Materials Manager

Xenon arc; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Two medical plans with employer-funded

Dental insurance 100% employer paid

Vision insurance

401k with company match

Vacation accrual 80 hours/yr

Sick time 1 hour per 40 hours

Paid holidays 10

Job summary

Xenon arc, Inc. is seeking a Materials Manager in the Chicago area to develop end-to-end supply chains, drive efficiencies, and build powerful reporting for stakeholders.

You will collaborate with commercial teams, clients, and logistics partners to add value across the supply chain and strengthen customer experience. You will lead inventory planning, PO management, and KPI monitoring while driving process improvements and master data changes to optimize demand and supply balance, reporting in

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years in production scheduling, inventory management, purchasing, manufacturing, or supply/operations planning
• Bachelor's degree or higher in operations, supply chain, engineering, or business
• Demonstrated ability to work across internal and external teams
• Experience presenting to leadership and managing supply chains in a B2B environment
• Experience developing purchase plans and managing working capital

Responsibilities

• Develop inventory plans with Commercial, Finance, and partners to meet constraints and targets
• Maintain PO plans, schedule deliveries, and ensure cost objectives
• Monitor inventory levels, KPIs, and analyze root causes to improve KPI results
• Adjust supply chain master data (safety stock, lead times, stocking strategy) as needed
• Provide regular updates on inventory projections and lead weekly PO reviews
• Lead process improvement projects to drive efficiency and KPI gains
• Understand distribution processes and set supply parameters to drive availability in D365
• Prepare supply constraints for cross-functional S&OP discussions
• Monitor supplier performance and report quarterly to commodity management
• Manage end-to-end PO execution (confirmations, shipping, receiving)
• Build reports from CRM/ERP data to visualize insights
• Create operational efficiencies through technology and automation

Skills

Adaptability

Team player

Verbal & written communication

Analytical problem-solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership presentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Operations / Supply Chain / Engineering / Business

Tools

ERP software

Job description

At Xenon arc, we’re transforming how producers connect with their customers.

We partner with leading companies—ranging from industrial chemical manufacturers to global food ingredient providers—to solve complex challenges in reaching and serving hard-to-access markets. By acting as an extension of our clients' brands, we help them grow sales, optimize operations, and embrace digital transformation.

Our teams bring technical expertise, innovative digital tools, and a customer-focused approach to drive exceptional results. We don’t just distribute products—we create solutions that strengthen client-customer relationships and build lasting success.

The Materials Manager will support Company goals and better serve our clients by developing end-to-end supply chains, drive efficiencies, support development of innovative tools, and build strong partner relationships. The Materials Manager will work directly with our commercial teams, clients, and logistics partners to add value throughout the supply chain, enhance customer experience and create reporting that can drive business behavior.

Main areas of responsibility:

• Develop inventory plans by utilizing current demand inputs and collaborating with Commercial teams, Finance, commercial partners, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure inventory is managed according to constraints and meets internal targets aligned with the business strategy.
• Maintain purchase order (PO) plans, schedule deliveries, and ensure the efficient delivery of inventory, services, and cost objectives.
• Monitor and track inventory levels, service levels, surplus/obsolete inventory, inbound OTIF performance, and any other relevant KPIs to identify variance from goals. Use all available resources to analyze root causes and recommend possible actions to improve KPI results.
• Analyze changes in demand and initiate changes to supply chain master data elements impacting the supply plan, such as safety stock settings, lead times, stocking strategy, etc.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to provide regular updates on inventory projections, purchasing forecasts, and lead weekly PO review meetings to discuss and recommend purchases and mitigation strategies. Escalate to leadership any issues that arise.
• Initiate and lead process improvement projects to drive better efficiencies and yield improvement in KPIs.
• Identifies ways to improve supply planning processes and tools for assigned areas.
• Understanding of distribution processes and constraints, and setting supply parameters to drive availability (e.g., Lead Times, SS, MOQs etc.) in D365.
• Prepare supply constraints and recommend resolution scenarios for discussion in the cross-functional S&OP processes.
• Monitor and provide actionable feedback on supplier performance to commodity management team on a quarterly basis.
• Evaluate impact of demand opportunities and risks
• Keep a close eye on working capital.
• Strengthen 3PL service provider relationships through connections with shipping, demand planning, and customer service.
• Manage inventory to efficiently serve our end-customers while considering operational costs and working capital.
• Manage end to end PO execution orders including confirmation review, shipping, and receiving.
• Build reports using CRM and ERP data to visualize insights into business teams.
• Proactively create operational efficiencies through technology and automation.

Requirements:

• Bachelor s degree in Operations / Supply Chain Management / Engineering / Business or related field
• 3-5+ years of experience in areas such as production scheduling, inventory management, purchasing, manufacturing, and/or supply/operations planning is preferred
• Strong adaptability, creativity, and drive to succeed
• Strong team player; motivated, curious, and extremely customer centric
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Analytical and problem-solving ability
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across internal and external organizations.
• Experience presenting to leadership.
• Professional experience managing supply chains in a B2B environment.
• Experience developing purchase plans and managing working capital.
• Experienced in use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.

Preferred Skills:

• APICs certification is a plus
• Strongly data-driven and root-cause analysis focused mindset, process management and ownership.
• Proven ability to lead and facilitate meetings with a diverse audience, quickly synthesizing information to help drive consensus and actionable items.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to effectively interact with Demand Planning, Inbound Logistics & Sourcing teams
• We offer competitive benefits: 2 medical plan offerings with generous employer contributions, 100% employer paid dental, and vision for employees, and 401k with company match.
• Vacation – Annual accrual is 80 hours, prorated based on start date.
• Sick Time – 1 hour for every 40 hours worked
• Paid Holidays - 10

Location & Commitments:

• Full-time, permanent
• Report to office in Rosemont, IL
• Work Schedule: 4 days in office, 1 day remote

Physical Demands

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position
• Must be able to operate a computer

Travel Required

• Yes (up to 30%)

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

It is the policy of Xenon arc to grant equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, marital status, parental status, disability, veteran status, age, religion, political affiliation, gender, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation. It is the intent and desire of Xenon arc that equal employment opportunity will be provided in all phases of the employment relationship. Xa is a Title VII employer and strictly prohibits any type of discrimination or harassment based on any of the characteristics mentioned above. Employment opportunities and pay are and shall be open to all qualified applicants solely based on their experience, skills, and abilities.