Job Description

About This Role

The Planning Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end material planning organization to ensure uninterrupted material flow that supports production schedules, customer commitments, inventory objectives, and business performance. This role provides leadership for Material Planners, Supplier Readiness/Expediting, and Materials Risk Management while driving excellence in MRP execution, supplier performance, supply assurance, planning processes, and risk mitigation.

Job Description

Planning & Material Availability Leadership

• Lead the material planning organization to ensure uninterrupted supply of purchased materials.
• Drive execution of MRP, replenishment processes, and purchase order management.
• Establish planning standards, governance, and work processes across all planners.
• Ensure alignment between SIOP, MPS, MRP, Clear-to-Build, S&OE, and production execution.
• Lead shortage management activities and drive proactive recovery plans.
• Monitor material availability and escalate risks before production impact occurs.

Supplier Readiness & Expedite Management

• Lead supplier readiness and expediting activities for critical materials.
• Oversee high-risk supplier escalations and recovery actions.
• Drive supplier commitment management, past-due PO recovery, and shipment visibility.
• Coordinate cross-functional actions to resolve supply constraints.
• Reduce premium freight through proactive supplier management and planning discipline.

Materials Risk Management

• Own enterprise visibility to constrained materials, long lead-time parts, and supply chain risks.
• Establish risk identification processes and mitigation strategies.
• Drive reporting and communication of supply risks to leadership.
• Ensure contingency plans are developed and executed for critical shortages.
• Monitor supplier lead time variability and global supply chain disruptions.

Inventory & Supply Performance

• Balance inventory levels with service requirements and working capital objectives.
• Partner with Inventory Control to improve inventory health and accuracy.
• Drive reduction of excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory through planning actions.
• Ensure planning decisions support inventory turns and supply chain optimization.
• Lead planning activities supporting service level and production goals.

Cross Functional Leadership

• Partner with Manufacturing, Operations, Procurement, Logistics, Engineering, and Program Management.
• Lead planning support for launch activities, schedule changes, customer demand shifts, and recovery plans.
• Facilitate planning discussions within S&OE and operational review forums.
• Provide planning recommendations that balance demand, supply, capacity, and inventory objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across planning processes and systems.

People Leadership

• Lead and develop Material Planners, Supplier Readiness/Expediting Lead, and Materials Risk Analyst.
• Establish performance expectations and accountability measures.
• Develop team capabilities in planning, analytics, supplier management, and risk mitigation.
• Build succession plans and support career development.
• Foster a culture of safety, ownership, continuous improvement, and operational excellence

Organizational Structure

Direct Reports

• Material Planners
• Supplier Readiness / Expediting Lead
• Materials Risk Analyst

Internal Interfaces

• Scheduling Lead
• Inventory Lead
• Logistics Lead
• Operations Leadership
• Procurement / Commodity Teams
• Engineering
• Finance

KPI Ownership

Material Availability

• Purchased Material Availability
• Production Schedule Support
• Clear-to-Build Readiness
• Material Shortages Resulting in Production Stoppage

Supplier Performance

• Supplier Commitment Reliability
• Supplier Past Due Recovery
• Supplier On-Time Delivery
• Supplier Lead Time Compliance (LTC)

Planning Performance

• MRP Action Completion
• Purchase Order Acknowledgement Compliance
• Shortage Resolution Cycle Time
• Planning Exception Management

Risk Management

• High-Risk Supplier Recovery Execution
• Critical Part Risk Exposure
• Long Lead-Time Risk Reduction
• Supply Chain Constraint Visibility

Cost & Productivity

• Supplier-Driven Freight Cost Escalation
• Premium Freight Reduction
• Material Lead Time Reduction
• Inventory Optimization

Customer & Service Support

• On-Time Delivery to Internal Service Parts Group
• Production Schedule Adherence Support

Required Skills

• Materials Planning and MRP expertise
• Supply Chain Risk Management
• Supplier Performance Management
• Inventory Management
• Data Analytics and KPI Management
• ERP/MRP System Knowledge
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Problem Solving and Decision Making

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Operational Execution
• Team Development
• Change Leadership
• Continuous Improvement
• Customer Focus
• Accountability

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• 7+ years of materials, warehouse, logistics, or supply chain experience
• 3+ years of experience influencing teams through reporting and risk management, with hands-on expertise in inventory management, transportation, lean operations, and continuous improvement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations
• Experience working in a manufacturing/industrial environment
• Lean Six Sigma experience or certification
• Experience with Windchill, JDE, or LeanDNA