Material & Production Planning Specialist

Summary:

Responsibilities include sourcing, purchasing, and ensuring the timely delivery of raw materials, secondary processing, and supplies necessary for manufacturing operations. Developing, managing, and optimizing production schedules in a manufacturing machine shop environment. This role ensures efficient workflow, maximizes machine utilization, and aligns production plans with customer demand, material availability, and labor capacity. Collaborates closely with production and engineering teams to maintain on-time delivery, reduce lead times, and optimize overall efficiency. This role involves negotiating with suppliers, managing inventory levels, and collaborating with internal departments to optimize procurement processes while maintaining cost efficiency and quality standards.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

 Procurement & Sourcing:

• • Identify and evaluate suppliers for raw materials, components, and secondary services.
  • Request and analyze quotes to obtain the best pricing, terms, and quality.
  • Issue purchase orders and follow up on deliveries to ensure timely receipt.

Supplier Management:

• • Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers.
  • Monitor supplier performance based on quality, cost, and delivery reliability.
  • Resolve any supplier-related issues, including delays, defects, or contract disputes. Coordinate with the quality control team to address non-conforming materials.
  • Work with AP as a lead role to validate and set standards costs

Inventory & Cost Control:

• • Monitor inventory levels to ensure optimal stock while minimizing excess inventory.
  • Work with the production team to forecast material requirements.
  • Identify cost-saving opportunities through negotiation, bulk purchases, or alternative sourcing.

Inventory & Demand Management:

• • Ensure production schedules align with inventory levels and customer demand.
  • Collaborate with supply chain teams to maintain appropriate raw material and work-in-progress (WIP) inventory levels.
  • Minimize excess inventory while ensuring on-time delivery of finished products.

Production Scheduling & Planning:

• • Develop and maintain detailed production schedules based on customer orders, inventory levels, and machine shop capacity.  Prepares and issues production orders.  Reviews for accuracy prior to job completion.
  • Balance workloads across machines and work centers to optimize efficiency and reduce bottlenecks.
  • Adjust schedules as needed to accommodate priority changes, equipment downtime, or material delays.

Efficiency & Process Improvement:

• • Identify and implement scheduling improvements to enhance productivity and reduce lead times.
  • Utilize data analysis to forecast capacity constraints and recommend solutions.
  • Support lean manufacturing initiatives, including just-in-time (JIT) production and continuous improvement efforts.

Coordination & Communication:

• • Work closely with production supervisors and engineers to ensure alignment on schedules and material availability.
  • Communicate schedule changes and updates to relevant departments.
  • Provide status updates on production progress and anticipated delays.
  • Maintain accurate purchasing records, including order tracking and supplier documentation. Provide reports on purchasing metrics, cost analysis, and supplier performance

System & Data Management:

• Utilize ERP/MRP systems to create and maintain production schedules.
• Generate reports and analyze scheduling metrics to drive data-based decision-making.
• Maintain accurate records of work orders, production timelines, and capacity planning data.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field preferred.

Experience: 2 years of purchasing or procurement experience in a manufacturing environment.

• Knowledge of Supply Chain Principles, Vendor Management, and Contract Negotiations.
• Strong MS Office Skills (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) are mandatory. Possesses knowledge of Order Processing systems, Manufacturing ERP/MRP software and Internet software.  Epicor experience preferred.  Knowledge of general inventory planning and kanban systems is desired.
• Experience in lean manufacturing or just-in-time (JIT) procurement preferred.
• Certification in procurement (e.g., CPM, CPSM, CSCP) is preferred.
• Familiarity with industry-specific materials and suppliers is preferred.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to stand and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is frequently required to walk and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit. The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include Close vision and Depth perception.

Have a desire to join an organization that values respect, life-long learning, continuous improvement, making commitments and keeping them, and a dedicated focus on our customers.

About us and what we offer you

ARCH team members play an important part in making a positive impact on lives worldwide—and they do it in a positive work environment. Our people have the opportunity to advance through our organization, receive training, and learn from experienced mentors.

Benefits and Perks include:

• Competitive benefits package including Medical, Dental & Vision effective day one!
• Paid time off and holidays
• Competitive matching 401(k)
• Temperature controlled work environment
• Quarterly bonus program
• Positions available on 6:00am-3:30pm 

ARCH Global Precision is an Equal Opportunity Employee and wholeheartedly supports diversity in the workplace as a basic premise for business success.  All employees of ARCH Global Precision are employed on an at-will basis.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employee(s) will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

A review of this position has excluded the marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of fundamental job duties. All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbent(s) will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities.