Materials Planning Manager

Company Overview

Ancient Crunch Inc. is the fastest-growing healthy snack brand in the U.S. Our flagship product, MASA Chips, is the #1 selling tallow-fried tortilla chips in premium retailers like Erewhon. We manufacture all products in-house at our Hackettstown facility using real ingredients—no seed oils, artificial flavors, or preservatives. All operations adhere to strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and food safety standards.

Material Planning Manager

Director of Operations

Will lead a team across planning, procurement, materials, inventory, and related roles.

The Material Planning Manager owns the day-to-day execution of material planning, purchasing, and inventory management to keep production running and customers happy. Reporting to the Director of Operations, this is a hands‑on leadership role that requires you to translate demand plans into action, balance service levels against inventory needs, and build a high‑performing materials team. You'll work cross‑functionally with Production, Fulfillment, Quality, Engineering, and Finance to ensure materials flow reliably and cost‑effectively.

The responsibilities listed below are not exhaustive. As we scale, the requirements of this role will expand. The Material Planning Manager is expected to lead new initiatives and take on additional duties consistent with this title and the long‑term evolution of our supply chain.

• Own the material costs by managing inventory health and supplier delivery
• Convert demand and production plans into actionable purchasing activity
• Build and lead a team of planners, buyers, and inventory analysts
• Partner cross‑functionally to keep materials aligned with business priorities
• Drive continuous improvement across planning processes and systems

• Lead day‑to‑day material planning and purchasing to support production schedules, customer commitments, and new product launches
• Convert inventory signals into purchase orders, schedule agreements, and delivery schedules — ensuring on‑time, in‑full receipt at the right cost
• Manage the open purchase order book; expedite or de‑expedite as needed and resolve supplier delivery issues, shortages, and over‑shipments
• Maintain accurate planning parameters in the inventory system including lead times, lot sizes, safety stock, reorder points, and MOQs
• Partner with Strategic Procurement on supplier performance, contract execution, cost negotiations, and dual‑sourcing strategies

• Own inventory health across raw materials, WIP, and finished goods — balancing service‑level targets against inventory value and obsolescence risk
• Establish and maintain inventory policies (ABC/XYZ segmentation, safety stock, min/max levels) aligned to demand variability and supply risk
• Drive cycle counting, inventory accuracy, and reconciliation; investigate and correct root causes of discrepancies
• Identify and disposition slow‑moving, excess, and obsolete (E&O) inventory in partnership with Finance and Operations
• Monitor and improve inventory turns, days‑on‑hand, and fill rate against targets

• Translate demand and production plans into a feasible material requirements plan, surfacing constraints early
• Coordinate with Production, Quality, Engineering, Customer Service, and Finance to align materials availability with business priorities
• Manage materials aspects of engineering changes, phase‑ins/phase‑outs, and new product launches to minimize obsolescence and stockouts

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of material planners, buyers, and inventory analysts; set clear goals, provide feedback, and build bench strength
• Establish standard work, KPIs, and cadenced reviews that drive accountability and continuous improvement
• Foster a collaborative, data‑driven, and customer‑focused culture across the materials team

• Drive continuous improvement of planning and purchasing processes using Lean and Six Sigma principles
• Champion data integrity and effective use of ERP/MRP, advanced…