BASIC FUNCTION:The Material Planner is responsible for ensuring uninterrupted material availability to support production while optimizing inventory investment and supplier performance. The position analyzes customer demand patterns, supplier capability, inventory strategy, and supply chain risk to develop and execute effective material plans in SAP for automotive and commercial vehicle products.
The successful candidate will distinguish among stable, sporadic, cyclical, seasonal, trending, and lifecycle-driven demand and translate those characteristics into appropriate SAP planning parameters and replenishment strategies. The role partners with Production Scheduling, Customer Service, Purchasing, Supplier Quality, Operations, Engineering, Logistics, and suppliers to improve material availability, supplier on-time delivery, inventory turns, and customer delivery performance.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:Demand Analysis and Planning Strategy- Analyze historical demand, customer forecasts, releases, consumption, variability, seasonality, trends, product lifecycle, and abnormal demand signals to identify the demand pattern for each assigned material.
- Translate demand characteristics into appropriate replenishment strategies and SAP parameters, including lot-sizing procedures, safety stock, reorder points, planning calendars, lead times, planning time fences, forecast consumption, rounding values, minimum order quantities, and scheduling-agreement settings.
- Regularly review and validate planning parameters so they remain aligned with current demand behavior, supplier capability, packaging constraints, transportation frequency, inventory objectives, and customer requirements.
- Perform scenario and what-if analysis to evaluate demand changes, supply constraints, launches, runouts, and potential production interruptions.
- Support SIOP/S&OP and capacity-planning processes with data-driven analysis of supply risk, demand variability, inventory exposure, and recovery requirements.
SAP / ERP and MRP Optimization- Execute MRP and exception-message management, converting system signals into timely supplier releases, schedule changes, expedites, de-expedites, or escalation actions.
- Maintain accurate material master, source, purchasing, lead-time, and scheduling-agreement data within the planner's area of responsibility.
- Identify planning noise, recurring exceptions, and inaccurate parameter settings; complete root-cause analysis and implement sustainable corrections.
- Use SAP reports, ERP data, and advanced Excel analysis to monitor shortages, past-due supply, inventory health, supplier delivery, forecast accuracy, and schedule adherence.
- Participate in ERP, EDI, master-data, and planning-process improvements and validate that changes support operational requirements.
Supplier Management and Performance- Manage supplier schedules, delivery commitments, capacity, and recovery plans to support production and customer requirements.
- Establish clear expectations with suppliers and maintain timely, professional communication regarding releases, shortages, shipment status, demand changes, capacity concerns, and corrective actions.
- Monitor supplier on-time delivery, past-due quantities, responsiveness, premium freight, and recurring performance issues; coordinate escalation with Purchasing and Supplier Quality when required.
- Assess supplier capacity, lead-time, transportation, tooling, packaging, quality-hold, and continuity risks, and develop mitigation or contingency plans.
- Lead supplier recovery discussions and track actions to closure, with clear owners, timing, quantities, and evidence of sustained effectiveness.
Inventory and Supply Chain Optimization- Balance customer service and production continuity with inventory-turn, working-capital, excess, obsolete, and premium-freight objectives.
- Identify root causes of shortages, excess inventory, unstable schedules, stranded material, and slow-moving stock, and drive corrective actions.
- Manage inventory exposure associated with forecast volatility, engineering changes, new product launches, product discontinuations, and supplier constraints.
- Support annual physical inventory, cycle-count, inventory-accuracy, and continuous-improvement activities as assigned.
- Coordinate transportation and expediting only when required, while prioritizing systemic planning and supplier-performance improvements that prevent recurrence.
Cross-Functional Leadership and Communication- Lead material recovery activities during shortages, customer escalations, production disruptions, launch events, and allocation situations.
- Communicate material risks, impacts, assumptions, mitigation plans, and recovery timing accurately to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Use facts and structured analysis to challenge assumptions, recommend actions, and influence decisions without direct authority.
- Demonstrate composure, urgency, ownership, and sound judgment while managing multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Escalate risks early, follow issues through closure, and maintain accurate documentation of commitments and decisions.
Automotive and Commercial Vehicle Requirements- Support changing OEM and commercial vehicle customer schedules, EDI releases, forecast volatility, service requirements, launches, runouts, and engineering changes.
- Understand the impact of supplier lead times, capacity constraints, transportation variability, quality containment, and production schedule changes on customer delivery.
- Follow applicable quality, safety, environmental, and business-process requirements, including IATF 16949-aligned risk-based thinking and change control where applicable.
- Protect customer delivery performance by proactively identifying supply risk and coordinating cross-functional containment and recovery actions.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:- Send and validate EDI or other supplier releases after required maintenance and updates.
- Review MRP exception messages and execute appropriate actions within established timing.
- Monitor inbound supplier delivery, shipment status, estimated arrival, backlog, and material availability.
- Level supplier schedules, split loads, and establish manual schedules when system or operational conditions require.
- Update supplier delivery dates and relevant planning information in SAP based on confirmed commitments.
- Manage supplier shipping portals, scheduling agreements, consignment consumption, and related planning transactions.
- Communicate missing-component risks, production impacts, and recovery timing to affected functions.
- Prepare and maintain runout, impact, past-due, supplier OTD, inventory forecast, capacity, and material requirements reports.
- Support engineering changes, new product launches, end-of-production planning, tariff reporting, and supplier quality containment activities.
- Arrange expedited or premium freight for critical material when approved and necessary and support root-cause and prevention actions.
- Provide receiving, shipment, and documentation support when required to maintain material flow.
- Perform other planning and supply chain duties consistent with the position.
QUALIFICATIONS:Education and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, or a related discipline preferred; an associate degree with equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
- Minimum of 3 years of material planning, supply planning, inventory management, production planning, procurement, or related manufacturing experience preferred.
- Automotive and/or commercial vehicle manufacturing experience strongly preferred, including exposure to OEM releases, EDI, launches, engineering changes, capacity constraints, and customer delivery requirements.
- Experience managing suppliers and resolving material shortages in a time-critical manufacturing environment.
Technical Knowledge and Skills
- Strong ERP/MRP knowledge; SAP planning and scheduling-agreement experience strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze demand patterns and select or recommend appropriate planning parameters and replenishment methods.
- Working knowledge of MRP, safety stock, lot sizing, reorder point planning, forecast consumption, lead-time management, inventory segmentation, supplier capacity planning, and SIOP/S&OP concepts.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and working proficiency in Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint; experience with dashboards or data-visualization tools is beneficial.
- Ability to perform root-cause analysis, interpret complex data, identify risk, and communicate concise recommendations.
Salary Range:$70,400 - $96,800
Internal Use Only: Salary
