Production Materials Planner

Trace3; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 116,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) match

Competitive pay

Training programs

Office snacks

Collaborative culture

Work-life balance

Job summary

Trace3 is seeking a Production Materials Planner to translate sales pipeline, orders, vendor lead times, and inventory into an actionable material plan within a technology VAR environment. The role balances timely delivery with minimized inventory and warehouse congestion.

You will collaborate with Sales, Purchasing, Operations, Warehouse, Finance, and vendors to identify supply risks, stage shipments, and maintain visibility from forecast to fulfillment. 3-5+ years in planning required.

Qualifications

• 3-5+ years of experience in materials planning, inventory planning, or related field.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities to interpret demand, inventory, lead times, and orders.
• Experience forecasting material requirements and balancing delivery needs with inventory and operations.
• Experience with ERP/MRP, order management, or planning systems and data maintenance.
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables and lookups.

Responsibilities

• Translate sales pipeline, booked orders, vendor lead times, and current inventory into a time-phased material plan.
• Determine when equipment should be ordered, released, expedited, or delayed to meet delivery dates and minimize inventory.
• Monitor inventory by SKU and vendor, identify shortages or aging stock, and recommend corrective actions.
• Coordinate with vendors on acknowledgements, ship dates, and staged releases.
• Maintain visibility to open POs and customer orders, resolving past-due dates with recovery plans.
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, Warehouse, and Finance to align forecasts with demand and business needs.
• Plan inbound volumes, receiving timing, and outbound priorities based on warehouse capacity and schedules.
• Maintain planning data in ERP/MRP, including lead times and reorder points.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Forecasting

Attention to detail

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Excel

Job description

Trace3 is a leading Transformative IT Authority, providing unique technology solutions and consulting services to our clients. Equipped with elite engineering and dynamic innovation, we empower IT executives and their organizations to achieve competitive advantage through a process of Integrate, Automate, Innovate.

Our culture at Trace3 embodies the spirit of a startup with the advantage of a scalable business. Employees can grow their career and have fun while doing it!

Trace3 is headquartered in Irvine, California. We employ more than 1,200 people all over the United States. Our major field office locations include Denver, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Lexington, Los Angeles, Louisville, Texas, San Francisco.

Ready to discover the possibilities that live in technology?

Come Join Us!

Street-Smart-Thriving in Dynamic Times

We are flexible and resilient in a fast-changing environment. We continuously innovate and drive constructive change while keeping a focus on the “big picture.” We exercise sound business judgment in making high-quality decisions in a timely and cost-effective manner. We are highly creative and can dig deep within ourselves to find positive solutions to different problems.

Juice -The “Stuff” it takes to be a Needle Mover

We get things done and drive results. We lead without a title, empowering others through a can-do attitude. We look forward to the goal, mentallymapping outevery checkpoint on the pathway to success, and visualizing what the final destination looks and feels like.

Teamwork -Humble, Hungry and Smart

We are humble individuals who understand how our job impacts the company's mission. We treat others with respect, admit mistakes, give credit where it’s due and demonstrate transparency. We “bring the weather” by exhibiting positive leadership and solution-focused thinking. We hug people in their trials, struggles, and failures – not just their success. We appreciate the individuality of the people around us.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Production Materials Planner is responsible for translating Trace3 sales pipeline, booked customer orders, vendor lead times, and current inventory into an executable material and shipment plan. This role balances two equally important objectives: securing equipment early enough to protect customer delivery dates while avoiding unnecessary inventory, warehouse congestion, carrying cost, and aging exposure.

Working across Sales, Purchasing/Procurement, Operations, Warehouse, Finance, and vendor partners, the Planner proactively identifies supply risks, stages vendor shipments, determines when direct-to-customer shipment is appropriate, and maintains clear visibility to material status from forecast through fulfillment. This is a planning and coordination role within a technology value-added reseller (VAR) environment; it is not a traditional manufacturing production-scheduling position.

