Purchasing and Materials Planning Manager

Description

The Purchasing & Materials Planning Manager is responsible for leading the company's purchasing and materials planning functions to ensure material availability supports customer requirements, manufacturing operations, and inventory objectives.

This role is responsible for building a disciplined, proactive, and MRP-driven approach to purchasing and materials management. The Manager leads and develops the Purchasing team, establishes effective planning and procurement processes, drives supplier relationship ownership, and ensures the organization identifies and addresses supply risks before they impact customers or operations.

Working collaboratively with Sales, Customer Service, Engineering, Project Management, Manufacturing, Logistics, and Finance, this position translates demand and business requirements into effective material and procurement plans while supporting the company's broader Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) process.

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop the Purchasing team to build strong professional procurement and materials management capabilities.
• Establish clear supplier ownership, responsibilities, performance expectations, and accountability across the Purchasing team.
• Develop Buyers beyond transactional purchasing and expediting toward proactive supplier and supply management.
• Establish standard work, performance measures, and development plans that strengthen team capability and effectiveness.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer focus.

• Establish and continuously improve robust MRP-driven purchasing and materials planning processes.
• Own ERP planning parameters including lead times, safety stock, reorder policies, planning calendars, and inventory settings.
• Ensure MRP recommendations, exception messages, shortages, reschedules, and other planning signals are reviewed and acted upon consistently and timely.
• Partner with Sales, Engineering, Project Mgmt, and Customer Service to translate customer demand, forecasts, manufacturing requirements, and project demand into actionable supply requirements.
• Drive exception-based material management that enables proactive focus on shortages, changing demand, excess supply, and other conditions requiring action.
• Monitor material availability and inventory health while balancing customer service requirements with working-capital objectives.

• Establish clear ownership of supplier relationships and ensure Buyers actively manage assigned suppliers.
• Develop collaborative relationships with strategic suppliers to improve communication, delivery performance, responsiveness, and supply reliability.
• Ensure regular review of supplier performance, lead times, commitments, constraints, and emerging supply risks.
• Lead escalation and recovery efforts for significant supplier performance or material availability issues.
• Drive proactive supplier communication regarding forecasts, changing requirements, capacity concerns, and future business needs.
• Support sourcing, commercial negotiations, supplier agreements, and supplier-development initiatives as appropriate.

• Collaborate with Sales to understand forecasts, significant opportunities, customer demand changes, and future material requirements.
• Partner with Engineering and Project Management to anticipate material requirements for engineered systems, projects, and new product introductions.
• Work closely with Customer Service and Supply Planning to resolve shortages, establish realistic supply commitments, and support customer delivery…