Senior Manager, Materials & Planning
KMM Precision Measuring is seeking an experienced, results-oriented Senior Manager – Materials & Planning to lead the company’s materials management, production planning, procurement, inventory control, and shipping/receiving functions.
This position is responsible for ensuring the timely and cost-effective availability of materials required to support customer deliveries, manufacturing operations, and business growth. The Senior Manager will provide direct leadership to a small team of materials professionals while maintaining hands-on involvement in daily planning, purchasing, inventory management, and operational problem-solving.
The successful candidate will combine strategic supply chain thinking with strong execution capabilities, applying disciplined planning processes, effective supplier management, and data-driven decision-making to improve delivery performance, inventory efficiency, and operational predictability.
As a key member of KMM’s management team, this individual will play a critical role in optimizing the company’s Epicor Kinetic ERP system, strengthening materials management processes, and supporting continuous improvement across the business.
Key Responsibilities
Materials Planning & Production Scheduling
- Lead the materials planning function to ensure the timely availability of purchased components, manufactured subassemblies, and finished goods.
- Oversee the development and maintenance of production and material requirements plans aligned with customer orders, forecasts, inventory policies, and manufacturing capacity.
- Establish and maintain disciplined Material Requirements Planning (MRP) processes within Epicor Kinetic.
- Direct the Buyer/Planner team in reviewing MRP recommendations, identifying shortages, managing supply exceptions, and executing procurement and production planning activities.
- Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales, and Customer Programs to establish realistic production schedules and customer delivery commitments.
- Proactively identify material constraints, long-lead components, and supply risks that could impact customer deliveries.
- Maintain appropriate planning parameters, including lead times, safety stock, order policies, lot sizes, and purchasing requirements.
- Support Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) activities to align demand, supply, inventory, and manufacturing capacity.
Procurement & Supplier Management
- Oversee purchasing activities for electronic components, machined parts, fabricated assemblies, and other production materials.
- Ensure purchase orders are placed accurately and in accordance with material requirements, approved suppliers, and company procurement policies.
- Establish supplier performance expectations and monitor on-time delivery, quality, responsiveness, cost, and lead-time performance.
- Lead supplier negotiations involving pricing, delivery schedules, minimum order quantities, and commercial terms.
- Develop strategies to mitigate supply chain disruptions, component obsolescence, and single-source supplier dependencies.
- Manage long-lead-time and end-of-life component procurement, including last-time buys and inventory exposure.
- Coordinate with Engineering and Quality on alternate sourcing, supplier qualification, and component substitutions.
- Ensure procurement activities comply with applicable customer, quality, contractual, and regulatory requirements.
Inventory & Stockroom Management
- Direct stockroom operations, including material receiving, storage, identification, traceability, issuance, and inventory transactions.
- Establish and maintain inventory accuracy through cycle counting, physical inventory procedures, and disciplined ERP transaction management.
- Optimize inventory investment while maintaining appropriate material availability to support manufacturing requirements.
- Monitor excess, obsolete, slow-moving, and at-risk inventory and recommend corrective actions.
- Maintain effective material handling, storage, preservation, and traceability practices consistent with AS9100 quality management requirements.
- Ensure effective controls over inventory movements, work-in-process materials, and inventory adjustments.
- Collaborate with Finance to support inventory valuation, reconciliation, and financial reporting requirements.
- Oversee daily shipping and receiving activities to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant movement of materials and finished products.
- Ensure incoming materials are properly received, documented, and routed for inspection or inventory placement.
- Coordinate outbound shipments in accordance with customer delivery requirements and contractual commitments.
- Maintain effective procedures for packaging, shipping documentation, carrier coordination, and shipment traceability.
- Work with Quality, Customer Programs, and other functions to resolve receiving discrepancies, shipment issues, and delivery exceptions.
- Support compliance with applicable export control, ITAR, and customer-specific shipping requirements in coordination with designated compliance personnel.
ERP Systems & Process Improvement
- Serve as the functional leader for materials planning, purchasing, and inventory management processes within Epicor Kinetic.
- Drive consistent, accurate, and timely ERP transactions across all materials-related functions.
- Establish and maintain appropriate planning and purchasing parameters to support reliable MRP outputs.
- Identify opportunities to improve ERP workflows, reporting, dashboards, and exception management.
- Develop and maintain standard operating procedures for planning, purchasing, inventory control, and shipping/receiving.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing shortages, improving schedule adherence, minimizing inventory discrepancies, and increasing operational efficiency.
- Partner with Finance and other functions to strengthen internal controls, data integrity, and process accountability.
Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Provide direct supervision, coaching, performance management, and professional development for the Buyer/Planner, Stockroom, and Shipping/Receiving personnel.
- Establish clear individual responsibilities, performance expectations, and daily operating priorities.
- Lead regular materials review meetings focused on shortages, supplier commitments, inventory issues, and production readiness.
- Collaborate closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Finance, Sales, and Customer Programs to resolve operational constraints.
- Escalate significant supply chain risks and recommend timely corrective actions to senior management.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and proactive problem-solving.
- Balance longer-term operational improvements with direct, hands-on support of daily execution requirements.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Minimum of 8–10 years of progressive experience in materials management, production planning, purchasing, or supply chain operations within a manufacturing environment.
- At least 3 years of demonstrated supervisory or management experience.
- Strong working knowledge of MRP, inventory management, purchasing, production scheduling, and materials control.
- Experience using a modern manufacturing ERP system, with the ability to understand and manage planning parameters and transactional workflows.
- Experience managing electronic components, complex bills of material, and long-lead-time purchased materials.
- Demonstrated ability to manage suppliers, negotiate commercial terms, and resolve supply constraints.
- Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and ERP-based reporting and analysis.
- Ability to operate effectively in a small, fast-paced manufacturing organization requiring both leadership and hands-on execution. Direct experience with Epicor Kinetic ERP, including MRP, purchasing, inventory management, and production planning.
- Experience in precision electronics, aerospace and defense, or other high-reliability manufacturing environments.
- Familiarity with AS9100 quality management requirements and material traceability.
- Experience with component obsolescence management, last-time buys, and supply chain risk mitigation.
- Knowledge of make-to-order, make-to-stock, and engineered-to-order manufacturing environments.
- APICS/ASCM CPIM or CSCP certification.
- Experience implementing SIOP processes, ERP improvements, and operational KPI dashboards.
- Familiarity with ITAR, export controls, and applicable aerospace and defense procurement requirements.
Benefits:
At KMM Precision Memory, we recognize how important your career and benefits are to you and your family. We offer a full suite of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability coverage, accident insurance, critical illness insurance, basic and supplemental life insurance, employee assistance plan, retirement savings and matching, and other developmental opportunities. We are committed to supporting the way you live and work.
KMM is an Equal Opportunity Employer Veterans/Disabled - Affirmative Action Employer.
This position requires using information subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a U.S. person as a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (i.e. 'Green Card Holder'), Political Asylee, or Refugee.