Supply Chain Planner
Aston Carter · North Reading, MA · 3 days ago
On-siteManagement$49–$51/hrContract
About the role
This role leads inventory strategy, configuration management, and production planning for advanced robotic manipulation systems in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment.
Responsibilities
- Develop and enforce inventory control policies and procedures, and drive inventory accuracy through structured cycle count programs, root cause analysis, and corrective actions.
- Optimize inventory levels and reduce excess and obsolete (E&O) material through proactive lifecycle management, disposition strategies, and demand-aligned replenishment.
- Design and implement new inventory strategies that scale with program growth, evolving manufacturing requirements, and multiple product lines.
- Own Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and Manufacturing Change Orders (MCOs) across supported programs, ensuring accurate and timely implementation into production.
- Create and maintain Manufacturing Bills of Materials (BOMs) with full configuration accuracy and traceability across all robotic manipulation systems.
- Set up and maintain Bills of Distribution and Sourcing Rules, partnering with engineering on master data, routings, and resource rates to ensure accurate planning inputs.
- Create finite capacity production schedules that account for equipment, labor, and material constraints to maximize throughput and meet build commitments.
- Develop detailed build schedules and release work orders through their complete lifecycle, with particular emphasis on early New Product Introduction (NPI) programs.
- Develop and maintain short-term and medium-term capacity models, identify bottlenecks through constraint analysis, and drive actions to resolve them.
- Perform sequence optimization to minimize changeovers and maximize manufacturing throughput in a high-mix environment.
- Build and maintain KPI dashboards to track inventory, planning, and schedule performance, and use data-driven insights to guide decisions and improvements.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to enhance planning processes, inventory accuracy, and production efficiency.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and logistics teams to ensure effective supply plan execution and manufacturing readiness.
- Support master production scheduling by performing finite scheduling, releasing work orders, and maintaining accurate capacity models for robotic manipulation systems.
- Lead velocity planning and inventory efforts, including inventory strategy development, replenishment optimization, and E&O management for high-mix product lines.
- Support NPI planning for next-generation platforms by creating and maintaining BOMs, managing ECOs/MCOs, and ensuring production readiness for new programs.
- Own root cause corrective action (RCCA) for inventory accuracy, including cycle count program design and systemic accuracy improvements across multiple facilities.
- Prepare and present planning and inventory insights in weekly planning reviews with operations leadership, highlighting risks, constraints, and mitigation plans.
Essential Skills
- Bachelor’s degree, or a minimum of 2 years of professional or military experience.
- Knowledge of supply chain management concepts, including forecasting, planning, sourcing, optimization, and logistics, or equivalent experience.
- Experience working in high-volume manufacturing environments, preferably with complex or high-mix products.
- Experience with reporting and data visualization tools such as QuickSight, Tableau, Power BI, or comparable business intelligence platforms.
- Knowledge of Six Sigma tools and Lean techniques and the ability to apply them to drive continuous improvement.
- Experience in stakeholder and communication management, including cross-functional collaboration with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams.
- Experience with engineering change management processes, including ECOs and MCOs, and hands-on experience with BOM management.
- Proficiency with ERP systems and supply chain planning tools, including experience with modules related to procurement, inventory, and production planning.
- Experience in high-mix, low-volume advanced manufacturing environments, particularly with complex electromechanical or robotics products.
- Experience designing or improving cycle count programs and leading root cause corrective action (RCCA) initiatives for inventory accuracy.
- Exposure to NPI environments, including creating BOMs, managing ECOs/MCOs, and preparing manufacturing for new product launches.
- Comfort working in fast-paced, high-ownership teams where ambiguity is common and decisions must be made quickly.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to dive deep into data and processes to identify constraints and improvement opportunities.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Experience with SQL for querying data and supporting analytical and reporting needs.
- APICS certification such as CPIM (Certified in Planning and Inventory Management) or CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), or progress toward these certifications.
- Experience with Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) or equivalent ERP platforms for procurement and planning.
- Familiarity with SAP or similar enterprise resource planning systems.
- Experience in high-mix, low-volume advanced manufacturing environments, particularly with complex electromechanical or robotics products.
- Experience designing or improving cycle count programs and leading root cause corrective action (RCCA) initiatives for inventory accuracy.
- Exposure to NPI environments, including creating BOMs, managing ECOs/MCOs, and preparing manufacturing for new product launches.
- Comfort working in fast-paced, high-ownership teams where ambiguity is common and decisions must be made quickly.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to dive deep into data and processes to identify constraints and improvement opportunities.