SUMMARYThe Senior Manager, Materials is responsible for leading the materials organization and ensuring the safe, accurate, and uninterrupted flow of materials from receipt through supermarket inventory, point-of-use replenishment, production support, WIP, and final product shipment. This role owns the systems, processes, and team performance that enable reliable material availability, inventory accuracy, and production execution.
The Senior Manager, Materials is expected to be a hands-on operational leader who can build and continuously improve a scalable materials management system. The role will partner closely with Supply Chain, Planning, Purchasing, Production, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Operations to solve material constraints, improve warehouse and material flow, lead Kaizen initiatives, and establish standardized processes that support rapid growth and operational excellence.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES- Lead overall materials management activities, including supermarket operations, receiving, inventory control, material handling, replenishment, point-of-use delivery, WIP, and finished-goods material flow.
- Own the accuracy, availability, and flow of raw material, WIP, and finished-goods inventories, ensuring strong transactional discipline, location control, cycle counting, and corrective action.
- Develop, implement, and govern standardized materials management processes that are scalable, measurable, and aligned with production requirements and operational growth.
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive Plan for Every Part (PFEP) system, including part characteristics, demand and usage, container quantities, replenishment methods, storage locations, point-of-use requirements, supplier lead times, and other material-flow parameters.
- Lead the design and optimization of lean material replenishment systems, including Kanban, supermarkets, point-of-use inventory, pull systems, milk runs, and other flow-based replenishment methods.
- Partner with Purchasing/Supply Chain and Planning to ensure materials are on track to support production schedules and proactively identify shortages, constraints, and risks to customer commitments.
- Lead and coordinate supermarket and point-of-use material flow, continuously improving warehouse layout, slotting, material presentation, travel, handling, and replenishment efficiency.
- Drive inventory optimization by balancing material availability, service levels, working capital, inventory turns, and production continuity.
- Lead cross-functional Kaizen events and structured problem-solving activities focused on material flow, inventory accuracy, warehouse productivity, and production support; ensure improvements are implemented, standardized, and sustained.
- Use data and operational metrics to identify root causes, prioritize improvement opportunities, and measure results. Apply tools such as A3, PDCA, 5 Why, Pareto analysis, Value Stream Mapping, and standard work as appropriate.
- Partner with Production Planning and Operations to monitor material availability, production progress, and constraints, and to develop recovery plans when material issues threaten schedule attainment.
- Partner with the MRB, Purchasing, and Quality teams to resolve supplier issues, vendor return material authorizations, and material discrepancies in a manner that protects production schedules.
- Own, in partnership with Finance, the inventory control system and governance required to identify discrepancies, determine root causes, implement corrective actions, and prevent recurrence.
- Develop and manage materials KPIs, dashboards, and performance routines, including inventory accuracy, shortages, replenishment performance, inventory turns, warehouse productivity, dock-to-stock performance, and material delivery to point of use.
- Lead, coach, mentor, and develop materials and warehouse leaders and team members by establishing clear expectations, driving accountability, and building a high-performing culture focused on safety, customer service, and continuous improvement.
- Participate as a key member of the Operations Leadership Team and contribute to cross-functional operational decisions and strategic initiatives.
- Maintain a safe and healthy work environment by implementing and reinforcing company policies and applicable local, state, and federal environmental, health, and safety requirements.
- Perform additional duties as assigned to support the team and organization.
QUALIFICATIONS- Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, logistics, business, industrial engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent combination of education and significant relevant experience may be considered.
- 8+ years of progressive experience in materials management, inventory control, warehouse operations, logistics, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment.
- 5+ years of experience leading teams in a warehouse, materials, inventory, or manufacturing environment, with demonstrated success building accountability and developing talent.
- Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and managing lean warehouse and material replenishment systems, including PFEP, Kanban, supermarket, pull, and point-of-use concepts.
- Proven experience leading Kaizen events and structured problem-solving efforts that produce measurable and sustained operational improvements.
- Experience building standardized processes and systems that improve material flow, inventory accuracy, warehouse productivity, and production support.
- Strong experience working with ERP/MRP systems for inventory and materials planning; SAP, Oracle, or Infor Syteline experience is a plus.
- APICS CPIM/CSCP, Six Sigma, or Lean Manufacturing certification is preferred.
