Material Planner Manager

Mekra-Lang-North-America,-LLC; Town of Ridgeway (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Mekra-Lang-North-America, LLC is seeking a Material Planner Manager to lead the Material Planning team in Ridgeway, SC. You will ensure timely material availability, manage supplier schedules, and drive improvements in inventory and demand alignment.

The ideal candidate brings 10+ years in automotive/material planning, SAP experience, and advanced Excel/data analysis skills. Strong leadership and communication are essential for coordinating across departments to meet production schedules.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, industrial engineering, logistics, business administration, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of automotive industry experience.
• Minimum 5 years in material planning, production planning, supply chain, or supplier scheduling leadership.
• Strong understanding of automotive manufacturing, MRP, inventory control, supplier releases, and production planning.
• ERP experience required; SAP experience strongly preferred.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and strong data analysis capability.
• Experience managing supplier performance, shortages, delivery escalations, and material recovery plans.
• Fluent English, written and spoken, mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the Material Planning team.
• Ensure timely availability of purchased and intercompany materials to support customer demand and production schedules.
• Manage supplier schedules, releases, confirmations, and material forecasts in alignment with MRP requirements.
• Monitor shortages, past-due supplier deliveries, inventory risks, and production-impacting material constraints.
• Coordinate daily with Customer Service, Production, Purchasing, Logistics, Warehouse, Quality, and Suppliers.
• Translate customer demand and production requirements into reliable material plans and supplier priorities.
• Lead shortage meetings, escalation processes, recovery plans, and supplier follow-up actions.
• Optimize inventory levels while protecting production continuity and customer delivery performance.
• Support program launches, engineering changes, phase-in/phase-out activities, and obsolescence control.
• Prepare supply chain KPIs and management reports, including material availability, supplier performance, inventory turns, excess/obsolete inventory, and root-cause actions.

Skills

MRP

Inventory control

Supplier scheduling

Excel

Data analysis

SAP experience

Communication

Fluent English

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

ERP system

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Material Planner Manager

Regular Full-Time Management Ridgeway, SC, US

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the Material Planning team.
• Ensure timely availability of purchased and intercompany materials to support customer demand and production schedules.
• Manage supplier schedules, releases, confirmations, and material forecasts in alignment with MRP requirements.
• Monitor shortages, past-due supplier deliveries, inventory risks, and production-impacting material constraints.
• Coordinate daily with Customer Service, Production, Purchasing, Logistics, Warehouse, Quality, and Suppliers.
• Translate customer demand and production requirements into reliable material plans and supplier priorities.
• Lead shortage meetings, escalation processes, recovery plans, and supplier follow-up actions.
• Optimize inventory levels while protecting production continuity and customer delivery performance.
• Support program launches, engineering changes, phase-in/phase-out activities, and obsolescence control.
• Prepare supply chain KPIs and management reports, including material availability, supplier performance, inventory turns, excess/obsolete inventory, and root-cause actions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Logistics, Business Administration, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of automotive industry experience.
• Minimum 5 years in material planning, production planning, supply chain, or supplier scheduling leadership.
• Strong understanding of automotive manufacturing, MRP, inventory control, supplier releases, and production planning.
• ERP experience required; SAP experience strongly preferred.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and strong data analysis capability.
• Experience managing supplier performance, shortages, delivery escalations, and material recovery plans.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills with high sense of urgency.
• Fluent English, written and spoken, mandatory.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in automotive mirror manufacturing, assembly operations, plastic components, electronics, harnesses, or similar Tier 1 environment.
• APICS CPIM/CSCP, Lean Manufacturing, or supply chain certification is a plus.
• Experience with JIT, Kanban, min-max planning, supplier scorecards, and premium freight reduction.
• Experience supporting launch, ramp-up, engineering changes, and supply base stabilization.