Materials & Supply Chain Manager

Materials & Supply Chain Manager
Location: Marietta, OH
Job Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire
Travel: Up to 20% for supplier visits, sourcing reviews, industry conferences, and occasional customer engagement
Work Arrangement: On-site; daily presence in the manufacturing facility is required
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Materials & Supply Chain Manager to lead material planning, purchasing, inventory, and supplier performance for a manufacturing operation. This role supervises the Buyer Planner team while partnering with project management, sales, engineering, production, quality, and operations to maintain material availability and support on-time delivery.
The position combines hands-on supply chain leadership with strategic planning, supplier development, inventory management, and continuous improvement.

• Lead, coach, and develop the Buyer Planner team, including workload planning, performance management, mentoring, and cross-training.

• Oversee daily material planning, purchasing, inventory levels, and shortage resolution.

• Align material plans with project schedules, production requirements, and customer delivery commitments.

• Participate in project kickoffs to review BOMs, identify long-lead materials, and assess supply risks.

• Lead cross-functional responses to material shortages and supplier issues.

• Partner with Sales on demand forecasts, lead times, customer stocking programs, and supply availability.

• Develop strategies for critical and long-lead materials, including safety stock, dual sourcing, supplier-managed inventory, and long-term agreements.

• Manage inventory turns, excess and obsolete inventory (E&O), working capital, safety stock, reorder points, lot sizing, and cycle counts.

• Lead supplier performance management, including on-time delivery, quality, lead time accuracy, QBRs, SCARs, and supplier corrective actions.

• Support supplier qualification, sourcing decisions, pricing agreements, blanket POs, and LTAs.

• Maintain accurate ERP/MRP data, including item masters, BOMs, supplier lead times, and planning parameters.

• Review MRP results and resolve planning issues, data problems, and system-related supply chain gaps.

• Prepare supply chain dashboards and KPI reports for operations and supply chain leadership.

• Lead continuous improvement efforts involving ERP optimization, supplier lead times, inventory reduction, receiving, inspection, storage, and kitting.

• Apply Lean and 5S principles to warehouse and material-handling processes.

• Monitor commodity trends, supply constraints, tariffs, and other risks that could affect material cost or availability.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations Management, Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degree is a plus.

• 7–10+ years of progressive supply chain experience in manufacturing, including at least 3 years supervising buyers, planners, or Buyer Planners.

• Experience with material planning and procurement in electromechanical, electrical equipment, or industrial manufacturing.

• Power distribution industry experience strongly preferred.

• Advanced experience with ERP/MRP systems, such as SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Infor, IFS, or comparable platforms.

• Ability to diagnose and resolve MRP planning issues.

• Demonstrated success improving inventory turns while maintaining material availability.

• Experience managing supplier performance programs, including QBRs, SCARs, and supplier development.

• Strong cross-functional experience working with project management, sales, engineering, production, and finance.

• Excellent communication and leadership skills.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and data analysis tools for inventory, spend, and supplier reporting.
• APICS CPIM or CSCP, ISM C.P.M., or CPSM certification.

• Experience with power distribution products such as PDCs, STSs, RPPs, switchgear, UPS systems, and related electromechanical components.

• Familiarity with UL, ANSI, NEMA, NEC, and IEC standards related to power distribution equipment.

• Commodity strategy experience involving breakers, bus duct, transformers, enclosures, and power electronics.

• Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification or experience leading Kaizen events.

• Experience with VMI, consignment inventory, supplier-stocked buffers, or blanket PO/call-off programs.

• Experience with import compliance, customs, and international suppliers.
• On-site role with regular time spent in the manufacturing floor, warehouse, and receiving areas.

• Exposure to moderate noise, industrial equipment, and electrical assemblies.

• Travel up to 20% as required.

• Must be available to address escalated supply chain issues outside standard business hours when production continuity is at risk.

• Ability to walk manufacturing areas, access storage locations, and participate in physical inventory activities.