Materials Manager

Materials Manager

Location: Minneapolis Northwest Metro (Onsite)

Reports To: Director of Materials

About the Opportunity

Our client is a rapidly growing, highly-engineering-driven manufacturer serving mission-critical infrastructure markets. With multiple manufacturing facilities across North America and significant investment in capacity expansion, automation, and operational excellence, they are seeking a Materials Manager to lead the end-to-end materials function at a flagship manufacturing operation.

This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for ensuring material availability, inventory optimization, production planning, warehouse performance, and logistics execution in a fast-paced, complex manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate will bring a blend of strategic leadership and hands-on operational execution while helping scale supply chain capabilities to support continued growth.

Position Summary

The Materials Manager will lead all aspects of materials management, including production planning, inventory control, warehouse operations, material flow, logistics, and ERP-driven planning processes.

This leader will be responsible for maintaining material readiness for production, optimizing inventory investment, supporting on-time customer delivery, mitigating supply risks, and driving continuous improvement across the manufacturing supply chain. The successful candidate will thrive in a dynamic rapid-growth environment, balancing customer demand, operational capacity, inventory performance, and supply continuity while building and developing high-performing teams.

Key Responsibilities

Materials & Supply Chain Leadership

• Lead Production Planning, Inventory Control, Warehouse Operations, Material Handling, and Logistics functions.
• Develop and mentor teams while fostering a culture of accountability, safety, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, Purchasing, Quality, Finance, and Customer Service teams.
• Drive decision-making and problem-solving to support manufacturing performance and customer commitments.

Production Planning & Schedule Execution

• Oversee execution of the Master Production Schedule (MPS).
• Balance labor, material, equipment, and capacity constraints to achieve customer delivery objectives.
• Monitor schedule attainment and implement recovery plans when necessary.
• Support SIOP/S&OP processes through effective demand and supply balancing.

Material Readiness & Supply Continuity

• Ensure all required materials are available to support production schedules and customer demand.
• Lead material readiness reviews and escalation processes.
• Partner with sourcing and supplier teams to address shortages and mitigate supply risks.
• Develop contingency plans to minimize production disruptions.

Inventory Management

• Develop strategies that balance service levels and working capital objectives.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels across raw materials, WIP, finished goods, and service parts.
• Improve inventory accuracy, inventory turns, and overall inventory health.
• Lead cycle count and physical inventory programs.

Warehouse & Material Flow Operations

• Oversee receiving, storage, replenishment, kitting, production support, and shipping activities.
• Drive improvements in warehouse productivity, inventory visibility, and facility utilization.
• Implement lean material flow concepts and best practices.
• Ensure accurate and timely material delivery to manufacturing operations.

Logistics & Transportation

• Manage inbound and outbound logistics activities.
• Optimize transportation strategies, freight spend, and delivery performance.
• Monitor carrier performance and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with suppliers and logistics partners to improve responsiveness and service levels.

ERP & Planning Systems

• Leverage ERP/MRP systems to support planning, inventory management, and material control.
• Ensure data accuracy related to:
• Bills of Material (BOMs)
• Lead Times
• Safety Stock Parameters
• Planning Policies
• Routing Information
• Utilize system reporting and analytics to drive decision-making and performance improvements.
• Support system enhancements and process standardization initiatives.

Continuous Improvement

• Champion Lean Manufacturing and Operational Excellence initiatives.
• Establish and monitor KPIs across planning, inventory, warehouse, and logistics functions.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action efforts.
• Support growth, capacity expansion, and operational transformation initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in Materials Management, Production Control, Supply Chain, or Manufacturing Operations.
• 3+ years of leadership experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong experience with ERP/MRP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Infor, Epicor, or similar platforms.
• Deep understanding of:
• Production Planning
• Inventory Control
• Warehouse Operations
• Logistics & Transportation
• Material Flow
• Manufacturing Supply Chain Management
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and leadership capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• APICS/ASCM certifications (CPIM, CSCP, or CLTD).
• Experience within a complex, multi-product manufacturing environment.
• Lean Manufacturing and/or Six Sigma certification.
• Experience leading warehouse, inventory, ERP, or planning process improvements.

What We're Looking For

• Hands-on leader who can operate strategically while staying connected to day-to-day execution.
• Proven ability to build processes, drive accountability, and lead through growth and change.
• Strong cross-functional partnership skills and executive presence.
• Data-driven decision maker with a passion for operational excellence.
• Experience supporting fast-paced manufacturing operations where material availability, customer delivery, and production performance are critical to success.

If you're looking for an opportunity to make a significant impact on a growing manufacturing organization while leading a critical supply chain function, we'd welcome the opportunity to connect.