Materials Manager

Department:

Reports To: General Manager

Physical Demand Level: Medium to Heavy

FLSA Status (US only): Exempt

SUMMARY:

The Materials Manager oversees the planning, procurement, storage, control, and distribution of materials necessary for manufacturing or operations. This role ensures that inventory levels support production schedules while optimizing cost, quality, and delivery performance. The Materials Manager collaborates closely with procurement, operations, logistics, engineering, and finance teams to drive supply chain efficiency.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This role does have supervisory responsibilities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and maintain materials planning strategies to meet production and sales demand. • Monitor inventory levels and establish reorder points to minimize shortages and excess stock. • Implement and maintain MRP/ERP system parameters (lead times, safety stock, BOM accuracy). • Supervise Buyer/Planner with ERP/MRP and MRO supplies. • Engineering change control of inventory. • Conduct regular cycle counts and annual physical inventory. • Coordinate with purchasing teams to ensure timely and cost-effective acquisition of materials. • Monitor supplier performance (quality, delivery, cost) and support corrective actions when needed. • Collaborate in sourcing initiatives and vendor selection processes. • Supervise shipping and receiving, storage, material handling, and distribution operations. • Ensure proper documentation, labeling, and traceability of materials. • Optimize warehouse layout and material flow for efficiency and safety. • Ensure materials availability to meet production schedules and customer delivery requirements. • Work closely with production planning to resolve material shortages and schedule changes. • Support new product launches by ensuring BOM accuracy and material readiness. • Monitor material usage, waste, and inventory carrying costs; implement cost-reduction strategies. • Lead continuous improvement initiatives (lean, 5S, Kanban, JIT, etc.). • Analyze inventory and supply chain data to drive performance improvements. • Ensure compliance with company policies, industry standards, and regulatory requirements. • Maintain safe work practices within warehouses and storage areas.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities. • Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills. • Knowledge of supply chain best practices (lean manufacturing, demand planning, forecasting). • Proficiency in Excel and data analysis tools. • Leadership and people-management capability (if supervising staff).