Materials Lead

Kaney Inc.

Rockford (IL)

On-site

USD 85,000 - 120,000

Full time

8 days ago

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Job summary

Kaney Inc. in Rockford, IL, is seeking a Materials Lead to oversee day-to-day planning, procurement, inventory control, and material flow for precision aerospace manufacturing.

The role supports on-time delivery and drives continuous improvement across the supply chain through cross-functional collaboration with Operations, Production, Engineering, Quality, Program Management, and Finance. The ideal candidate will manage MRP recommendations, optimize inventory, and lead supplier performance

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Engineering, or related field.
3-5 years of experience in materials management, supply chain, purchasing, or production planning.
Experience in aerospace, defense, precision machining, or manufacturing.
Strong ERP/MRP experience (Epicor, Infor, SAP, Oracle, or equivalent).
Strong analytical and Excel skills.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute production material plans aligned with customer demand and master production schedules.
Manage MRP recommendations and ensure timely release of purchase orders and manufacturing orders.
Analyze excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory and develop reduction plans.
Establish inventory policies including safety stock and reorder points.
Manage procurement of raw material, machined components, outside processing, hardware, and indirect materials.
Negotiate pricing, lead times, and supplier agreements.
Develop strategic supplier relationships focused on quality, cost, delivery, and responsiveness.
Coordinate daily material availability with production scheduling.
Lead shortage meetings and establish recovery plans.
Support engineering changes and material transitions.
Ensure material transactions are completed accurately within the ERP system.
Lead Productivity Projects focused on supplier performance improvement and PPV savings.
Improve inventory turns and cash utilization.
Reduce supplier lead times.
Improve supplier on-time delivery.
Standardize planning processes across Kaney locations.

Skills

MRP/ERP systems

Supply chain analytics

Cross-functional collaboration

Excel (advanced)

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain/Operations/Engineering or related field

Tools

ERP systems (Epicor/SAP/Oracle)

Excel

Job description

Job Summary

The Materials Lead is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day planning, procurement, inventory control, and material flow required to support our precision aerospace manufacturing operations. This role will ensure material availability while optimizing inventory, improving supplier performance, and supporting on-time delivery to our customers. The Materials Lead will work cross-functionally with Operations, Production, Engineering, Quality, Program Management, and Finance to execute Kaney's Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) process while driving continuous improvement throughout the supply chain.

Description

Major Responsibilities

Materials Planning

Develop and execute production material plans aligned with customer demand and master production schedules.
Manage MRP recommendations and ensure timely release of purchase orders and manufacturing orders.
Analyze excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory and develop reduction plans.
Establish inventory policies including safety stock and reorder points.

Purchasing and Supplier Management

Manage procurement of raw material, machined components, outside processing, hardware, and indirect materials.
Negotiate pricing, lead times, and supplier agreements.
Develop strategic supplier relationships focused on quality, cost, delivery, and responsiveness.

Production Support

Coordinate daily material availability with production scheduling.
Lead shortage meetings and establish recovery plans.
Support engineering changes and material transitions.
Ensure material transactions are completed accurately within the ERP system.

Continuous Improvement

Lead Productivity Projects focused on supplier performance improvement and Purchase Price Variance (PPV) savings.
Improve inventory turns and cash utilization.
Reduce supplier lead times.
Improve supplier on-time delivery.
Standardize planning processes across Kaney locations.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

On-Time Delivery (OTD)
Purchase Price Variance (PPV)
Inventory Turns
Inventory Accuracy
Supplier On-Time Delivery
Supplier Quality Performance
Material Shortage Reduction
MRP Action Completion
Working capital reduction

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Engineering, or related field.
3-5 years of experience in materials management, supply chain, purchasing, or production planning.
Experience in aerospace, defense, precision machining, or manufacturing.
Strong ERP/MRP experience (Epicor, Infor, SAP, Oracle, or equivalent).
Strong analytical and Excel skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in aerospace, defense, medical device, or precision manufacturing.
APICS CPIM or CSCP certification.
Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement experience.
Experience supporting AS9100 manufacturing environments.
Government contracting or defense industry experience.

Minimum Competencies

Aerospace or highly regulated industry experience preferred.
Strong analytical, negotiation, and problem‑solving skills.
Ability to manage supplier relationships and cross-functional projects effectively.
Knowledge of inventory planning, supplier performance metrics, and strategic sourcing principles.
Excellent communication and organizational skills.

Kaney Leadership Competencies