Materials Manager in Sterling Heights, Michigan

Materials Manager

The Materials Manager is responsible for ensuring the availability of all materials required for production by overseeing material planning, purchasing, inventory control, warehousing, and inbound logistics. This role ensures the efficient flow of materials into and through the organization while supporting operational, financial, and customer service goals. Responsibilities include managing site-level purchasing activities, driving supplier performance, maintaining accurate ERP data, and ensuring compliance with company procurement and inventory management standards.

The Materials Manager also plays a key role in aligning supply with demand through participation in planning processes, managing supply risks, and optimizing inventory and working capital.

• Manage the material requirements planning (MRP) process based on production schedules and demand forecasts.
• Maintain accurate material forecasts and visibility of on-hand inventory.
• Identify risks related to material shortages, demand fluctuations, and long lead time items.
• Communicate material status clearly to Production, Scheduling, and site leadership.
• Participate in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) or demand planning processes to ensure alignment between supply plans, production capacity, and customer demand.
• Proactively identify supply constraints and communicate impacts to operations and leadership.

• Maintain optimal inventory levels to support production while minimizing carrying costs and excess working capital.
• Implement robust inventory control practices including cycle counting, safety stock strategies, ABC classification, and FIFO inventory management.
• Reduce excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory through proactive monitoring and disposition planning.
• Ensure accuracy and integrity of ERP system data (IQMS), including BOMs, lead times, safety stock levels, minimum order quantities, and reorder parameters.
• Monitor inventory performance metrics such as inventory turns, accuracy, and working capital utilization.

• Lead purchasing activities for the site, ensuring timely procurement of raw materials, packaging, and operational supplies.
• Issue purchase orders, manage acknowledgements, and ensure pricing and terms align with company standards.
• Monitor and improve supplier performance including on-time delivery, quality, responsiveness, and capacity reliability.
• Manage supplier escalations and coordinate recovery plans when supply disruptions occur.
• Work closely with corporate Supply Chain and Procurement teams to align on supplier strategies, sourcing initiatives, and contract compliance.
• Identify cost reduction opportunities through supplier negotiations, sourcing initiatives, and value engineering activities.
• Provide suppliers with demand forecasts and collaborate on capacity planning to ensure reliable supply.
• Support supplier selection, RFQ processes, and supplier performance evaluations.

• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks including single-source suppliers, long lead time materials, and capacity constraints.
• Develop contingency plans and alternate sourcing strategies to maintain continuity of supply.
• Monitor supplier risk factors and proactively address potential disruptions.

• Oversee receiving, storage, material handling, and movement of materials to production.
• Ensure all warehousing processes comply with safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Optimize warehouse layout, material flow, and inventory visibility to support operational efficiency.
• Coordinate inbound freight and monitor carrier performance.
• Implement process improvements to increase warehouse efficiency, accuracy, and material traceability.

• Work closely with Production, Scheduling, Engineering, Quality, and Finance to support operational goals.
• Participate in daily and weekly production meetings to provide material status updates and resolve supply constraints.
• Support engineering changes (ECNs) and manage material phase-in/phase-out transitions for product…