Materials Manager

Location: Marietta, OH

Duration: Full time, Direct Hire

Salary: Starting at $95,000 annually, with potential for a higher salary based on experience.

Travel Required: Up to 20% (supplier visits, strategic sourcing reviews, supply chain conferences)

Position Summary

The Materials Manager is the on-site supply chain leader for the power distribution assembly operation, responsible for ensuring that the right materials are available at the right time to support every active project — from configure-to-order quick-ship programs through complex, long-horizon engineered-to-order builds. This is a hands-on leadership role with direct supervisory responsibility for the Buyer Planner team and a mandate to operate at both the tactical and strategic levels of supply chain management simultaneously.

At the tactical level, the Materials Manager owns the day-to-day performance of material availability, inventory health, and supplier delivery compliance across the facility. At the strategic level, the Materials Manager partners with the Director of Supply Chain to position strategic materials, develop supply chain resilience for critical commodities, and drive inventory investment decisions that balance working capital efficiency against production continuity.

The Materials Manager is the critical integration point between supply chain and operations — working daily with Project Managers to align material plans to project schedules, engaging Sales early on new opportunities to provide realistic lead time input and collaborating with Production to ensure the shop floor never stops for a preventable material shortage. This role requires both the technical depth to understand MRP/ERP-driven planning and the leadership credibility to hold a team and a supplier base accountable to high performance standards.

Organizational Relationships

The Materials Manager operates at the center of a cross-functional network. Key relationships and the nature of each interface are defined below:

• Director of Supply Chain - Dotted-line strategic alignment — category strategy, supplier positioning, make/buy decisions, and capital inventory investment
• Buyer Planners (direct) - Day-to-day supervision of purchasing and planning execution; performance management; workload balancing across project portfolio
• Project Managers (peer) - Collaboration to ensure material plans align to project schedules; joint escalation on supply risk and delivery risk
• Sales (peer) - Early engagement on new opportunities; material lead time input for order acknowledgement; demand visibility
• Production / Operations - Material availability to support assembly schedules; shortage resolution; dock-to-floor coordination
• Quality Engineering (peer) - Supplier qualification, NCM disposition, SCAR process, and incoming inspection coordination

Key Responsibilities

1. Buyer Planner Team Leadership & Development
2. Project-Aligned Material Planning & PM Collaboration
3. Sales Collaboration & Demand Visibility
4. Strategic Material Positioning — Director of Supply Chain Alignment
5. Inventory Health & Working Capital Management
6. Supplier Performance Management
7. ERP / MRP Governance & Data Integrity
8. Reporting, Metrics & Continuous Improvement

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations Management, Engineering, or a related field; advanced degree a plus.
• 7–10+ years of progressive supply chain experience in a manufacturing environment, including a minimum of 3 years in a supervisory or team lead role overseeing buyers, planners, or buyer planners.
• Demonstrated experience managing material planning and procurement in an electromechanical, electrical equipment, or industrial manufacturing environment; power distribution industry experience strongly preferred.
• Advanced proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Infor, IFS, or comparable); must be capable of diagnosing and resolving MRP planning issues, not just reporting on them.
• Proven track record of driving inventory turn improvement while maintaining or improving material availability — candidates must be able to quantify results from prior roles.
• Experience managing supplier performance programs including QBRs, SCARs, and supplier development initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively at both the tactical (daily shortage management, Buyer Planner supervision) and strategic (commodity positioning, supply risk, capital investment) levels simultaneously.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills; demonstrated track record of working effectively with project management, sales, engineering, production, and finance.
• Excellent communication skills — able to translate supply chain complexity into clear, actionable information for operations leaders, sales teams, and customers.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and data analysis tools for inventory, spend, and supplier performance reporting.

Preferred

• APICS CPIM or CSCP certification; ISM C.P.M. or CPSM.
• Experience with power distribution products: PDCs, STS, RPPs, switchgear, UPS systems, and associated electromechanical components.
• Familiarity with UL, ANSI, NEMA, NEC, and IEC standards relevant to power distribution equipment and their impact on sourcing and supplier qualification.
• Experience developing and executing commodity strategies for electromechanical components (breakers, bus duct, transformers, enclosures, power electronics).
• Lean / Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt; experience leading kaizen events in a supply chain or warehouse environment.
• Experience with strategic inventory programs: vendor-managed inventory (VMI), consignment agreements, supplier-stocked buffer programs, or blanket PO/call-off arrangements.
• Experience with import compliance, customs, and international supplier management.

Core Competencies

• Supply Chain Leadership & Team Development
• Strategic Material Positioning & Risk Management
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• MRP/ERP Mastery & Data Governance
• Inventory Optimization (Turns vs. Availability)
• Supplier Relationship & Performance Management
• Project-Aligned Material Planning
• Demand Sensing & Capacity Awareness
• Escalation Judgment & Crisis Management
• Continuous Improvement Leadership
• Commercial Acumen & Cost Management
• Executive Communication & Reporting

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

On-site presence is required daily; this is not a remote or hybrid role. Visibility on the manufacturing floor is a core component of the position.

Regular time in the production facility, warehouse, and receiving areas; exposure to moderate noise, industrial equipment, and electrical assemblies is routine.

Travel up to 20%: supplier visits, strategic sourcing reviews, industry conferences, and occasional customer engagement.

Must be available for escalated supply chain issues outside of standard business hours when production continuity is at risk.

Physically able to walk manufacturing floor areas, access storage locations, and participate in physical inventory activities.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance