Materials Manager

The Materials Manager is responsible for leading all aspects of materials planning, procurement, inventory management, and logistics for a high-volume Tier 1 automotive supplier. This role ensures the timely availability of raw materials, components, and sub-assemblies to support uninterrupted production while optimizing inventory levels, minimizing costs, and maintaining world-class supply chain performance in a Just-In-Time (JIT) environment.

The ideal candidate will drive continuous improvement in material flow, supplier performance, and cost reduction initiatives while ensuring full compliance with IATF 16949, customer-specific requirements, and automotive industry standards.

• Develop and execute materials strategies to support production schedules, new product launches (APQP/PPAP), and capacity planning
• Oversee production scheduling, material requirements planning (MRP), and inventory control to achieve targeted inventory turns and minimize excess/obsolete stock
• Manage supplier relationships, including performance monitoring, negotiations, cost reduction programs, and risk mitigation (e.g., single-source mitigation, dual sourcing)
• Lead the materials team (planners, buyers, logistics coordinators) with a focus on talent development, accountability, and cross-functional collaboration
• Ensure on-time delivery (OTD) from suppliers and to internal customers while maintaining optimal safety stock and kanban levels
• Drive lean initiatives including pull systems, value stream mapping, and kaizen events focused on material flow and warehouse optimization
• Monitor and report key performance indicators (KPIs) such as inventory accuracy, days on hand (DOH), supplier OTD, premium freight, and cost savings
• Collaborate with Quality, Engineering, Production, and Customer teams to resolve material shortages, quality issues, or engineering changes
• Manage logistics, warehousing, and transportation activities, including import/export compliance where applicable
• Ensure compliance with all environmental, health & safety (EHS), and automotive quality standards (IATF 16949, ISO 14001)
• Support annual budgeting, standard cost development, and inventory valuation processes
• Lead contingency planning and business continuity efforts for supply chain disruptions

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field (Master’s or CPSM/CPIM certification preferred
• 7+ years of progressive materials management experience in automotive manufacturing, with at least 3 years in a leadership rol
• Strong background in Tier 1 automotive supply chain (powertrain, chassis, interior, electronics, or similar
• Deep expertise with ERP/MRP systems (SAP, Oracle, or similar); advanced Excel and data analytics skills require
• Proven track record in inventory reduction, supplier development, and cost savings in a high-mix, high-volume JIT environmen
• Thorough knowledge of automotive quality systems (IATF 16949, PPAP, APQP, 8D, VDA
• Experience with lean manufacturing principles (5S, Kanban, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping
• Strong leadership, negotiation, and problem-solving skills with the ability to influence cross-functional team
• Ability to travel domestically/internationally as needed (10-20%