Description
Plan, direct, and coordinate materials planning, procurement, inventory, warehousing, and inbound logistics to ensure on-time, cost-effective supply for production and operations. Oversee buyers, planners, and warehouse staff while managing MRP/ERP data, supplier performance, and inventory levels.
- • Maintain accurate records of forecasts, orders, receipts, movements, and inventory; drive cycle counts and reconciliations.
- • Identify and qualify suppliers for critical materials with procurement, assessing capacity, lead times, quality, and risk.
- • Oversee MRP runs and the preparation and approval of material requisitions and purchase orders to meet production plans.
- • Manage materials and inventory budgets, including carrying costs, obsolescence, and inbound logistics expenses.
- • Hire, lead, and develop materials, planning, and warehouse teams; provide training on processes and systems.
- • Review material orders, receipts, and supplier documentation for compliance with policies and specifications.
- • Analyze supply markets, capacity, and logistics to ensure present and future material availability.
- • Develop and implement materials planning, inventory control, and replenishment policies (e.g., MRP parameters, safety stock, Kanban).
- • Collaborate with engineering to define material specifications, substitutions, and packaging to optimize cost and availability.
- • Resolve supplier delivery, quality, and invoice discrepancies; drive corrective and preventive actions.
- • Support negotiations of supply agreements and service levels for key materials.
- • Coordinate RFQs for materials and evaluate bids based on cost, quality, delivery, and risk.
- • Direct and coordinate buying, planning, receiving, warehousing, kitting, and internal distribution of materials.
- • Ensure on-time material availability to meet the master production schedule and customer orders.
- • Prepare reports and dashboards on inventory turns, shortages, days on hand, supplier performance, and cost trends.
- • Administer MRP/ERP materials modules and master data, including lead times, reorder points, lot sizes, and BOM accuracy.
- • Manage disposition of excess and obsolete inventory.
- • Develop and execute cost and working-capital reduction initiatives, including lot-size optimization, standardization, and logistics improvements.
Related specializations
Interview options
Interview options
Interviewee gender
Interviewee accent
Interview time
Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
Learn more
Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
