Manufacturing Materials Planner / Order Fulfillment

The Manufacturing Materials Planner / Order Fulfillment Coordinator is responsible for ensuring the timely availability of materials required for production while coordinating customer order fulfillment activities. This role serves as a critical link between sales, procurement, production, inventory control, warehouse operations, and shipping to ensure on-time delivery, inventory accuracy, and efficient manufacturing operations.

The ideal candidate possesses strong planning, organizational, and analytical skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

Materials Planning & Inventory Management

• Plan and schedule raw materials, components, and packaging supplies to support production requirements.
• Monitor inventory levels and maintain appropriate stock levels to meet customer demand and production schedules.
• Review material requirements planning (MRP) outputs and take appropriate actions to prevent shortages or excess inventory.
• Coordinate with purchasing and suppliers to ensure timely delivery of materials.
• Track and resolve material shortages, supply disruptions, and inventory discrepancies.
• Analyze inventory trends and recommend actions to optimize inventory investment and turnover.

Order Fulfillment & Customer Service

• Process customer orders accurately and ensure timely order entry into ERP systems.
• Coordinate order fulfillment activities with production, warehouse, and logistics teams.
• Monitor order status and proactively communicate delivery schedules, delays, or issues to internal stakeholders and customers.
• Prioritize orders based on customer requirements, production capacity, and inventory availability.
• Ensure shipping documentation and order records are accurate and complete.
• Support customer service inquiries related to order status, shipments, and product availability.

Production Coordination

• Collaborate with production planners and manufacturing teams to align material availability with production schedules.
• Assist in developing and maintaining production schedules to meet customer delivery commitments.
• Monitor work orders and production progress to identify potential delays.
• Participate in production planning meetings and provide updates on material availability and order priorities.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain accurate planning, inventory, and fulfillment records within ERP/MRP systems.
• Generate reports related to inventory levels, order fulfillment performance, material shortages, and on-time delivery metrics.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning processes, inventory management, and fulfillment efficiency.
• Support lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.

Education

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, Manufacturing, or a related field preferred.

Experience

• 2 years of experience in materials planning, production planning, inventory control, customer order management, or supply chain operations.
• Experience in a manufacturing environment preferred.
• Experience using ERP/MRP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Epicor, or similar systems.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of inventory management and material planning principles.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes and production scheduling.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to communicate effectively with suppliers, customers, and cross-functional teams.
• Detail-oriented with a high degree of accuracy.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• On-time customer order fulfillment
• Inventory accuracy
• Material availability for production
• Order processing accuracy
• Production schedule adherence
• Inventory turnover
• Customer satisfaction
• Reduction in stockouts and expedited shipments

Work Environment

• Manufacturing and office environment.
• Frequent interaction with production, warehouse, procurement, customer service, and logistics personnel.
• May require occasional overtime to support production schedules and customer delivery commitments.