Materials Specialist – Inventory Planning & Control

Liberty Personnel Services, Inc.; Ewing Township (NJ); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

401(k)

PTO

Healthcare

Job summary

Liberty Personnel Services, Inc. is seeking a Materials Specialist – Inventory Planning & Control in New Jersey to manage inventory planning, purchasing, and production support within a manufacturing environment.

This role emphasizes maintaining accuracy, coordinating with Purchasing, Shipping, Receiving, Production, Scheduling and Quality to optimize inventory turnover and ensure on-time delivery. Strong analytical and negotiation skills are essential, with Infor XA being a preferred ERP.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in inventory planning and control, purchasing, materials management, procurement, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with inventory management, material requirements planning, purchase orders, and supplier coordination.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with MRP/ERP systems; Infor XA strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage inventory planning and control activities to ensure materials and components are available to meet production requirements.
• Coordinate purchasing activities, including purchase orders, supplier follow-up, material availability, pricing, and delivery schedules.
• Plan and monitor requirements for raw materials, including steel, aluminum, plastics, engineered components, semi-finished goods, finished goods, and outside services.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels by balancing production requirements, purchasing lead times, material usage, and inventory investment.
• Monitor material demand, usage, inventory movement, and purchasing requirements to identify potential shortages and excess inventory.
• Provide day-to-day leadership and direction to Purchasing, Shipping, and Receiving personnel.
• Follow up with suppliers regarding purchase orders, delivery commitments, material shortages, quality concerns, and other supply chain issues.
• Work closely with Production and Scheduling to align material planning and purchasing activities with production schedules and customer commitments.
• Maintain accurate inventory records and investigate discrepancies between system quantities and physical inventory.
• Monitor and report key materials KPIs, including On-Time Delivery (OTD), Stock in Days, and Year-End Inventory.
• Identify opportunities to improve inventory accuracy, purchasing processes, supplier performance, material flow, and inventory turnover.
• Develop and improve procedures related to inventory control, purchasing, receiving, shipping, and material handling.
• Serve as a backup to the Scheduling Team to help maintain production information and shop orders.
• Resolve material shortages, purchasing delays, and inventory issues that could affect production schedules or customer deliveries.
• Follow applicable environmental, health, and safety requirements and participate in risk assessments.

Skills

Inventory planning

Purchasing

Materials management

Procurement

Supply chain

MRP/ERP (Infor XA)

Supplier coordination

Analytical skills

Negotiation

Tools

Infor XA

Job description

Materials Specialist – Inventory Planning & Control

Salary: $75,000–$95,000 + bonus, 401(k), PTO, healthcare, and a compre

Position Overview

We are seeking a Materials Specialist – Inventory Planning & Control with strong experience in inventory management, material planning, purchasing, and production support within a manufacturing environment.

This role is responsible for ensuring materials and components are purchased, planned, and managed effectively to support production schedules while maintaining inventory accuracy and controlling inventory levels. The successful candidate will coordinate purchasing activities, monitor supplier performance, manage material requirements, and provide day-to-day leadership to Purchasing, Shipping, and Receiving.

The position works closely with Production, Scheduling, Quality, and other departments to maintain material availability, prevent shortages, improve inventory turnover, and ensure on-time delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage inventory planning and control activities to ensure materials and components are available to meet production requirements.
• Coordinate purchasing activities, including purchase orders, supplier follow-up, material availability, pricing, and delivery schedules.
• Plan and monitor requirements for raw materials, including steel, aluminum, plastics, engineered components, semi-finished goods, finished goods, and outside services.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels by balancing production requirements, purchasing lead times, material usage, and inventory investment.
• Monitor material demand, usage, inventory movement, and purchasing requirements to identify potential shortages and excess inventory.
• Provide day-to-day leadership and direction to Purchasing, Shipping, and Receiving personnel.
• Follow up with suppliers regarding purchase orders, delivery commitments, material shortages, quality concerns, and other supply chain issues.
• Work closely with Production and Scheduling to align material planning and purchasing activities with production schedules and customer commitments.
• Maintain accurate inventory records and investigate discrepancies between system quantities and physical inventory.
• Monitor and report key materials KPIs, including On-Time Delivery (OTD), Stock in Days, and Year-End Inventory.
• Identify opportunities to improve inventory accuracy, purchasing processes, supplier performance, material flow, and inventory turnover.
• Develop and improve procedures related to inventory control, purchasing, receiving, shipping, and material handling.
• Serve as a backup to the Scheduling Team to help maintain production information and shop orders.
• Resolve material shortages, purchasing delays, and inventory issues that could affect production schedules or customer deliveries.
• Follow applicable environmental, health, and safety requirements and participate in risk assessments.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in inventory planning and control, purchasing, materials management, procurement, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with inventory management, material requirements planning, purchase orders, and supplier coordination.
• Understanding of purchasing practices, supplier lead times, inventory replenishment, and production material requirements.
• Experience working with MRP/ERP systems; Infor XA strongly preferred.
• Previous supervisory, team lead, or experience coordinating the work of others preferred.
• Experience with manufacturing materials such as steel, aluminum, plastics, engineered components, or similar production materials preferred.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to review inventory data, identify discrepancies, monitor KPIs, and make informed purchasing and inventory decisions.
• Strong organizational, communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with computer systems and inventory-related reporting.
• Ability to work collaboratively with Purchasing, Production, Scheduling, Quality, Shipping, and Receiving.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.

$75,000–$95,000 + bonus, 401(k), PTO, healthcare, and a comprehensive benefits package.