Supply Chain & Materials Manager

Location: Marietta, OH
Job Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire
Starting Salary: From $95,000 per year
Travel: Up to 20%

We are seeking an experienced Supply Chain & Materials Manager to lead material planning, procurement, inventory management, and supplier performance for a manufacturing operation producing engineered electrical equipment. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for ensuring materials are available to support both configure-to-order (CTO) and engineered-to-order (ETO) production while balancing inventory investment, supplier performance, and production schedules.

The successful candidate will lead the Buyer/Planner team, collaborate with cross-functional departments, and drive both day-to-day execution and long-term supply chain strategy.

• Supervise, coach, and develop the Buyer/Planner team through performance management, mentoring, and regular reviews.
• Balance workloads across projects, commodities, and production demands.
• Support employee development through cross-training and professional certifications such as APICS CPIM or CSCP.
• Ensure coverage during vacations, leave, or staffing changes.

• Oversee material planning for active production schedules, including configure-to-order and engineered-to-order projects.
• Participate in project kickoff meetings to identify long-lead materials, supply risks, and procurement strategies.
• Monitor shortages and lead cross-functional efforts to resolve supply issues before production is affected.
• Work closely with project managers to align material availability with project milestones and delivery commitments.
• Support quick-ship programs through strategic material positioning and inventory planning.

• Partner with Sales during the quoting process to provide realistic lead times and material availability information.
• Participate in Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) activities.
• Analyze demand forecasts and backlog trends to position inventory appropriately.
• Support customer stocking programs, blanket purchase agreements, and consignment inventory initiatives.

• Develop plans for critical and long-lead materials, including specialty breakers, transformers, bus assemblies, custom enclosures, and power electronic components.
• Identify supply risks, single-source dependencies, and opportunities for dual sourcing or supplier-managed inventory.
• Support commodity strategy execution and preferred supplier programs.
• Evaluate make-versus-buy opportunities for selected components.
• Monitor market trends, commodity pricing, tariffs, and supply chain risks that could impact operations.

• Manage inventory performance, including:
  • Inventory turns
  • Excess and obsolete inventory
  • Days of supply
  • Working capital utilization
  • Establish inventory policies for safety stock, reorder points, lot sizing, and cycle counting.
  • Lead annual physical inventory activities.
  • Balance production requirements with inventory investment objectives using data-driven decision making.

• Manage supplier performance using key metrics such as:
  • On-time delivery
  • Quality performance
  • Lead time accuracy
  • Responsiveness
  • Conduct quarterly supplier business reviews.
  • Oversee supplier corrective actions (SCARs) and supplier development initiatives.
  • Support supplier qualification activities in partnership with Quality and Engineering teams.
  • Negotiate or oversee pricing agreements, blanket purchase orders, and long-term supplier agreements.

• Maintain ERP and MRP data integrity, including:
  • Item master records
  • Bills of material (BOMs)
  • Supplier lead times
  • Planning parameters
  • Ensure procurement and planning activities are managed through ERP processes.
  • Review MRP output and resolve planning issues affecting supply performance.
  • Partner with IT to improve ERP functionality and reporting capabilities.

• Develop weekly and monthly supply chain performance reports for leadership.
• Monitor KPIs including inventory turns, supplier delivery performance, shortages, and material availability.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on planning efficiency, inventory optimization, warehouse operations, and supplier performance.
• Promote Lean principles, 5S practices, and process improvements across the materials function.
• Benchmark supply chain performance and recommend improvement opportunities.