Materials Manager

Autokiniton; Bluffton (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Autokiniton seeks a seasoned Materials Manager to lead plant materials operations, ensuring safety, quality, productivity and on-time delivery. Relocation is available and the role reports to senior leadership in a high‑demand manufacturing setting.

You will coach a diverse materials team, craft departmental strategies, manage vendor relationships, and drive lean improvements while maintaining OSHA compliance and a culture of continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in management or business, or equivalent experience.
• Five to seven years’ experience as a materials manager, preferably in a metals environment or equivalent.
• APICS certification desirable.
• Ability to mentor the team in effective problem solving.
• Experience in applying lean manufacturing concepts.
• Knowledge of standard quality practices.
• Ability to interpret financial and performance data.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership, coaching, and performance management for the materials team to foster a high-performance, accountable culture.
• Develop and execute departmental strategies that support plant goals, business plans, and KPIs.
• Oversee all internal and external material flow to ensure JIT delivery and operational efficiency.
• Drive process improvements, corrective actions, and team-based problem-solving initiatives.
• Support customer satisfaction through quality, cost, and delivery performance, while actively participating in quoting, pricing, and capacity planning.
• Collaborate with Purchasing and Quality to support supplier development and maintain strong vendor relationships.
• Monitor department staffing levels and budgets, ensuring resource alignment and cost control.
• Maintain compliance with safety standards, enforce PPE usage, and support ISO/IATF 16949 and ISO 14001 certifications.
• Promote positive relationships across organizational levels, uphold housekeeping standards, and ensure access to tools and materials.
• Champion cross-functional collaboration to enhance plant synergy and drive unified business objectives.
• Lead efforts to track, report, and act on departmental metrics using company-standard performance tools.
• Interface directly with customers and suppliers to support business development and ensure service excellence.
• Ensure full adherence to company policies, quality standards, and OSHA safety regulations.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Mentoring

Problem solving

Financial data interpretation

APICS certification desirable

Education

Bachelor’s degree in management or business, or equivalent experience

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY:

Develop, provide leadership and manage plant materials operations so as to achieve optimal levels of safety, quality, productivity and delivery to assure internal and external customer satisfaction. Relocation Available.

JOB TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The following job/task functions have been identified as the core functions of this position. However, the supervisor or manager may assign additional duties associated with this position.

• Provide leadership, coaching, and performance management for the materials team to foster a high-performance, accountable culture.
• Develop and execute departmental strategies that support plant goals, business plans, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Oversee all internal and external material flow to ensure just-in-time (JIT) delivery and operational efficiency.
• Drive process improvements, corrective actions, and team-based problem-solving initiatives.
• Support customer satisfaction through quality, cost, and delivery performance, while actively participating in quoting, pricing, and capacity planning.
• Collaborate with Purchasing and Quality to support supplier development and maintain strong vendor relationships.
• Monitor department staffing levels and budgets, ensuring resource alignment and cost control.
• Maintain compliance with safety standards, enforce use of PPE, and support initiatives to achieve environmental and quality certifications (e.g., IATF 16949, ISO 14001).
• Promote positive relationships across all organizational levels, uphold housekeeping standards, and ensure team access to tools and materials needed for safe, efficient work.
• Champion cross-functional collaboration to enhance plant synergy and drive unified business objectives.
• Lead efforts to track, report, and act on departmental metrics using company-standard performance tools.
• Interface directly with customers and suppliers to support business development and ensure service excellence.
• Ensure full adherence to company policies, quality standards, and OSHA safety regulations across all departmental activities.

LEADERSHIP/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides direct leadership and supervises the materials department.
• Ability to identify, select, train and coach management talent.
• Provides model behavior to demonstrate corporate values.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in management or business, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum five to seven years’ experience as a materials manager, preferably in a metals environment or equivalent experience.

REQUIRED SKILLS & ABILITIES

• APICS certification desirable.
• Possess knowledge of plant department functions and corresponding roles and interact to facilitate overall plant synergy.
• Excellent procedure development and writing skills.
• Ability to mentor the team in effective problem solving.
• Experience in applying lean manufacturing concepts.
• Knowledge of standard quality practices.
• Ability to interpret financial and performance data.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS, WORK ENVIRONMENT AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Exert force to 20lbs occasionally or to 10lbs frequently. Demands are including but not limited to stand, walk, twist, bend, lift, see, talk, and hear. Frequent travel to company plants, customer, and vendor sites. Occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts vibration and hazardous materials.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by associates assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, qualifications, or working conditions.

Required Skills

Required Experience