The Director of Materials Planning and Inventory reports to the Senior Director of Operations and Distribution. Responsible for developing and maintaining demand plans based on historical demand trend, sales forecasts and product development cycles and resolving changes in demand for all aspects of manufacturing. Responsible for forecast activities associated with demand planning, including creation and optimization of the inventory and operation planning process. Design and execute new business processes to support improved and accurate integrated forecasting between supply chain, manufacturing, distribution center operations, product development and finance. Build new ways of working to regularly adjust automated and manual inventory controls to optimize company resources. Evaluate like vendor purchasing activities between all manufacturing sites to optimize spend and support vendor efficiencies. Responsible for ERP system hygiene for components and raw materials.

Responsibilities:

• Manage the effective utilization of the MRP functionality and keep raw materials and component inventory at optimal levels
• Control, measure, project and regulate efficient inventory levels of purchased materials in support of operations
• Accountable for cycle counting performance and RCA of inventory discrepancies at manufacturing sites.
• Analyze production specification and plant capacity data and perform calculations to determine daily capacity and bottlenecks. Provide suggestions to resolve bottlenecks in capacity and flow
• Ensure excess and obsolete inventories are minimized and managed per company policies.
• Provide direction in production planning and material management practices for our operating units.
• Develop and communicate operating procedures in the use of the MAPICS/D365 planning, scheduling, and inventory system.
• Develop and lead KPI’s across vendor performance and inventory levels.
• Operational gate keeper on new SKU request process
• Provide guidance to the manufacturing and sourcing groups and lead strategic projects as requested.
• Work directly with the Business Transformation Team and IT on improving our systems surrounding forecasting, master scheduling and materials planning.
• Communicate extensively with people internal and external to the organization using oral, written, and graphic methods as required.
• Provide input for the development of departmental budget.
• Key operational team member to support product development (stage gate) process and integration

Qualifications:

• Business degree in materials, logistics or industrial engineering or equivalent
• APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) highly preferred
• Minimum 10 years of supply chain planning experience
• Proficiency in computer systems – MAPICS, AS 400, Excel, Word, Dynamics 365
• Excellent communicator, both spoken and written
• Proficient user of MS Office, Excel, Word, Power Point
• Highly experienced managing product launches and phase outs
• Ability to work well under deadlines and pressure
• Proven organizational and leadership skills
• Support individual development by providing coaching, feedback and reinforcement
• Team Building – Strong team player
• Excellent analytical ability
• An ability to think ahead, plan, and prepare action plans to achieve results
• Proven ability to work with top-level executives and managers
• Contribute to discussions, actions, and projects; respond positively to requests for information and suggestions
• Requires occasional overnight travel (up to 20%) by land and/or air
• Requires long periods of sedentary work
• Requires long periods of walking, standing
• Requires repetitive upper body movement – keyboarding and monitor use