SUMMARY OF ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Analyze sales pipeline, booked orders, expected close dates, customer requested dates, historical demand, current inventory, and vendor lead times to forecast equipment requirements and create time-phased material plans.
• Determine when equipment should be ordered, released, expedited, delayed, or de-expedited to support on-time customer delivery while minimizing excess inventory and unnecessary warehouse dwell time.
• Monitor inventory by SKU, manufacturer, project, and customer commitment; identify shortages, excess, slow-moving, aging, or potentially obsolete inventory and recommend corrective action.
• Coordinate with vendors and distributors on order acknowledgements, committed ship dates, partial shipments, allocation constraints, lead-time changes, staged releases, and other supply exceptions.
• Evaluate and coordinate vendor-direct / drop-ship opportunities when appropriate to reduce handling, freight, warehouse touches, and cycle time while ensuring customer and project requirements are met.
• Maintain visibility to open purchase orders and customer orders; proactively resolve past-due, at-risk, or mismatched dates and communicate recovery plans to affected stakeholders.
• Partner closely with Sales and delivery teams to validate forecast timing and distinguish likely demand from committed demand so purchasing actions are aligned to business risk and customer need.
• Collaborate with Warehouse and Operations to plan inbound volume, receiving timing, staging requirements, and outbound shipment priorities based on warehouse capacity and customer schedules.
• Partner with Finance and Procurement to monitor inventory exposure, excess and obsolete inventory, returns, cancellations, and restocking impacts while supporting inventory performance objectives.
• Maintain accurate planning data in ERP/MRP and related systems, including lead times, promised dates, reorder or safety-stock parameters where applicable, order quantities, and relevant supplier information.
• Develop and maintain reporting on inventory, material availability, open purchase orders, delivery risks, and supplier performance.
• Perform root-cause analysis on shortages, delivery misses, and planning issues and recommend corrective actions to improve planning effectiveness.
• Maintain professional, proactive communication with vendors and internal stakeholders, escalating material risks early with clear options, business impact, and recommended actions.

Key Measures of Success

• Customer orders supported on time with minimal material-related delays.
• Inventory arrives within the appropriate planning window rather than significantly ahead of customer need.
• Reduced excess, aging, and obsolete inventory; healthy inventory turns and warehouse utilization.
• Accurate and timely visibility to open purchase orders, expected receipts, shortages, and delivery risk.
• Effective use of staged vendor releases and direct-ship options where they improve cost or cycle time.
• Improved supplier delivery reliability and faster resolution of supply exceptions.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• 3-5+ years of experience in materials planning, inventory planning, supply planning, procurement, purchasing, supply chain, or a related field.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret demand, inventory, lead-time, and order data to make sound planning decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to forecast material requirements, identify supply risks, and balance customer delivery needs with inventory and operational objectives.
• Experience working in ERP, MRP, order management, or supply chain planning systems, including maintaining accurate planning data and using system outputs to support decision-making.
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, formulas, filtering, and analysis of large data sets.

Actual salary will be based on a variety of factors, including location, experience, skill set, performance, licensure and certification, and business needs. The range for this position in other geographic locations may differ. Certain positions may also be eligible for variable incentive compensation, such as bonuses or commissions, that is not included in the base salary.

$94,745 - $116,093 USD

The Perks

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Employer Match, 529 College Savings Plan, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance, and Long-Term Disability
• Competitive Compensation
• Training and development programs
• Major offices stocked with snacks and beverages
• Collaborative and cool culture
• Work-life balance and generous paid time off

Our Commitment

At the core of Trace3's DNA is our people. We are a diverse group of talented individuals who understand the importance of teamwork and demonstrating leadership, character, and passion in all that we do.

We’re committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and empowered to grow. We recognize that embracing diversity drives innovation, improves outcomes, fosters collaboration, boosts teammate satisfaction, and builds a more inclusive culture.

As an equal opportunity employer, Trace3 bases all employment decisions based on individual qualifications, merit, and business requirements. We do not engage in discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Any demographic information provided is strictly voluntary, kept confidential in accordance with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations, and will not be used in employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, or mentorship programs. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process or participate in an interview, please email [e-mail].

To all recruitment agencies:Trace3 does not accept unsolicited agency resumes/CVs. Please do not forward resumes/CVs to our careers email addresses, Trace3 employees or any other company location. Trace3 is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/CVs.