Planning:
  • Develop and maintain spares forecast/demand plans.
  • Define planning methods (e.g., min-max, safety stock, forecast-based).
  • Set up and maintain MRP and master data.
  • Plan for part obsolescence: coordinate end-of-life notifications, last-time buys, and parts substitutions with supplier management and sustaining engineering.
  • Assist in developing and executing NPI and end-of-support spares strategies.
• Inventory Management & Parts Availability:
  • Maintain and report inventory levels, fill rates, and backorder status across all locations.
  • Manage work order activities for spares production and refurbishment.
  • Serve as the documented point of escalation for parts shortages blocking service work.
  • Prioritize allocation based on material lead times, availability, and customer impact.
• Field Material Returns Management:
  • Implement end-to-end field material return processes: return authorization, receipt tracking, triage, and disposition (investigation, refurbish, scrap, warranty claim).
  • Ensure returned assets are recovered with accurate inventory/financial records.
  • Coordinate vendor RMAs, warranty claims, and internal repair vs. refurbishment decisions with manufacturing.
• Part Reliability & Change Management:
  • Ensure parts subject to quarantine, recall, or inspection are properly handled to protect inventory reliability in distribution centers.
  • Coordinate investigations and CAPAs on spares out-of-box failures with logistics, quality, and manufacturing.
  • Coordinate tool calibration services, repair/replacement, and logistics for service needs.
  • Review engineering change orders (ECOs) affecting spare parts.
  • Ensure parts are set up with correct attributes for service needs in SFDC and Oracle.
• Logistics and Costs Optimization:
  • Track parts shipment performance metrics, including partial shipments, backorder aging.
  • Collaborate with logistics and distribution centers to reduce order fulfillment lead times and improve delivery predictability.
  • Optimize part availability and storage logistics costs through use of forward stocking locations, 3PLs, and effective Field Service Engineer (FSE) trunk stock utilization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field.
• 5 years of experience in service/spare parts planning, inventory management, or supply chain management.
• Strong understanding of MRP systems and inventory control methods.
• Knowledge of field service operations and logistics.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Qualifications

• APICS certification (CPIM or CSCP).
• Experience with ERP and CRM/FSM systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP, Salesforce, ServiceMax).
• Experience coordinating field material returns, refurbishments, RMAs, and warranty processes.
• Experience supporting serviced instruments in life sciences, diagnostics, or capital equipment industries.
• Project management experience.