Sr. Manager - Planning & Procurement

About Us:

How many companies can say they’ve been in business for over 179 years?!

Here at ZEISS, we certainly can! As the pioneers of science, ZEISS handles the ever changing environments in a fast-paced world, meeting it with cutting edge of technologies and continuous advancements. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change. We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology.

We are a global company with over 42,000 employees and have over 4,000 in the US and Canada alone! Make a difference, come join the team!

Location/Region: Dublin, CA

What’s the role?

The Senior Manager, Planning & Procurement is responsible for leading XRM’s global planning, procurement, and inventory management functions across multiple manufacturing and supply chain locations. This role ensures uninterrupted material availability, optimized inventory investment, supplier performance excellence, and successful support of revenue and production objectives. The position plays a critical leadership role in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), New Product Introduction (NPI), supply chain risk mitigation, and operational transformation initiatives.

The individual will lead a team of planners and buyers while partnering closely with Operations, Engineering, Finance, Product Management, Quality, and global suppliers. This role reports to the Head of Operations and is a key member of the operations leadership team. This role is held responsible and accountable by the IQR Segment Head of Global Supply Chain via dotted-line reporting.

Strategic Supply Chain Leadership

• Develop and execute global planning and procurement strategies aligned with business growth objectives.
• Lead demand, supply, capacity, and inventory planning processes across manufacturing sites.
• Deliver significant annual material cost savings to contribute to business profitability.
• Ensure supply continuity and strengthen the global supply chain resilience.
• Drive alignment between customer demand, production capacity, inventory strategy, and supplier capabilities.
• Establish planning and procurement roadmaps that support business scalability and operational excellence.

Production Planning & S&OP

• Lead the monthly S&OP process and facilitate cross-functional supply-demand balancing activities.
• Manage Master Production Scheduling (MPS) and long-range capacity planning.
• Ensure achievement of revenue shipment plans and manufacturing output targets.
• Develop scenario planning and risk mitigation strategies for changing demand conditions.

Procurement & Supplier Management

• Lead strategic sourcing and procurement activities for direct materials.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships to improve delivery, quality, responsiveness, and cost competitiveness.
• Drive supplier performance management through KPIs and quarterly business reviews.
• Manage supplier escalations and coordinate recovery actions for supply disruptions.
• Support supplier capacity planning and risk assessments.

Inventory Management

• Establish inventory strategies that balance service levels and working capital objectives.
• Drive inventory optimization initiatives, including safety stock, excess and obsolete reduction, and inventory health management.
• Monitor and improve inventory turns, shortages, and material availability.
• Partner with Finance to achieve inventory and cash-flow objectives.

New Product Introduction (NPI)

• Partner with Engineering and Program Management to ensure material readiness for NPI programs.
• Lead supply chain readiness reviews for new product launches.
• Establish sourcing strategies and…