What are the responsibilities and job description for the Materials Manager position at Vital Lyfe?
About Vital Lyfe
At Vital Lyfe, we are on a mission to solve global water scarcity by creating innovative desalination systems. This is an opportunity to join a passionate, multidisciplinary team tackling one of the world’s most critical challenges, water.
Mission
The Materials Manager owns the flow, accuracy, and readiness of materials across Vital Lyfe operations. This role ensures all parts, assemblies, and hardware are received, stored, moved, issued, and shipped correctly to support production, engineering, and customer delivery. The Materials Manager leads inventory personnel, maintains inventory integrity, drives cross-functional resolution of material issues, and continuously improves processes to scale our fulfillment and manufacturing systems.
What You'll Do
At Vital Lyfe, we are on a mission to solve global water scarcity by creating innovative desalination systems. This is an opportunity to join a passionate, multidisciplinary team tackling one of the world’s most critical challenges, water.
Mission
The Materials Manager owns the flow, accuracy, and readiness of materials across Vital Lyfe operations. This role ensures all parts, assemblies, and hardware are received, stored, moved, issued, and shipped correctly to support production, engineering, and customer delivery. The Materials Manager leads inventory personnel, maintains inventory integrity, drives cross-functional resolution of material issues, and continuously improves processes to scale our fulfillment and manufacturing systems.
What You'll Do
- Oversee end-to-end materials operations, ensuring parts and hardware are received, stored, issued, and available to support production and engineering needs.
- Ensure timely and accurate movement of materials between receiving, storage, production lines, and shipping to support operational flow and schedule demands.
- Ensure outbound shipments are executed correctly and on time, with all required documentation, traceability, and packaging/handling completed to preserve product integrity through delivery.
- Maintain visibility and status communication for critical shipments and ensure shipment records remain accurate in required systems.
- Maintain accurate inventory records and system integrity, including resolution of discrepancies and required adjustments.
- Ensure inventory is properly controlled, including shelf-life, FIFO/stock rotation, environmental/storage requirements, and configuration/revision compliance.
- Ensure picking, kitting/de-kitting, staging, and material fulfillment activities support schedule and work order commitments.
- Maintain inventory levels and storage organization necessary to support operational demand.
- Partner with cross-functional teams to resolve material, inventory, and fulfillment issues and to disposition obsolete or excess inventory.
- Drive continuous improvement, cost efficiency, and achievement of site operational metrics.
- Maintain safe, clean, and audit-ready operations in alignment with all safety, quality, and compliance requirements.
- 2 years of experience in materials management, inventory control, warehouse operations, or supply chain roles in a manufacturing or hardware environment.
- 2 years of experience leading teams or supervising materials/warehouse personnel.
- Working knowledge of inventory accuracy practices, traceability, and material flow in production environments.
- Experience operating within ERP/MRP systems and maintaining high data integrity.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage priorities across production, engineering, and shipping demands.
- Proven ability to drive process improvements and resolve operational issues cross-functionally.
- Ability to work on-site in a fast-paced hardware environment.
- Experience supporting regulated or high-reliability manufacturing environments
- Familiarity with quality-driven inventory controls (serialization, lot trace, shelf-life).
- Experience scaling warehouse/material systems for new product introduction and growth manufacturing.
- Lean/continuous improvement background
- Forklift/material handling certification (or ability to obtain).
- Ability to work in warehouse and production areas with routine lifting, carrying, and movement of materials.
- Ability to stand/walk for extended periods and work around active operations safely.
- Must be able to lift 50 lbs. unassisted.
- Must be able to climb ladders and be comfortable working in tight spaces.
- Must be able to move repetitively, bend or twist, and use hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
- Work on high-impact problems with global relevance
- Help scale breakthrough technology in water security and climate resilience
- Early ownership in a high-growth, engineering-led startup
- Join a tight-knit, mission-driven team in a fast-paced environment
- Build long-term career equity as we grow